Nail Tech Pricing Guide: What to Charge Your Clients in 2026
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You spent three hours on a full set and charged £35 or even £25. Sound familiar?
If you're a nail tech who's ever felt awkward raising your prices, quoted a client and immediately wondered if it was too much, or watched another tech charge double and thought "how are they getting away with that?". This guide is for you!
Spoiler: They're not getting away with anything. They're just charging what the work is actually worth.
Let's fix that for you too.
Why Nail Techs Undercharge (And Why It's Not Your Fault)
Undercharging is one of the most common problems in the nail industry, and it usually comes down to three things:
- Fear of losing clients - "If I put my prices up, they'll go elsewhere."
- Imposter syndrome - "I'm not experienced enough to charge that."
- Not knowing the numbers - Most nail techs have never actually calculated what they need to charge to make a profit.
The third one is the most fixable - and that's exactly what this guide is for.
What You Actually Need to Factor Into Your Prices (The list is huge when you actually look into it)
Before you set a single price, you need to know your costs. Here's what to include:
Product costs: Every set uses product. Gel, tips, forms, prep products, top coat. Add up what you spend per client on average. To do this: You can message your supplier, some can tell you how much their product costs per client with normal use.
You can figure it out yourself with this formula:
Product cost ÷ number of uses = cost per client
Add up every product you use in a single appointment and you'll have your true product cost per client. Most nail techs are surprised how low it is - but it still needs to be in your pricing.
Overheads: Rent (or a proportion of your home bills if you work from home), insurance, electricity, water, Wi-Fi, card machine fees, booking software, and more.
Your time: This is the one most nail techs forget. Your time has value. Factor in not just the appointment, but prep, clean-up, admin, and any travel.
Training and CPD You invest in your education to deliver better results. That cost belongs in your pricing. And you need your business to pay for it, not yourself.
Tax and savings As a self-employed nail tech, you need to set aside money for tax and ideally build a savings buffer. Price for the business, not just the appointment.
How to Calculate Your Minimum Viable Price
Here's a simple formula to get started:
- Work out your monthly costs - add up everything above
- Decide how many clients you can realistically see per month - be honest, not optimistic
- Divide your costs by your client count - this is your break-even point per client
- Add your desired profit - what do you actually want to take home?
- That's your floor price - never go below it
For example: If your monthly costs are £800 and you see 40 clients a month, you need to charge at least £20 per client just to break even - before you've paid yourself a penny.
Most nail techs are shocked when they run these numbers for the first time.
Stop Guessing. Start Calculating.
The nail techs who charge confidently aren't guessing. They know their numbers. And once you know yours, pricing stops feeling awkward and starts feeling straightforward.
Our Nail Pricing Calculator takes the maths out of it entirely. Plug in your costs, your hours, and your goals, and it tells you exactly what to charge.
[Try the Nail Pricing Calculator →]
I Kept My Prices the Same for Five Years. Here's What It Cost Me.
I know how hard it is to put your prices up. I know because I didn't do it, for over five years. I was scared to loose clients, scared that I'd be the highest price in our area, and I was totally fully booked, like ALL THE TIME!
While everything around me got more expensive. Products, insurance, training, just living, my prices stayed exactly where they were. I told myself my clients would leave. That I wasn't skilled enough. That I'd do it next month.
I didn't.
And slowly, quietly, my profit got smaller. I couldn't invest in the masterclasses I wanted to do. I couldn't bring in new products for my clients to try. I was working just as hard - harder, actually - and taking home less.
In the last year of keeping my prices the same, I was fully booked five days a week - and I didn't earn enough to pay tax. Not because I wasn't working hard enough. Because I wasn't charging enough.
When I finally raised my prices, I needed to go up by so much more than I would have if I'd just kept pace along the way. And some clients left. Not all of them, but the ones who stayed only because I was cheap! They made my life harder than I realised. When they went, I had to rebuild.
Starting over is possible. But it's so much harder than just staying on top of it from the beginning.
Don't wait five years. Don't wait one. Do it now, while the gap is still manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I review my prices? At least once a year, and any time your costs go up. Product prices, rent, insurance. Don't absorb cost increases yourself.
Will I lose clients if I raise my prices? Some, possibly. But the clients who leave over a fair price rise are often the most time-consuming and least profitable. The right clients will stay.
Should I charge the same as other nail techs in my area? Use local pricing as a reference point, not a ceiling. Your costs, skills, and experience are unique to you. You must remember that the person who owns a salon down the road might not have any rent/mortgage to pay on her premises, hence their cheaper prices. Not one price fits all, you are all different.
How do I tell clients about a price increase? Give notice (2–4 weeks), be matter-of-fact about it, and don't EVER apologise. Apologies create thoughts of it being wrong, psychologically it will then lead to clients questioning it.
A simple message works: "From [date], my prices will be updating."
What if I'm newly qualified? You still have costs. You still have value. Introductory pricing is fine short-term, but set a date to review it, don't stay there indefinitely.
Ready to charge what you're worth? Use our Nail Pricing Calculator to find your number in minutes.
Still not sure where to start? The Nail Pricing Calculator does the hard work for you - just plug in your numbers and it tells you exactly what to charge. Buy before 31 December 2026 and you get lifetime access, including all future updates. One purchase, done.