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Booth renter break-even

How many cuts a day before you're earning for yourself?

Renting a chair means the rent ticks over whether you're busy or not. This tells you the cut count that covers it — and what every cut after that is worth to you.

$
Ex GST. Booth rent is often quoted GST-inclusive — strip the GST first if so.
$
Ex GST. Insurance, software, marketing, bank fees — anything you pay whether you cut or not.
$
Ex GST. Your real average across all services, not your top price.
$
Ex GST. Blades, product, capes, laundry — the bits used up on each client.
How many days you actually open the chair.
A realistic daily average, not your busiest day.
Weekly profit above your rent and costs
$1,570
At 10 cuts a day you clear $1,570 a week — about $81,640 a year. You start earning for yourself after 1.7 cuts a day.
Break-even cuts per day
1.7
Cover rent and costs before this — everything after is yours.
Break-even cuts per week
8.7
The weekly number the chair has to clear.
Profit on each extra cut
$38
What every cut past break-even puts in your pocket.
Days a week to cover the rent
1
At your current pace, this many trading days pay the fixed costs.
Where it goes
Cuts you do per week50
Cuts needed to break even8.7

All figures ex GST — keep them consistent (booth rent is often quoted GST-inclusive, so divide by 1.10 first if yours is). Contribution per cut = price − product cost. Break-even cuts = weekly fixed costs ÷ contribution per cut. Weekly profit = (your cuts × contribution) − fixed costs; annual = ×52. If product cost is ever as high as your price, contribution is zero and break-even can't be worked out. This is a contractor / booth-renter model: no super, no Award penalty rates and no payroll tax are included, because as a chair renter you're running your own books. It's a planning guide, not tax or business advice — check your own numbers and, if you're unsure where you stand, have a chat to your accountant.

A working tool, not financial advice. It uses the figures and assumptions you enter — check them against your own numbers and your accountant before any pricing, wage or financial decision. Award and tax figures change (often each 1 July); verify current rates at fairwork.gov.au and ato.gov.au. Shear Profit gives no tax or financial advice.

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