Salons have two traps most bookkeepers miss: gift cards aren't income until they're redeemed, and booth renters can quietly turn into a payroll problem. I handle both — plus tips, product sales, and your booking platform — so your books are right and your risk stays low.
Book a Free 15-Min Call Run the 2-Minute Health CheckWhen a client buys a $100 gift card, that's not revenue — it's money you owe them in services. Booked as income, it inflates your sales and your tax bill, and hides a real liability sitting on your books. I track gift cards as a liability and recognize the revenue only when they're redeemed — the way it's supposed to work, so your numbers tell the truth.
Recognized as revenue only when they're redeemed — not when they're sold — so your sales and your tax aren't overstated.
Rent income tracked and the 1099 paperwork kept clean — so a renter doesn't quietly become a payroll problem.
Your stylists' money passing through, not your sales — tracked and cleared so it never inflates revenue or tax.
Split out so you can actually see what the retail shelf adds — and whether it's pulling its weight.
Square, Vagaro, Booksy, and GlossGenius pay out net of fees — matched to sales so your revenue is real.
Anomaly checks run on your books each month — deposit gaps, odd balances, fee drift — and I personally investigate every flag.
Misclassifying booth renters is one of the most common — and most expensive — salon mistakes. I keep the records clean so the line stays clear, and if something starts to look like it's drifting toward employee territory, I flag it early so you and your CPA can sort it before it becomes a bill.
Not sure where you'd land? The free 15-minute call ends with a real number — not "it depends."
Tell me about your salon — chairs, renters, retail, gift cards; I'll tell you what I'd expect to find in your books.
Written findings: what's right, what's off, what it takes to fix. $275–$800 by size, credits in full toward month one.
A fixed quote before any work starts. You approve the number first.
Gift cards, tips, and renters handled right, with a one-page report you'll actually read.
"I'm so glad I called Mike. He was recommended to me by a friend. Mike came to help right away and problem solved. He cleaned up my books and continues with the monthly bookkeeping service so I can concentrate on other aspects of my business."
As a liability until they're redeemed — not as income when they're sold. Booking them as income overstates your sales and tax and hides what you actually owe in future services.
I track rent income and keep the 1099 paperwork clean, and I'll flag anything that looks like it's crossing into employee territory so you and your CPA can sort the classification before it becomes a problem.
Yes — as a liability, your stylists' money passing through, so it never inflates your sales or your tax.
Yes. I work in your QuickBooks Online file alongside your booking platform, and your CPA gets a clean, documented file at tax time.
Run your salon on Square? See the Square bookkeeping page for how the Square-specific reconciliation works — or check whether your books are right in two minutes with the free Books Health Check.
Fifteen minutes tells us both whether it's a fit — and you'll leave with a real monthly number. No pitch, no pressure, no homework.
Book a Free 15-Minute Call