Hair salon bookkeeping software: keep your salon finances in order

Which bookkeeping functions does a hair salon need?

The financial administration of a hair salon is not complex, but it is multi-faceted. You deal with daily till closings, periodic VAT returns, inventory management of products and client data that falls under GDPR. Good salon software combines all these functions. **Daily revenue recording** At every checkout the software records: date, time, service, staff member, payment method and amount. That sounds obvious, but many hairdressers still work with separate card readers and a paper diary - meaning revenue and appointments never align. With integrated till software every transaction is directly linked to the appointment. **VAT administration per service and per product** Hairdressing services in the Netherlands fall under the 9% reduced VAT rate. Products you sell (shampoo, hairspray, accessories) fall under the 21% standard rate. If you offer both in your salon, your till system must perform that split automatically. Doing it manually invites errors - and an incorrect VAT return costs more than you think. **Periodic reports for your accountant** Your accountant needs an overview of your revenue, VAT and costs at the end of each quarter. Salon software with an export function generates that overview at the press of a button - as a CSV or structured report. Less manual work, fewer errors. **Inventory management of hair and beauty products** Every bottle of shampoo or hair colour you sell is a purchase and sales entry in your accounts. With integrated inventory management you can see in real time what is in stock, what the purchase value is and what has been sold - so you can monitor your product margin. **Client records and GDPR** Client data is also part of your administration. You record contact details, treatment history and sometimes health-related information. The latter falls under GDPR and requires extra care. Integrated GDPR tools in your salon software ensure you meet those legal obligations.

VAT splitting at the hair salon till: reduced rate versus standard rate

The VAT rules for hairdressers are more straightforward than they seem, but implementation at the till is critical. An incorrect VAT split can lead to additional assessments during a tax inspection. **Services: reduced VAT rate** Hairdressing treatments - cutting, washing, blow-drying, colouring, perms and hair extensions - fall under the reduced VAT rate (9% in the Netherlands). This applies to all labour-intensive services a hairdresser provides. **Products: standard VAT rate** Products sold separately to clients - hair care products, accessories, hairdryers, styling tools - always fall under the standard VAT rate (21% in the Netherlands), even if recommended by the hairdresser. **Mixed receipts** Many hairdressers combine a treatment with a product sale on the same receipt. Your till must then automatically generate two VAT lines: one for the service (reduced rate) and one for the product (standard rate). In Salonnare you set the correct VAT rate per service and per product. At every checkout the system automatically calculates the correct VAT and the report shows the totals per rate. **Quarterly VAT returns** As a VAT-registered business you file returns quarterly. You declare how much VAT you collected on services and products, how much VAT you paid on business purchases (input tax), and you remit the difference to the tax authority. The Salonnare VAT report shows the VAT you collected per rate; you use those figures together with your purchase invoices to prepare your return. **Small business exemption** If your annual turnover (excluding VAT) stays below €20,000, you may be eligible for a small business exemption. Under this scheme you do not charge VAT and do not file returns, but you also cannot reclaim VAT on business purchases. Consult your accountant to decide whether this is beneficial for your situation.

Till system as the core of your financial administration

A modern till system is the engine of your hair salon administration. It does not just record payments - it captures all the information you will later need for reports, VAT returns and accounting audits. **Daily till closing** At the end of each working day you close the till. The system shows the daily revenue broken down by payment method (cash, card, bank transfer, credit card), by staff member and by service category. That overview is your daily summary - the minimum requirement of the tax authority for revenue recording. **Staff revenue per stylist** Do you have employees or rent out chairs to self-employed stylists? Then you want to know per staff member how much revenue they generated. Salonnare records every transaction against the performing staff member, so you can base commission calculations on real revenue figures. **Bank transfer and card payments integrated** Salonnare connects to all common payment methods. Clients who book online can pay at the time of booking via Stripe or Mollie: bank transfers, credit card and direct debit. At the counter, card payments run seamlessly via a connected payment terminal from Mollie or SumUp. **Inventory management direct from the till** Every product sale you register at the till automatically reduces the stock level of that product. You see in real time what is in stock, what the turnover rate is and when you need to reorder. Fewer missed sales and better control over product margin.

Accounting export: from till system to accountant

The connection between your salon software and your accountant runs via the accounting export. A good export saves your accountant hours of work - and you hundreds of euros in accountancy fees per year. **What does the accounting export contain?** The CSV export from Salonnare contains per transaction: date, time, transaction type (service or product), amount excluding VAT, VAT amount, VAT rate and payment method. The file is structured so that it can be imported into common accounting packages such as Exact Online, Moneybird or e-Boekhouden. **Monthly or quarterly export** You choose the export interval yourself. Most salon owners export monthly and send the file to their accountant. At the end of the quarter there is always an up-to-date overview available for the VAT return. **Revenue report per period** In addition to the transaction export, Salonnare offers a summary report per day, week, month or quarter. At a glance you see gross revenue, revenue per service, revenue per staff member and revenue per payment method. That information is not only useful for your accountant but also for your own business management. **Integration with external accounting packages** The CSV export is deliberately generic in design so it works with almost any accounting package. Does your accountant use specific software? Send them the export file and let them import it. Most accountants prefer a structured file over a box of loose receipts.

Client records, GDPR and health notes

A client database is more than a list of names and phone numbers. In a hair salon you also record treatment history, colour formulas and sometimes health-relevant information - and that brings GDPR obligations. **What do you record per client?** A complete client card in Salonnare contains: name and contact details, appointment history, treatment notes (hair type, colour formula), health notes (allergies, skin conditions) and marketing preferences. Health notes fall under special category data under GDPR and are stored encrypted. **GDPR compliance built in** Salonnare has a built-in GDPR vault for health notes. Notes are stored encrypted with AES-256 encryption and are only accessible to staff with explicit access rights. Consent management is built in: you record per client whether they have consented to the storage of special category data. **Retention policy and right to erasure** GDPR requires that you do not keep personal data longer than necessary. Salonnare supports automated retention: health notes are soft-deleted after 12 months of inactivity and permanently deleted after a grace period. Clients have the right, through you, to view or delete their data. **Client import when switching systems** Coming from another till system or from a paper card index? Import existing client data easily via CSV. Salonnare has a built-in import tool that maps column names from your current export to the correct fields. Start your free trial today at salonnare.com/en/free-trial - including VAT export, till system, client records and GDPR tools, no credit card required.

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