6 free hairdresser and hair stylist templates: commission, hourly, senior, assistant, small salon, and a booth-renter notice, with the FLSA, overtime, and W-2 classification guidance generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
Hiring a hairdresser looks like a simple posting, and the duties are, but salons carry a layer of wage-and-hour risk the generic templates never mention: a W-2 stylist is non-exempt and owed overtime, the commission overtime exemption is a per-week trap, backbar deductions cannot drop pay below minimum wage, and a stylist you schedule is an employee, not a booth renter. Get the pay model and classification right, and the rest is a straightforward salon posting.
At FirstHR, we build templates for the salons that hire W-2 employees: commission and hourly salons, small chains, and franchisees making the hire without a dedicated HR person. The six templates below cover the role by pay model and level, commission, hourly, senior, assistant, small-salon, plus a booth-renter classification notice, each with the FLSA reality built in. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
TL;DR
Six free hairdresser and hair stylist job description templates: Commission, Hourly W-2, Senior / Master, Assistant / Apprentice, Independent Salon, and a Booth Renter Notice. A W-2 stylist is non-exempt and owed overtime, with a federal median wage of about $16.95/hour ($35,250/year). The compliance angle, FLSA, 7(i), and W-2 versus booth renter, is the part competitors skip. Download all six as a DOCX.
What Does a Hairdresser Do?
A hairdresser, also called a hair stylist, cuts, colors, washes, and styles hair, and consults with clients on the look and upkeep they want. The job centers on hair services and on building a loyal client book, since repeat clients drive a stylist's income. The federal occupation is hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists (SOC 39-5012), which groups these hair-focused roles together and is separate from barbers.
For the salon owner writing the posting, two things matter up front. First, the title and pay model shape who applies: a commission stylist, an hourly chain stylist, and a master stylist are different hires, which is why the templates below are split that way. Second, and unlike most retail roles, the salon stylist comes with genuine wage-and-hour nuance, non-exempt status, the 7(i) overtime exemption, and the W-2 versus booth-renter line, that the posting and the hire need to get right.
Hairdresser vs Hair Stylist vs Cosmetologist
These titles overlap, and picking the right one shapes who applies. Here is how they relate.
Hairdresser / Hair Stylist
Cosmetologist
Barber
What it is
The job: hair cutting, color, styling
The license: hair, skin, nails, makeup
Separate license and role
Scope
Hair-focused
Broadest licensed scope
Hair, men's grooming, shaving
US usage
Stylist is the common term
License/credential term
Distinct occupation
Federal code
SOC 39-5012
SOC 39-5012
SOC 39-5011
Hairdresser and hair stylist are the same job, with stylist the more common US term; cosmetologist is the broader license most stylists hold; a barber is a separate license. Use the title your candidates actually search, which in the US is usually hair stylist, or cosmetologist when you need the full licensed scope.
Hairdresser Duties and Responsibilities
Hairdresser duties cluster into four areas: hair services, client care, retail and growth, and standards and license. The O*NET profile for hairdressers and cosmetologists catalogs the underlying work activities the role draws from. A strong posting picks the responsibilities from each area that match your salon's services and clientele rather than listing every possible task.
Hair services
Cut, trim, and shape hair to client goals
Color, highlight, and perform chemical services
Wash, condition, blow-dry, and style
Client care
Consult on services, maintenance, and products
Build and retain a loyal client book
Deliver a friendly, professional experience
Retail & growth
Recommend and sell retail products
Promote treatments and add-on services
Support salon promotions and rebooking
Standards & license
Keep the station clean and sanitized
Follow salon standards and sanitation rules
Maintain a valid cosmetology license
The mix shifts by role: a color specialist leans on chemical services, a chain stylist on efficient cuts and throughput, a master stylist on premium work and mentoring. For a structured way to scope the role to your salon, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by pay model and level. The core structure is the same across all six, but the pay language and the compliance emphasis differ enough that the matched version reads more credibly and keeps you out of trouble. Use this guide to choose, then adjust.
