The salon keeps £484 a week from an employed stylist and £150 from a rented chair. The £150 is often the better deal
Chair Rental vs Employment Calculator
Employment brings the takings and the wage bill, the product, the holiday and the quiet weeks. Rent brings a smaller number that carries none of it. Put your own takings, hourly rate and rent in and see both sides of the same chair.
Chair Rental vs Employment Calculator
The defining salon question, worked from both sides of the chair: what the salon keeps and what the stylist keeps under rent and under employment.
The part that is not arithmetic
The demo week: the salon keeps £484 from an employed stylist and £150 from a rented chair, but the £150 carries no wage bill, no product bill, no holiday, no cover and no quiet-week risk. The rent is smaller and safer; the employment is bigger and yours to manage.
The stylist sees the mirror image: £560 employed with holiday, sick pay and none of the risk, or £1,057 renting before their own tax, product going forward, insurance and empty-column weeks.
The trap is renting in name only. Set their prices, their hours and their clients and HMRC can call it employment whatever the agreement says; the Taking On a Self-Employed Stylist Checklist walks what the salon must not control.
Take the workbook
Both sides of the chair in Excel, with every cost line shown and editable.
Download the workbookFAQs
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please chat to our friendly team.
We provide bookkeeping, VAT returns, payroll, tax filings, annual accounts, and advisory services — tailored to freelancers, SMEs, and ecommerce businesses.
Yes. Every client works with a named accountant who knows your business inside out. You’ll never deal with call centres — just direct, personal support.
We’re certified partners with Xero and QuickBooks. Our digital-first approach means you’ll always have real-time access to your financial data.
We offer fixed monthly packages with no hidden fees. Pricing depends on your business size and the level of support you need — but you’ll always know exactly what you’re paying for.
Absolutely. We handle VAT, corporation tax, self-assessments, and payroll tax. We also manage HMRC correspondence on your behalf to ensure you never miss a deadline.
No. While many of our clients are London-based, we also support businesses across the UK and ecommerce sellers worldwide through our cloud-based systems.
RESOURCES
Fresh takes on business and accounting.
Trading profit is split on a time basis. Interest, rent, gains, donations and dividends each follow their own rule, and mixing them up misstates both accounting periods.
A long period of account needs two separate capital allowances computations, and since April 2026 they are not even calculated at the same writing down rate.
Company law allows accounts to run for 18 months; corporation tax never allows an accounting period longer than 12. Here is how the split is drawn.
CONTACT
Get in touch

