Tattoo and piercing studios

Accounting software for tattoo studios: artist splits, booking deposits and supplies

Most studios run on a split with each artist, take non-refundable booking deposits, and spend steadily on needles, ink and sterile supplies. AcboBooks records the artist's share as what it is, holds deposits until the session, and keeps jewellery and aftercare as inventory.

For tattoo shops, piercing studios and private studios in the US and Canada, $399.99 once.

Try free for 15 days Buy once, $399.99

No card, no account. Windows 10 and 11. United States and Canada.

A tattoo artist setting up a tidy workstation in a bright studio

What it means

In practice

The split, recorded properly

If artists are contractors, record the full sale as studio income and their share as a contractor bill, with a 1099-NEC or T4A at year-end. If they rent a chair, they are customers with a weekly rent invoice.

Deposits held until the session

Booking deposits are customer deposits, a liability, applied when the piece is done. A forfeited deposit can be moved to income with an invoice for the no-show fee.

Jewellery and aftercare

Body jewellery and aftercare products are inventory at average cost. Needles, gloves and ink are supplies expensed as bought.

Studio income after artist splits.

Know what the studio keeps after the artists are paid

Enter each day's sessions from your booking or POS report, split by artist with each artist set up as a sales rep, and the Sales by Rep report shows each artist's sales and share.

Cash-heavy days go into a deposit you can match to the bank, and the P&L shows the studio's real margin.

What is in the licence

The whole job, in one price

Accounts to set up

Tattoo income, piercing income, retail

Artist splits (contract labour)

Customer deposits for bookings

Needles, ink, sterile supplies

Artists

Artists as sales reps with a commission %

Contractor bills and 1099-NEC or T4A

Chair rent invoices that repeat

Payroll for employees, if any

Clients

Booking deposits applied to the session

Sales receipts for walk-ins

Jewellery and aftercare as inventory

Sales tax or GST/HST by item

The studio

Bank reconciliation for cash and card

Petty cash

Equipment as fixed assets

Receipts attached to bills

Cash and card deposits matched to the bank.

What it does not do

· Not a booking or POS system: no appointments, consent forms or portfolio.

· Commission on the Sales by Rep report is one rate per artist.

· Windows 10 and 11 for now (a Mac version is coming soon); no phone app.

· It imports your bank's statement file rather than connecting live to the bank.

Questions people ask

Before you download

Are my artists employees or contractors?

It depends on control and how they work, not on the split. The app supports contractors, chair renters and payroll employees; your accountant can say which fits.

Is a booking deposit income?

Not until the session or the forfeit. Hold it as a customer deposit and apply it to the invoice when the work is done.

Do I charge sales tax on tattoos?

In the US it depends on the state: the jewellery and products you sell are usually taxable, and some states also tax the service. In Canada, GST/HST applies. Set each item to match where you are.