Commission Salon Stylist
W-2, commission model
The most common salon model: a W-2 stylist paid a commission on services with a guaranteed minimum. Includes the 7(i) overtime nuance generic templates skip.
Hourly W-2 Stylist
W-2, hourly
The predictable-pay model common in chains, franchises, and walk-in salons: a set hourly rate plus tips, non-exempt and overtime-eligible.
Senior / Master Stylist
Experienced, premium tier
The experienced, in-demand stylist who commands premium pricing and mentors juniors, still non-exempt: skill and seniority do not create an exemption.
Assistant / Apprentice
Entry, learning the craft
The entry point for a recent graduate: shampoo, prep, and assist while learning, hourly and non-exempt, with backbar-deduction limits flagged.
Independent Salon Stylist
Small, owner-run salon
The small-salon SMB version: a W-2 stylist in an owner-run shop, written to keep the employee-versus-booth-renter line clear from the start.
Booth Renter Notice
1099, not an employee
Not a job description but a classification notice: what separates a genuine 1099 booth renter from a W-2 employee, and why the difference matters.
Match the Template to the Pay Model
Paying a percentage on services? Commission. A set hourly rate, common in chains and franchises? Hourly W-2. Hiring an experienced stylist with a book? Senior / Master. Bringing on a recent graduate to learn? Assistant / Apprentice. Owner-run small shop? Independent Salon. Renting a chair to an independent stylist? Use the Booth Renter Notice to keep the line clear. In every employee version, the stylist is non-exempt and owed overtime.
6 Free Hairdresser Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each W-2 version follows the same structure: salon and role overview, key responsibilities, qualifications, the pay model with the non-exempt classification note, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. The booth-renter notice is a classification aid, not a job description. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Commission, hourly, senior/master, assistant/apprentice, independent salon, and a booth-renter notice. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Commission Salon Stylist
The most common salon model: a W-2 stylist paid a commission on services with a guaranteed minimum. Includes the 7(i) overtime nuance generic templates skip.
Template 6: Booth Renter Notice (1099, Not an Employee)
Not a job description but a classification notice: what separates a genuine 1099 booth renter from a W-2 employee, and why the difference matters for your salon.
Booth Renter Agreement Notice (1099, Not an Employee)
BOOTH RENTER NOTICE (INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR, NOT AN EMPLOYEE)
Salon: __
Location: __
WHAT THIS IS, AND WHAT IT IS NOT
This is a notice, not a job description. A booth renter is an independent
business owner (1099) who leases space from a salon, not a W-2 employee.
This page is mainly for hiring employees; use this notice only to keep the
distinction clear, because misclassifying an employee as a booth renter is
a serious and common mistake.
A GENUINE BOOTH RENTER (1099) TYPICALLY
•Pays the salon a fixed rent for the chair or suite
•Sets their own prices, hours, and services
•Keeps their own books and client list
•Buys their own products and supplies
•Handles their own taxes, insurance, and license
•Is NOT scheduled, directed, or paid by the salon
A W-2 EMPLOYEE STYLIST (USE A JOB DESCRIPTION ABOVE) TYPICALLY
•Is scheduled and directed by the salon
•Is paid hourly or on commission by the salon
•Follows salon pricing, standards, and policies
•Has products, station, and tools provided
•Is covered by minimum wage and overtime
THE CLASSIFICATION TRAP
If you control the stylist's schedule, pricing, and how they work, they are
almost certainly an employee, not a booth renter, regardless of what the
agreement is called. Some states (for example, those using the strict ABC
test) make it very hard to classify your own salon's stylists as
contractors. Misclassification creates back-pay, tax, and penalty exposure.
When in doubt, hire as a W-2 employee and use one of the job descriptions
above. This is general information, not legal advice; consult counsel.
FLSA, Overtime, and Classification
This is the part every generic salon template skips, and for a small salon it is the part that actually carries risk. Four issues decide whether your salon is compliant, and each has produced costly enforcement in the industry. Here is what to get right before you post.
