Answers · UK 2025/26

What is the take-home pay for a self-employed beauty therapist in the UK?

Pay for a self-employed beauty therapist in the UK varies widely: roughly £16,000-£20,000 for a therapist working part-time from home or renting a single chair up to £35,000 or more for a therapist running a full diary from their own salon or treatment room. On a representative self-employed profit of £24,000 in 2026/27, take-home pay after Income Tax (£2,286.00) and Class 4 National Insurance (£685.80) is £21,028.20 a year, or about £1,752.35 a month -- before any pension contributions.

Last updated: 3 July 2026Last reviewed: 3 July 2026How we verify

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Pay for a self-employed beauty therapist in the UK ranges roughly £16,000-£20,000 for a therapist working part-time from home or renting a single chair up to £35,000 or more for a therapist running a full diary from their own salon or treatment room, depending on experience, location, and how established the business is. Taking a representative self-employed profit of £24,000 for 2026/27: taxable income after the £12,570 Personal Allowance is £11,430, all within the 20% basic rate band, giving £2,286.00 Income Tax. Class 4 National Insurance is charged at 6% on profit between £12,570 and £50,270, coming to £685.80. Combined deductions of £2,971.80 leave £21,028.20 take-home pay a year, around £1,752.35 a month. Many beauty therapists are self-employed even when working inside someone else's salon, either renting a chair or room, or working on a commission basis -- the key test HMRC applies is whether they control their own hours, prices and client relationships, not simply where the work takes place. Allowable expenses typically include product costs, insurance, training and continuing professional development, room or chair rental, and a proportion of home costs if treatments are provided at home. Use the Self-Employed Tax calculator to model your own exact self-employed profit and deductions.