What a Hairdresser payslip looks like
A typical UK hairdresser payslip is paid four-weekly and shows a basic pay line at the top. Salon-employed stylists earn basic plus commission; many experienced stylists move to chair rental as self-employed. The line items below depend on grade, shift pattern and contractual additions, but the structure usually mirrors HMRC's recommended payslip layout: a payments block, a deductions block, a year-to-date column, and a net pay summary.
Common employers in this occupation include Toni & Guy, Rush Hair, Independent salons. Each employer runs payroll slightly differently, but the underlying PAYE computation against tax code 1257L and Class 1 National Insurance is identical across the UK (excluding Scotland for income tax). The biggest variability between two hairdresser payslips at the same gross will be in the additions block: Salon-employed hairdressers see basic at NMW plus commission once a column-revenue threshold is met; chair-rental stylists are self-employed and issue invoices, not payslips.
Year-to-date columns are critical to verify on this role because the additions and salary sacrifice items change month to month. If your YTD gross divided by months elapsed in the tax year does not match your expected annual run-rate, that is the single best signal that something is mis-coded.
Depends how you are engaged
Deductions from wages, and the retail 10% cap and hairdresser pay
Section 17(3) counts the supply of services as a retail transaction, so a chair is retail employment on a day when nothing at all comes off a shelf. The detail worth knowing is how the ceiling aggregates. Section 18(1) caps the deduction or deductions made on a pay day, which means an employer recovering two separate shortages in the same month has to fit both inside one tenth rather than taking a tenth for each, and a third has to wait for the pay day after. The prior question is the one a chair-renting barber faces too: Part II protects a worker, so a stylist on the salon's payroll gets section 13 and the section 18 ceiling, while a stylist renting a chair on their own account has no employer deducting from wages and what the salon keeps is rent under a commercial agreement.
- Cap on a retail shortage deduction
- One tenth of gross pay
- The sections that name the occupation
- Sections 17 to 22
Educational only. Whether this reaches your own pay turns on your contract and how you are engaged, and tribunal and claim time limits are short. Check the limit that applies to you before relying on a date.
Deductions from wages, and the retail 10% cap: the rates, the payslip lines, what goes wrong and the 28 primary sources. Employment Rights Act 1996, Part II, sections 13 to 27, with sections 17 to 22 for workers in retail employment, in force 22 August 1996, with the two year backstop from 1 July 2015 and the hours line on the payslip from 6 April 2019.
Hairdresser salary bands (UK 2024)
ONS ASHE 2024 full-time gross pay. Net figures use 2026/27 PAYE bands and assume 5% of qualifying earnings (£6,240–£50,270) under a net-pay arrangement — before income tax, but not before National Insurance.
| Band | Gross / year | Net / year | Net / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | £20,800 | £17,913 | £1,493 |
| Median | £21,800 | £18,593 | £1,549 |
| 75th percentile | £24,500 | £20,429 | £1,702 |
Common deductions for a Hairdresser
- PAYE income tax.Calculated against tax code 1257L. Cumulative coding means refunds can appear if you start mid-year.
- National Insurance (Class 1).8% between £12,570 and £50,270 of annual earnings, then 2% above. Period-by-period method is standard.
- Pension.Auto-enrolment minimum 5% employee on qualifying earnings (£6,240 - £50,270), unless your employer runs a more generous scheme such as the NHS, Teachers Pension or Civil Service alpha.
- Salary sacrifice patterns.Common in this occupation: cycle-to-work, electric-car salary sacrifice, additional pension contributions, and where applicable workplace nursery vouchers (still tax-efficient via pre-existing schemes).
- Union or professional body.Tax-deductible for HMRC-listed bodies. Hairdressers commonly hold subscriptions covered by section 344 ITEPA 2003 (List 3).
Hairdresser payslip FAQ
What is the average Hairdresser salary in the UK in 2024?
According to ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2024 for SOC code 6221, the median full-time gross annual salary for a Hairdresser in the UK is approximately £21,800. The 25th percentile sits at £20,800 and the 75th at £24,500.
What is take-home pay on a median Hairdresser salary?
On £21,800 gross with the standard 1257L tax code and 5% of qualifying earnings into a net-pay pension, monthly take-home is approximately £1,549 after PAYE income tax, Class 1 employee National Insurance and auto-enrolment pension. Actual figures vary if you have student loan, salary sacrifice or a non-cumulative tax code.
What is unusual about a Hairdresser payslip?
Salon-employed hairdressers see basic at NMW plus commission once a column-revenue threshold is met; chair-rental stylists are self-employed and issue invoices, not payslips.
Which tax code should a Hairdresser typically be on?
Most people in this role on standard PAYE will see 1257L. Check the prefix and suffix carefully: a K-prefix means deductions exceed your allowance (often after a bonus or P11D benefit), 0T means you have no allowance left at this employer, and BR means basic rate on the whole job (common in second jobs).
Salary estimates: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2024, full-time gross annual pay by SOC 2020 occupation. Figures rounded to nearest £100.