A W-2 salon stylist is non-exempt and owed overtime
This is the single thing every generic salon template ignores, and it is where small salons get into trouble. A W-2 hairdresser is non-exempt: the creative-professional exemption does not apply, because hairdressing is skilled manual work acquired through experience and vocational training, not the artistic endeavor in a recognized creative field the exemption is written for, and most stylists are not paid on the required salary basis anyway. The learned-professional exemption does not apply either. So the stylist is entitled to overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Skill, seniority, or a master-stylist title does not change this. This is general information, not legal advice.
The 7(i) commission overtime exemption is a trap if untracked
A commission-paid stylist can be exempt from overtime only, never from minimum wage, under the FLSA retail-and-service commission exemption, but only if all three conditions are met in each workweek: the salon is a retail or service establishment, the stylist's regular rate exceeds one and a half times the applicable minimum wage for every hour worked that week, and more than half of the stylist's pay over a representative period comes from commissions. Tips never count as commission. The exemption routinely fails in slow weeks when commission dips, and many owners claim it without running the test weekly, which is exactly how unpaid-overtime liability accrues. If you cannot track and prove all three conditions every week, pay overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
Backbar and product deductions cannot push pay below minimum wage
Many salons deduct for backbar product, color, education, or uniforms, and that is permissible only up to the point where it does not drop the stylist's effective pay below the applicable minimum wage in any given workweek. A deduction that pushes a stylist under minimum wage in a slow week is a per-workweek wage violation, even if pay averages out fine over a month. Track deductions against hours and pay each week, not on average, and remember tips cannot be used to cover the gap the way a service charge or commission might. State rules on salon deductions vary and some are stricter than the federal floor. This is general information, not legal advice.
Booth renter versus employee is decided by control, not the label
A genuine booth renter is an independent 1099 business that sets its own prices and hours, keeps its own books, and is not directed by the salon. If instead you set the stylist's schedule, pricing, and how they work, they are almost certainly a W-2 employee no matter what the agreement is titled, and calling them a contractor to avoid payroll taxes and overtime is misclassification. Some states apply a strict ABC test that makes it very hard to classify a salon's own working stylists as contractors. Misclassification has produced large back-wage and penalty cases in the salon industry. When in doubt, hire as a W-2 employee. This is general information, not legal advice.
W-2 Stylists Are Non-Exempt: Overtime Over 40 Hours
A W-2 salon stylist is non-exempt and owed overtime at one and a half times the regular rate over 40 hours a week. The creative-professional exemption does not apply, because the DOL professional-exemption rules (Fact Sheet #17D) reserve it for artistic or creative endeavor in a recognized field, not skilled manual work learned through vocational training. The narrow 7(i) commission exemption covers overtime only, never minimum wage, and only if its three conditions are tracked every workweek.
Hairdresser requirements start with the one non-negotiable, a valid state cosmetology license, and scale the rest to the level. The SHRM job description tools describe a good job description as a plain-language summary of a position's tasks, duties, and responsibilities, and for this role plain language means making the license mandatory and the experience bar honest. The difference shows in how the bullets are written.
Weak requirement
Strong requirement
Must be licensed
Valid [state] cosmetology or hairstyling license, verified before first client
Experienced stylist
2+ years of salon experience in cutting and color (scale to the level)
Good with color
Skilled in color, highlights, and basic chemical services
People person
Strong consultation skills and a record of client retention
Hard worker
Reliable, punctual, and able to work on your feet through a full shift
Make the license mandatory and verify it before the first client, then keep the experience bar at the real level and every line job-related and neutral: the EEOC rules on job advertisements prohibit postings that express preferences based on protected characteristics. Strong stylists often build their skills on the floor, so set requirements to what the role genuinely needs.
Hairdresser Pay
Hairdresser pay is hourly or commission, and the federal data gives the band; your pay model, the stylist's book, your location, and tips decide where in it the real number lands.
