- Price = (product + your time + overhead) ÷ (1 − card fee − profit)
- A 60-minute gel manicure comes to about $40 in our example, not $35
- Divide overhead by booked hours, not open hours
To price nail services, add up four things for each service: product cost, your time, a share of your overhead (rent, utilities, software) and then add your profit and card fees on top. Copying the salon down the street skips all four, which is why so many nail techs are fully booked and still short on money.
The nail service pricing formula
Here is the formula in one line:
Dividing by (1 − card fee − profit) instead of adding a percentage on top is important: it makes sure the card fee and your profit are taken from the final price, not from your costs.
Step 1: Product cost per service
You don't need to cost every drop of gel. Take what you spent on nail products last month and divide it by the number of services you did.
Example: $600 on nail products ÷ 200 services = $3 per service. If acrylic uses clearly more product, give it a higher number (for example $6).
Step 2: Labor cost (your time)
Decide what an hour of your work must earn, even if you are the owner. Then multiply by the service time.
Example: $20 an hour × 1 hour gel manicure = $20. If a team member works on commission, skip this step and add the commission percentage to the bottom of the formula instead (see commission vs salary).
Step 3: Overhead per hour
Overhead is everything you pay even when no client is in the chair: rent, utilities, booking software, insurance, accountant. Divide it by the hours you are actually booked, not the hours you are open.
Example: $1,200 a month ÷ 120 booked hours = $10 per hour, so a 60-minute service carries $10 of overhead.
Need this for every service at once? Open the free demo →
Step 4: Add card fees and profit
With a 3% card fee and a 15% profit target:
So a 60-minute gel manicure should be about $40, not the $35 many nail techs charge.
Want to see this for a whole price list? Open the free salon pricing calculator demo: it has an example salon with a gel manicure priced at $35 and shows the suggested $40 price, the profit per hour and the money missing every month.
Example nail price list
| Service | Time | Product | Labor | Overhead | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gel manicure | 60 min | $3 | $20 | $10 | $40 |
| Pedicure | 60 min | $4 | $20 | $10 | $42 |
| Acrylic full set | 90 min | $6 | $30 | $15 | $62 |
| Nail art add-on | 15 min | $1 | $5 | $2.50 | $10 |
Example numbers. Price = cost ÷ 0.82 (3% card fee, 15% profit), rounded.
Second example: a nail salon with a team on commission
The example above is a solo nail tech who pays themselves $20 an hour. In a nail salon where team members are paid commission, labor is not a fixed dollar amount: it is a share of the price. So it moves to the bottom of the formula, next to the card fee and profit:
A salon with reception, more chairs and a bigger space usually has higher overhead, say $15 per booked hour. With 40% commission, a 3% card fee and a 15% profit target, you divide by 1 − 0.03 − 0.40 − 0.15 = 0.42:
| Service | Time | Product | Overhead | Price | Commission paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gel manicure | 60 min | $3 | $15 | $43 | $17.20 |
| Pedicure | 60 min | $4 | $15 | $45 | $18 |
| Acrylic full set | 90 min | $6 | $22.50 | $68 | $27.20 |
Example numbers. Price = (product + overhead) ÷ 0.42, rounded.
Notice how sensitive this is. Every point of commission comes straight off what is left for the salon, so a salon paying 45% instead of 40% needs noticeably higher prices for the same profit. If you are unsure which pay model fits your team, compare them in our commission vs salary guide.
More nail services: builder gel, spa pedicures and removals
The same solo numbers ($20 an hour, $10 overhead per hour, divide by 0.82) price the rest of a typical nail menu:
| Service | Time | Product | Labor | Overhead | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Builder gel (BIAB) overlay | 75 min | $5 | $25 | $12.50 | $52 |
| Spa pedicure | 75 min | $7 | $25 | $12.50 | $54 |
| Gel removal (no new set) | 15 min | $1 | $5 | $2.50 | $10 |
Example numbers. Price = cost ÷ 0.82, rounded.
Two things stand out. First, a "deluxe" or spa version of a service should be priced by its extra time, not just its extra product: 15 more minutes adds about $9 to the price before any fancy scrub. Second, small jobs like removals, single nail repairs and polish changes are where nail techs give away the most time. A 15-minute removal done for free three times a day is 45 minutes of unpaid work, every day.
What if competitors charge less?
If the salon nearby charges $35 for gel, don't simply match it. First check what each service earns per hour: a cheaper service that takes 30 minutes can earn more than an expensive one that takes 90. Then look for ways to cut time (prep, booking gaps) or raise the services that earn the least. Our guide on salon profit margin shows which levers move profit the most.
Common pricing mistakes nail techs make
- Forgetting card fees. 2–3% of every price goes to the card processor.
- Dividing overhead by open hours. Empty hours still cost rent; divide by booked hours.
- Not paying yourself. If labor is $0, your "profit" is really your wage.
- Discounting without math. A 20% discount can cut your profit by half.
- Never raising prices. Product prices and rent go up every year. See how many clients you can lose when you raise salon prices.
Checklist: price your nail menu in one afternoon
- List every service with its real time, including prep, soak-off and clean-up. Time yourself for a week if you are not sure.
- Work out product cost per service from last month's spending, with a higher figure for product-heavy services like acrylic or builder gel.
- Set your hourly labor rate, or your commission percentage if a team does the work.
- Calculate overhead per booked hour from all your monthly fixed costs.
- Run the formula for every service and round to a clean price.
- Check profit per hour and look hardest at the services that earn the least. Our guide to profit per hour shows how.
- Price add-ons separately: nail art, French tips, extra length and repairs all take time.
When the new prices are ready, give regular clients a few weeks' notice and a short, friendly message. You don't need to justify every dollar; clients mostly want to know the date and the new price.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for a gel manicure?
With $3 of product, $20 an hour for your time, $10 an hour of overhead, a 3% card fee and a 15% profit target, a 60-minute gel manicure comes to about $40. Use your own costs, because rent and product prices differ a lot by city.
What profit margin should a nail salon aim for?
Many small salons aim for roughly 10–20% profit after all costs, including the owner's own wage. Below 10%, a slow month or a price rise from suppliers can wipe out the profit.
How often should I raise my nail prices?
Review your prices at least once a year, and whenever your costs change. Small, regular increases (for example $2–5) are easier for clients to accept than one large jump.
How do I price nail services if I rent a booth or room?
Your booth or room rent becomes part of your overhead. For example, $800 of booth rent plus $200 of other costs, spread over 100 booked hours a month, is $10 of overhead per hour. Then use the same formula as everyone else.
Should I charge more for long nails or complex nail art?
Yes. Price by time and product: if extra length or a detailed design adds 20 minutes, it adds a third of an hour of labor and overhead. A separate add-on price keeps your base menu simple and fair.
Should I charge for gel removal?
Yes, when it is not followed by a new set. A 15-minute removal uses your time, files and remover, and comes to about $10 in our example. Many nail techs include removal in the price when the client books a new set straight after.
Should a nail salon show prices online?
Yes. Clear prices on your booking page and Instagram save time on messages and attract clients who are happy with your prices. Show the service time next to each price, so clients understand why a longer service costs more.
Simple numbers for beauty businesses: pricing, profit and team pay, explained with real examples. More about us. Follow @salonprofitlab on Instagram for weekly tips.
This guide uses example numbers for illustration. It is not accounting, tax or financial advice.
