How do you work out what to charge for nails?
Many nail techs set prices by feel or by looking at competitors. The usual result: a full diary and little money at the end of the month. The method below takes an hour, once, and tells you the price below which you are working for nothing.
All figures in this guide are examples: replace them with your own. A spreadsheet or a sheet of paper is enough.
Step 1: what you want to earn and what your business costs
Start with two monthly figures.
Your target profit
What you want the business to make each month, before Income Tax and National Insurance. Example: £1,800.
Your overheads
Everything you pay each month whether you see 5 clients or 50:
| Overhead (example) | Per month |
|---|---|
| Room or chair rent | £300 |
| Insurance | £25 |
| Subscriptions (diary, booking, phone) | £55 |
| Marketing (printing, photos) | £30 |
| Bank, accountant | £40 |
| Total | £450 |
Also think about replacing kit: if an e-file lasts two years and costs £220, set aside about £9 a month. Here it is included in the £450 to keep things simple.
Total to cover each month: £1,800 + £450 = £2,250, after products.
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Step 2: the minutes you actually bill
This is the step most people underestimate. You may be at work 8 hours a day, but you do not bill 8 hours: there is set-up, cleaning, disinfecting, messages, orders, accounts and empty slots.
- Days worked per week: 4
- Appointment hours possible per day: 6
- Weeks per month: about 4.3
- Hours possible per month: 4 × 6 × 4.3 = 103 hours
- Realistic fill rate: 75% (adjust with your real diary)
- Hours actually billed: 103 × 0.75 ≈ 77 hours, or 4,620 minutes
When you are starting out, your fill rate will be lower for a few months. Run the calculation with a cautious rate (60%), then again once the diary fills up.
Step 3: your cost per minute
Divide what you need to cover by your billed minutes: £2,250 ÷ 4,620 min = £0.487 per minute. That is what each appointment minute must earn once products are paid for.
The formula for each service becomes:
Price = cost per minute × length in minutes + product cost
As a sole trader, tax is worked out on your profit through Self Assessment: GOV.UK says you must register if you earn more than £1,000 in a tax year (Set up as a sole trader). That is why the £1,800 target is before tax: put a share of each month’s profit aside so the tax bill is not a shock.
Step 4: the resulting price list (example)
With a cost per minute of £0.487 and example product costs:
| Service | Length | Products | Calculation | Rounded price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full set (gel or extensions) | 90 min | £5 | 43.83 + 5 = £48.83 | £49 |
| Infill | 75 min | £4 | 36.53 + 4 = £40.53 | £40 |
| Gel polish | 45 min | £2 | 21.92 + 2 = £23.92 | £24 |
| Removal only | 30 min | £1 | 14.61 + 1 = £15.61 | £16 |
| Nail art (per nail) | 5 min | £0.30 | 2.44 + 0.30 = £2.74 | £3 |
These are floor prices: below them you do not reach your target. Above them you build a margin for quiet months, training or future premises.
Step 5: compare with local prices, without copying them
Once you know your floor price, look at 5 or 6 nail techs in your area (on their booking pages or websites). Three cases:
- Your floor is below the local market: you have room. Price at market level if your work and service justify it, and keep the difference.
- Your floor is at market level: that is consistent. Compete on quality, punctuality, reviews and easy booking.
- Your floor is above the market: do not go below your floor. Work on costs (rent, subscriptions), time (faster technique with experience, fewer empty slots) or the clients you target (nail art, longer sets, clients who value care).
Price is only one factor: clients also choose on photos, reviews, cleanliness and being able to book in the evening. That is often how a nail tech justifies a few pounds more.
VAT, your price list and yearly reviews
VAT
GOV.UK says you must register for VAT if your total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 (when to register for VAT). Keep an eye on your rolling 12-month turnover: once registered, VAT is added to your prices, and your price list must show what clients actually pay.
Price list
Show every service, its price and its length, on your booking page and at your desk. The length helps clients understand the gap between a full set and an infill.
Review once a year
Redo the calculation every year, or whenever a cost changes (new rent, product price rises). If your floor goes up, announce the increase in advance and explain it simply: our guide to announcing a price increase has templates.
From [date], our prices are changing: full set £[price], infill £[price]. This follows rises in our product and running costs, with no change to the quality or the time we give you. Thank you for your loyalty!
Extras, lengths and empty slots: what changes the price
Extras to list
The same “full set” does not take the same time depending on length, shape and decoration. Rather than one price that loses you money on long sets, list a few clear extras, priced with your cost per minute:
| Extra (example) | Extra time | Calculation | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| XL length | 15 min | 7.31 + 1.00 | £8 |
| Almond or stiletto shape | 10 min | 4.87 + 0 | £5 |
| French or ombré | 15 min | 7.31 + 0.50 | £8 |
| Single nail repair | 10 min | 4.87 + 0.50 | £5 |
Write them on your price list: clients know what to expect and you do not have to negotiate at the end of the appointment.
What if the diary fills less than planned?
Your cost per minute depends directly on how full your diary is. At 60% instead of 75%, billed minutes drop to about 3,700 and the cost per minute rises to £2,250 ÷ 3,700 = £0.61. The full set then goes from £49 to about £60 to reach the same profit. That is why filling empty slots (online booking, reminders, regular clients) often matters more than a price rise.
No-shows and late cancellations
A forgotten appointment is a slot you paid for (rent, overheads) but did not bill. Send a reminder the day before by email, and write your cancellation policy (for example, 24 hours’ notice) on your booking page and price list. Some nail techs take a deposit for new clients or long sets: if you do, say so clearly before the client books, and explain when it is kept or refunded.
Courses and loyalty offers
If you offer a loyalty reward, such as a free nail art after five infills, price it with the same method: five minutes of nail art at your cost per minute is about £3 of value. Knowing the real cost helps you choose rewards that please clients without eating into your margin.
Pricing mobile appointments
If you go to clients’ homes, travel time is time you cannot bill to anyone else. Leaving it out of your prices is the most common reason mobile nail techs work long days for little money.
Two simple ways to include it:
- A call-out charge by zone. Draw two or three zones around your base. Example: up to 15 minutes’ drive, no charge; 15 to 30 minutes, a £6 call-out (about 12 minutes of your time at £0.487 per minute); over 30 minutes, £12 or by quote.
- Mobile prices built into the list. Add the average round trip to each service in your calculation. If an average trip takes 30 minutes, a full set costs (90 + 30) × £0.487 + £5 = £63.44, so about £63 at home against £49 in your studio.
Add your fuel or fares to your monthly overheads, or to the call-out charge, so they are not paid out of your profit. Grouping appointments by area on the same day also lowers your real cost per visit: a full morning in one neighbourhood beats three trips across town.
The most common pricing mistakes
- Counting 8 billable hours a day when you really bill 4 or 5
- Forgetting to set money aside for tax
- Not charging for removing another salon’s set, which takes time
- Adding nail art “as a favour” on every set
- Keeping the same prices for years while products go up
- Showing “from £…” without saying what changes the price
- Cutting prices to fill the diary instead of working on visibility and reviews
To fill your diary without discounting, see our guide on how to get nail clients.
The steps at a glance
The cost-per-minute method in five steps.
- Set your target and overheads. Add your monthly profit target (before tax) and your monthly overheads.
- Count billed time. Days × appointment hours × weeks, multiplied by a realistic fill rate.
- Work out the cost per minute. Divide the total to cover by your billed minutes.
- Price each service. Price = cost per minute × length + products.
- Compare and publish. Compare with local prices without going below your floor, then publish your list with lengths.
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Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 28, 2026.