Median About $16.95/Hour, $35,250 a Year (BLS, May 2024)
The federal occupation, hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists, had a median hourly wage of $16.95 (about $35,250 a year) per the BLS OEWS May 2024 data; the lowest 10 percent earned under $11.82 an hour and the highest 10 percent over $33.76 an hour (roughly $70,220 a year), with a mean near $43,460 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). These figures include tips but exclude self-employed booth renters.
Translating the band into an offer: a commission stylist with a strong book in a high-cost metro can earn well above the median, while an entry-level assistant sits near the bottom. State the pay model clearly, an hourly rate or a commission percentage with a guaranteed minimum, pay at least the applicable minimum wage for every hour worked, and remember overtime is owed on top unless the 7(i) exemption is fully documented each week.
Hiring a Stylist for a Small Salon
A large chain hires stylists through a regional operations team and an HR department. A small salon, a two-to-five-location chain, or a single-unit franchisee has the owner or manager doing it personally, often repeatedly, since stylist roles turn over. The same wage-and-hour rules apply anyway, and salons carry more of them than most retail. Here is how to approach the posting and the hire for that reality.
Hairdresser, hair stylist, and cosmetologist are not interchangeable on a posting
In US usage these blur, but the precise choice matters for who applies. Hairdresser and hair stylist describe essentially the same job, cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and in modern US usage hair stylist is the more common term while hairdresser reads as slightly older or British. Cosmetologist is the licensing term and the broadest scope: a cosmetology license typically covers hair, skin, nails, and makeup, while a stylist may hold that same license but work only in hair. For a posting, hair stylist or hairdresser is the right title when you want someone focused on hair, and cosmetologist is the term when you want the full licensed scope or are matching state license language. The federal occupation, hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists, groups them together, but a barber is a separate license and occupation. Use the title your candidates search for, which in the US is usually hair stylist.
The compliance is the whole game, and it is about classification and overtime
A small salon carries real wage-and-hour risk that the generic templates never mention. Your W-2 stylists are non-exempt and owed overtime over 40 hours a week; the commission (7(i)) overtime exemption applies only if you track and prove its three conditions every single week; backbar and product deductions cannot drop a stylist below minimum wage in any week; and a stylist you schedule and direct is an employee, not a 1099 booth renter, no matter what the agreement says. Each of these has produced costly enforcement in the salon industry, from large back-wage orders to misclassification penalties, and small owners are the most exposed because they rarely have HR support. The safe defaults are simple: hire stylists as W-2 employees, guarantee at least minimum wage for all hours, track hours and deductions weekly, and pay overtime unless you can fully document the 7(i) exemption. This is general information, not legal advice.
A small salon, chain, or franchisee is hiring W-2 stylists without an HR department
The salons that fit FirstHR are the W-2 employers: commission and hourly salons, small chains of two to five locations, and single or low-multi-unit franchisees, the operations where the owner or manager does the hiring with no HR team. Stylist roles turn over and salons hire steadily, so the offer-and-onboard cycle repeats often. That is what FirstHR streamlines. Send the offer letter and collect a signature with e-signature, run a repeatable onboarding workflow that captures the I-9, W-4, license verification, and handbook acknowledgment, assign training on your salon software and sanitation standards, and store signed forms and the stylist's license in document management. The org chart keeps a multi-chair or multi-location team clear. To be clear on scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform; it does not run payroll or time tracking, so pair it with those providers, which matters here because accurate hours drive the overtime and 7(i) math. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a stylist accepts, the same details become the offer and a fast, repeatable onboarding, which matters because stylist roles turn over and you will run this cycle again. The salon onboarding has one extra step most roles do not: verifying the license.
Send the offer
Confirm the role, pay model (hourly or commission with a guaranteed minimum), schedule, and start date in writing, and get it signed.
Verify the license
Confirm and store the stylist's valid state cosmetology license before the first client, and set a renewal reminder.
Collect the paperwork
Form I-9 with documents verified, the W-4 and state tax forms, state new hire reporting, and a signed handbook acknowledgment.
