Hair & grooming

Books and taxes for hair extension specialists.

A $1,800 install, a deposit for custom hair on order, a move-up appointment six weeks later, and hair inventory sitting on a shelf. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
SeptemberExample month
$17,500
what you made

September came in at $17,500. Two Bellami orders arrived for installs already deposited last month, so I matched them to the right client instead of counting them as new expense.

  • Full install, client depositInstall deposits
  • Move-up appointmentMaintenance appointments
  • Bellami hair orderExtension hair inventory
  • GlossGenius subscriptionBooking software
  • Great Lengths trainingCertification and training
Money in$47,000
Money out$29,500
Set aside for taxes$5,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

An extension specialist's books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a big deposit and a big bill. Your business runs on custom hair ordered weeks ahead, deposits held against installs that have not happened yet, and maintenance visits that are really the second half of one job. When the books cannot see the timing, your numbers swing wildly for no real reason.

  1. 1

    Deposits counted as income too early

    A client pays a deposit to order custom hair for a $2,200 install happening in six weeks. Counted as income the day it lands, that month looks better than it is and the install month looks worse.

    What we doHolds install deposits as money owed until the appointment happens, so neither month gets distorted.
  2. 2

    Hair inventory sits on the books as an expense

    A bulk hair order from Bellami or Great Lengths might sit on a shelf for weeks before it gets installed. Booked as an expense the day it arrives, a slow ordering month looks like a loss.

    What we doTracks extension hair as inventory until it goes into a client's install, not as a straight expense on arrival.
  3. 3

    Move-ups get treated as brand new jobs

    A move-up appointment six to eight weeks after an install is maintenance on the same client relationship, not a new sale, but it often gets logged the same as a first-time install with no connection between them.

    What we doKeeps maintenance appointments in their own line, so you can see rebooking revenue apart from new installs.
  4. 4

    Certification and training gets buried in supplies

    Training with a method like hand-tied wefts or a tape-in certification can cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars and often gets logged the same as a routine hair order.

    What we doKeeps training and certification costs in their own line, separate from hair and product inventory.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an extension specialist.

Set up once for how installs get paid and what the studio spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Install depositsHeld until the appointment happens, not counted as income when paid.
  • Full install paymentsThe balance collected the day of a new install.
  • Maintenance appointmentsMove-ups and repositioning visits on existing clients.
  • Retail salesExtension care shampoo, brushes, and styling tools sold to clients.

Money out

  • Extension hair inventoryBulk and custom hair ordered from Bellami, Great Lengths, or a similar supplier.
  • Certification and trainingMethod-specific training and continuing education for install techniques.
  • Booking softwareGlossGenius or Vagaro subscription and card processing fees.
  • Tools and equipmentHeat tools, extension pliers, and micro-link tools that wear out.
  • Retail inventoryExtension-safe care products bought to resell, kept apart from install hair.
  • Studio rent and utilitiesLease, water, and power for the space.

What we watch for you

  • Rebooking rate

    Share of install clients who come back for a move-up. It shows how much of next month is already spoken for.

  • Hair inventory on hand

    What is sitting on the shelf waiting to be installed, so a big order does not look like a loss.

  • Install revenue per client

    Full installs against maintenance visits, so you see which side of the business is growing.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things extension specialists ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

A client just paid a deposit for hair I have to special order. Does that count as income right now?

Not yet. I hold it as money owed until her install happens, so this month does not look better than it really is.

I bought a big batch of hand-tied wefts this month but most are still on the shelf. Why does the month look so rough?

I am tracking that hair as inventory now instead of a flat expense, so it will even out as installs use it up over the next few months.

Do I need to send myself paperwork for the training I paid for?

No, your own training is just a deductible expense. If you ever pay another stylist to help on installs, that is when a 1099 comes into play.

The tax side

The tax side of running an extension business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing, when a deposit counts and when inventory turns into a real cost, not the tax rate itself.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Inventory versus expenseHair bought and sitting on a shelf is inventory, not a deduction, until it goes into a client's install. Getting this right keeps a big order from making a good month look like a loss.
  • Self-employment taxAs an extension specialist paid directly by clients rather than through someone else's payroll, you owe self-employment tax of 15.3 percent on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
  • The no tax on tips deductionThrough 2028, you can deduct up to $25,000 of tip income from federal tax. Tips still owe self-employment or payroll tax either way.
  • The pass-through deductionMost extension specialists can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions hair extension specialists miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Extension hair inventory used in installs
  • Certification and training courses
  • Micro-link and extension pliers
  • Heat tools and flat irons
  • Booking software subscription
  • Card processing fees
  • Retail care product purchased
  • Studio rent and utilities
  • Liability insurance
  • Trade shows and hair expos
  • Photography for portfolio marketing
  • Storage for hair inventory

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

An extension specialist's year, kept every month.

Wedding and event season drives big installs, and move-ups keep the calendar full the rest of the year. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax side of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether wedding season installs changed the number.

  4. October

    Before holiday installs

    Gus looks at hair inventory worth ordering ahead and any equipment moves worth making before December installs pick up.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for hair extension specialists. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions extension specialists ask first.

I take a deposit weeks before I even order the hair. How does that get booked?

The deposit is held as money owed until the install happens, not counted as income the day it is paid. That keeps your ordering month and your install month both honest.

I keep a stock of hair on hand for walk-in color matches. Does that count against me?

It gets tracked as inventory, not a flat expense, so a big order does not make a slow month look like a loss. It evens out as the hair gets used in installs.

Move-up appointments are smaller than a full install. Do they get counted differently?

They get their own line so you can see maintenance revenue apart from new installs, but both count toward what you made for the month.

I just got certified in a new method. Is that deductible?

Usually yes. Training and certification costs for your trade are ordinary business expenses, kept apart from your hair inventory so you can see what training actually costs you each year.

My books are behind because I have been buying hair on a personal card. Is that fixable?

Yes. Send the statements you have, personal and business. Gus sorts out what belongs to the business, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever