What do I really earn an hour as a self-employed stylist?
Probably less than you think. Your real hourly rate isn't your price, and it isn't your takings divided by the hours you're with clients. It's what's left after everything, spread over every hour you work.
By Stevee Devonda, co-owner of Iron + Ivy, Queenstown, and Revolver, Arrowtown. Updated 17 October 2026.
Why the number on your price list is misleading
Charging $80 an hour feels like earning $80 an hour. But out of that come chair rent or salon costs, product, card fees, insurance, software, education, then income tax and ACC. And the hours keep going after the last client leaves: admin, ordering, social media, cleaning, and the gaps nobody booked.
The number that surprises people
Take a chair renter in a busy salon, bringing in $2,000 a week. Once every cost, tax and ACC is paid and the takings are spread over every hour they actually work, admin included, they can end up on around $25 an hour.
The adult minimum wage is $23.95. And unlike an employee, there's no holiday pay, no paid sick days and no employer KiwiSaver on top.
Where the gap usually comes from
- Unpaid hours. Admin and gaps between clients can quietly add a day to your week.
- Weeks off. Holidays, sick days and quiet weeks all come out of the same takings.
- Prices set by feel. A price set years ago, or copied, rarely keeps up with rent and product costs.
What changes it
There are three levers: charge more per service, fill more of the hours you're already there, or cut the hours nobody pays for. Which one matters most, and by how much, depends entirely on your own numbers. That's the bit worth knowing before you change anything.
Take-Home Hourly Rate Calculator
The Take-Home Hourly Rate Calculator is part of The Numbers Room, opening soon. Get early access and you'll be first through the door.
An example. Your own costs, ACC classification and tax will differ. General information, not tax or financial advice.