Set up time and pay tracking
Record the non-exempt status and track hours from day one, since overtime and the 7(i) test both depend on accurate weekly hours.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the core terms and pay model, an onboarding template gives the new stylist a structured start, and the new hire paperwork guide covers the I-9, tax forms, and state reporting. FirstHR connects the offer, signatures, license storage, onboarding workflow, and training assignments in one place so a small salon, chain, or franchisee can run the full hire-and-onboard cycle without an HR department. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll or time-tracking system, so connect those separately, which matters here because accurate hours drive the overtime and 7(i) math. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
Hairdresser and hair stylist are the same job (stylist is the common US term); cosmetologist is the broader license; a barber is a separate role. Use the title candidates search.
Use the template that matches the pay model and level: commission, hourly, senior/master, assistant/apprentice, or small salon.
A W-2 stylist is non-exempt and owed overtime over 40 hours a week; the creative-professional exemption does not apply, and skill or seniority does not create one.
The 7(i) commission exemption covers overtime only, never minimum wage, and only if its three conditions are tracked every workweek; tips never count as commission.
A stylist you schedule and direct is a W-2 employee, not a 1099 booth renter; misclassification creates back-pay, tax, and penalty exposure.
The federal median is about $16.95/hour ($35,250/year), including tips; state the pay model with a guaranteed minimum, and verify the cosmetology license before the first client.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a hairdresser do?
A hairdresser, also called a hair stylist, cuts, colors, washes, and styles hair, and consults with clients to help them reach the look they want. Day to day that means cutting and shaping hair, applying color, highlights, and chemical services such as perms or relaxers, washing and conditioning, blow-drying and styling, consulting on services and home maintenance, recommending and selling retail products, and keeping the station clean and sanitized. Building and retaining a loyal client book is central to the job, since repeat clients drive a stylist's income, especially on a commission model. The work is physical and done on your feet, and it requires a valid state cosmetology or hairstyling license. The federal occupation is hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists (SOC 39-5012), which groups these hair-focused roles together. The exact mix shifts by salon: a color specialist leans on chemical services, a chain stylist on efficient cuts, and a master stylist on premium transformations and mentoring.
What is the difference between a hairdresser, a hair stylist, and a cosmetologist?
Hairdresser and hair stylist describe essentially the same job, cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and the terms are interchangeable, though hair stylist is the more common modern US term while hairdresser reads as slightly older or British. Cosmetologist is the licensing term and carries the broadest scope: a cosmetology license typically covers hair, skin, nails, and makeup, even though many cosmetologists work only in hair and effectively function as stylists. So most hair stylists are licensed cosmetologists who specialize in hair. For a job posting, use hair stylist or hairdresser when you want someone focused on hair, and cosmetologist when you want the full licensed scope or are matching your state's license terminology. A barber is a separate license and occupation focused on hair, traditional men's grooming, and shaving, with its own federal classification. The federal data groups hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists together under SOC 39-5012, separate from barbers under SOC 39-5011.
Is a hairdresser exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
A W-2 salon hairdresser is non-exempt and entitled to overtime. The creative-professional exemption does not apply, because hairdressing is skilled manual work learned through experience and vocational training rather than the artistic endeavor in a recognized creative field that the exemption is written for, and most stylists are not paid on the required salary basis in any case. The learned-professional exemption does not apply either, since the skill comes from vocational instruction, not a prolonged course of specialized intellectual study. So a stylist is owed overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. A master-stylist title or high skill does not create an exemption. One narrow exception affects overtime only: a commission-paid stylist can be exempt from overtime, but never from minimum wage, under the FLSA 7(i) retail-and-service commission exemption, and only if its three conditions are met and tracked every workweek. If you cannot document all three each week, pay overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the 7(i) commission exemption for salons?
