Barber invoice template

How do barbers usually invoice?

Barbers take payment at the chair after each cut, by card or cash, and record it through the shop till or their own reader, so receipts rather than invoices are the norm. Formal invoices are raised for wedding parties, events and when a barber invoices a shop for chair rent or a shop invoices a self-employed barber for it. Walk-in trade means prices are fixed per service and displayed, and the receipt matches the board.

Barbers in this example are paid on receipt. Hourly rates run from £25 to £50.

What should a barber put on an invoice?

Beyond the legal basics, barbers should:

• Make your receipt match the price board; customers notice when they differ.
• For chair rent, the shop invoices the barber weekly, and the barber keeps their own takings record.
• Invoice wedding and event grooming per person with the date and venue, and take a deposit.
• Keep daily takings records by card and cash; HMRC compares them to card processor statements.

Every UK invoice, whatever the trade, must also show:

• a unique, sequential invoice number
• your business name and address (and company number if you trade as a limited company)
• the client’s name and address
• the invoice date and, for VAT invoices, the date of supply if different
• a clear description of each item of work or goods
• the amount due and when it must be paid
• your VAT number, the VAT rate per line and the VAT total, if you are VAT registered

Do barbers charge VAT?

Barbering is standard rated at 20% once you are VAT registered, which is compulsory above £90,000 turnover. A self-employed barber renting a chair is usually below the threshold; a shop with four or five chairs is above it. Chair rent paid to the shop is a cost, not a sale.

On the Flat Rate Scheme the sector for barbers is usually “Hairdressing or other beauty treatment services” at 13% of VAT-inclusive turnover, with a 1% discount in the first year of registration. If you spend little on goods you may be a limited cost trader and have to use 16.5% instead. The scheme suits businesses with few VAT-able costs; check it against the standard method with the VAT calculator before joining.