The FLSA section 7(i) retail-and-service commission exemption can exempt a commission-paid stylist from overtime only, never from minimum wage, but it applies only when all three conditions are satisfied in each workweek. First, the employer must be a retail or service establishment, which salons qualify as. Second, the stylist's regular rate of pay must exceed one and a half times the applicable minimum wage for every hour worked that week. Third, more than half of the stylist's earnings over a representative period, which can run from one month to one year, must come from commissions. Tips do not count as commission for this test. The exemption is administratively demanding and commonly fails in slow weeks when commission earnings dip below the regular-rate threshold, and a salon that claims it without re-running the test each week is exposed to unpaid-overtime liability. The practical takeaway for a small salon is that unless you can track hours and prove all three conditions every week, you should pay overtime over 40 hours. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a W-2 stylist and a booth renter?
A W-2 stylist is an employee, and a booth renter is an independent contractor running their own micro-business, and the difference is decided by control, not by what the arrangement is called. A booth renter pays the salon a fixed rent for a chair or suite, sets their own prices, hours, and services, keeps their own books and client list, buys their own products, and handles their own taxes and insurance; the salon does not schedule or direct them. A W-2 employee stylist is scheduled and directed by the salon, paid hourly or on commission by the salon, follows salon pricing and standards, and is covered by minimum wage and overtime. If you control a stylist's schedule, pricing, and how they work, they are almost certainly an employee, and labeling them a 1099 booth renter to avoid payroll taxes and overtime is misclassification. Some states use a strict ABC test that makes it very hard to treat your own working stylists as contractors, and misclassification has led to large back-wage and penalty cases. When in doubt, hire as a W-2 employee. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a hairdresser make?
Hairdressers are paid by the hour or on commission, and the federal median hourly wage for the occupation, hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists, was $16.95 as of the BLS OEWS May 2024 data, which works out to about $35,250 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned under $11.82 an hour and the highest 10 percent more than $33.76 an hour, roughly $70,220 a year, with a mean of about $43,460. These figures include tips, which the BLS counts in the wage data, but they exclude self-employed booth renters. Pay varies widely with the compensation model, the client book, the location, and tips: a commission stylist with a strong book in a high-cost metro can earn well above the median, while an entry-level assistant sits near the bottom of the range. For a posting, state the pay model clearly, hourly rate or commission percentage with a guaranteed minimum, pay at least the applicable minimum wage for all hours, and remember overtime is owed on top. This is general information, not legal advice.
What qualifications does a hairdresser need?
The core requirement is a valid state cosmetology or hairstyling license, which is mandatory in every state to perform hair services for pay and is earned through a state-approved program, typically 1,000 to 2,100 hours, plus a licensing exam. Beyond the license, employers look for skill in cutting, coloring, and chemical services scaled to the level, strong consultation and client-service ability, reliability, and the physical stamina for a job done on your feet. An assistant or apprentice role may accept a recent graduate or, where the state allows, someone still completing training, while a senior or master stylist role expects years of experience and a proven client book. For a posting, make the license non-negotiable and verify it before the first client, then set the experience bar at what the level genuinely needs and keep the rest job-related. Do not require more than the role needs, since strong stylists build their skills on the floor. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do I hire and onboard a hair stylist for my salon?
Write the posting for the right model and title, then run a repeatable offer-and-onboard process, since stylist roles turn over and you will hire again. Use the template that matches your pay model, commission, hourly, senior, assistant, or small-salon, and post it as a W-2 employee role unless you are genuinely renting a booth. Once a stylist accepts, send a written offer that states the pay model and a guaranteed minimum and get it signed, verify and store the state cosmetology license before the first client, and complete Form I-9, the W-4 and state tax forms, state new hire reporting, and a signed handbook acknowledgment. Set up accurate time tracking from day one, because both overtime and the 7(i) commission test depend on weekly hours. Then onboard: orient the stylist to your salon software, sanitation standards, pricing, and product lines. For a small salon without HR, a repeatable checklist keeps the license, paperwork, and time-tracking setup from slipping. FirstHR handles the offer and signatures with e-signature, runs the onboarding workflow, assigns training, and stores the signed forms and license in document management. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
