All 50 states and DC, from each state's own tax pages
Sales tax on salon services, state by state
Haircuts carry no state sales tax in 45 states, 5 of them because they have no sales tax at all. Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico and South Dakota tax nearly every salon service, and 2 states tax some salon services but not others. Products you sell to clients are taxable wherever there is a sales tax. Pick your state for its rule, its rate and the permit a salon needs.
Read from the official sources on October 25, 2026. How we checked ยท Download every state (CSV)
- States where haircuts carry no state sales tax
- 45 of 51
- States that tax some or all salon services
- 6
- States with no sales tax at all
- 5
Pick your state
Are haircuts and salon services taxable in your state?
Hair, nail and skin care services, the products you sell, the rate and the permit a salon needs, each answered with the state's own words.
- AlabamaHaircuts: Not taxable
- AlaskaNo sales tax
- ArizonaHaircuts: Not taxable
- ArkansasHaircuts: Not taxable
- CaliforniaHaircuts: Not taxable
- ColoradoHaircuts: Not taxable
- ConnecticutHaircuts: Not taxable
- DelawareNo sales tax
- District of ColumbiaHaircuts: Not stated
- FloridaHaircuts: Not taxable
- GeorgiaHaircuts: Not taxable
- HawaiiHaircuts: Taxable
- IdahoHaircuts: Not taxable
- IllinoisHaircuts: Not taxable
- IndianaHaircuts: Not taxable
- IowaHaircuts: Taxable
- KansasHaircuts: Not taxable
- KentuckyHaircuts: Not taxable
- LouisianaHaircuts: Not taxable
- MaineHaircuts: Not taxable
- MarylandHaircuts: Not taxable
- MassachusettsHaircuts: Not taxable
- MichiganHaircuts: Not taxable
- MinnesotaHaircuts: Not taxable
- MississippiHaircuts: Not stated
- MissouriHaircuts: Not taxable
- MontanaNo sales tax
- NebraskaHaircuts: Not taxable
- NevadaHaircuts: Not taxable
- New HampshireNo sales tax
- New JerseyHaircuts: Not taxable
- New MexicoHaircuts: Taxable
- New YorkHaircuts: Not taxable
- North CarolinaHaircuts: Not taxable
- North DakotaHaircuts: Not taxable
- OhioHaircuts: Not taxable
- OklahomaHaircuts: Not taxable
- OregonNo sales tax
- PennsylvaniaHaircuts: Not taxable
- Rhode IslandHaircuts: Not taxable
- South CarolinaHaircuts: Not taxable
- South DakotaHaircuts: Taxable
- TennesseeHaircuts: Not taxable
- TexasHaircuts: Not taxable
- UtahHaircuts: Not taxable
- VermontHaircuts: Not taxable
- VirginiaHaircuts: Not taxable
- WashingtonHaircuts: Not taxable
- West VirginiaHaircuts: Not taxable
- WisconsinHaircuts: Not taxable
- WyomingHaircuts: Not taxable
Across the states
What the rules have in common
- Most states do not tax haircuts. In 40 states with a sales tax, the tax agency's own pages say hair services are not taxable, and Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no statewide sales tax at all. Sales tax there falls on what a salon sells, not on what it does.
- A few states tax every salon service. Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico and South Dakota apply their taxes to hair, nail and skin care services alike, usually because the tax covers nearly all services.
- Some states tax nails or skin care but not haircuts. Connecticut (nail services and skin care) and Ohio (nail services and skin care). A salon there charges tax on part of its menu and not the rest, so the point of sale has to know which service is which.
- A city can tax what its state does not. Some Alaska cities and boroughs levy their own sales tax, and it can reach services: Wasilla's 2.5% city sales tax, for one, applies to all sales, services and rentals in the city. New York City adds its own 4.5% sales tax on beauty, barbering, manicures, pedicures, electrolysis, waxing and similar services, which carry no New York State sales tax.
- Products are taxable. In 46 states the official pages say products sold to clients (shampoo, styling products, polish) are taxable, even where the services are not.
- State rates run from 2.9% in Colorado to 7.25% in California, and in 38 states cities, counties or districts add their own, so the rate depends on the salon's address.
- The permit is usually free or cheap. 18 states issue the sales tax permit for free. Where a fee is stated (12 states), it runs from $12 to $100, $27.50 at the median.
Every state compared
Sales tax on salon services and products, state by state
"Taxable" means the state's own sales tax (or its general excise or gross receipts tax) applies. "Not stated" means the official pages we read did not settle it. Local rates come on top of the state rate where marked.
| State | Haircuts | Nails | Skin care, waxing | Products | State rate | Permit fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4% + local | Not stated |
| Alaska | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | No sales tax | None | None |
| Arizona | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 5.6% + local | $12 |
| Arkansas | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.5% + local | $50 |
| California | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 7.25% + local | Free |
| Colorado | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 2.9% + local | $16 |
| Connecticut | Not taxable | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | 6.35% | $100 |
| Delaware | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | No sales tax | None | $75 |
| District of Columbia | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Taxable | 6% | Not stated |
| Florida | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% + local | Not stated |
| Georgia | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4% + local | Not stated |
| Hawaii | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | 4% + local | $20 |
| Idaho | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% + local | Free |
| Illinois | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.25% + local | Free |
| Indiana | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 7% | $25 |
| Iowa | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | 6% + local | Free |
| Kansas | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.5% + local | Free |
| Kentucky | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% | Not stated |
| Louisiana | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 5% + local | Free |
| Maine | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 5.5% | Free |
| Maryland | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% | Not stated |
| Massachusetts | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.25% | Not stated |
| Michigan | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% | Free |
| Minnesota | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.875% + local | Not stated |
| Mississippi | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Taxable | 7% + local | Free |
| Missouri | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4.225% + local | Not stated |
| Montana | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | No sales tax | None | None |
| Nebraska | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 5.5% + local | Free |
| Nevada | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.85% + local | $15 |
| New Hampshire | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | No sales tax | None | None |
| New Jersey | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.625% | Not stated |
| New Mexico | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | 4.875% + local | Free |
| New York | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4% + local | Not stated |
| North Carolina | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4.75% + local | Free |
| North Dakota | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 5% + local | Not stated |
| Ohio | Not taxable | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | 5.75% + local | $50 |
| Oklahoma | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4.5% + local | Not stated |
| Oregon | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | No sales tax | None | None |
| Pennsylvania | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% + local | Free |
| Rhode Island | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 7% | Free |
| South Carolina | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% + local | $50 |
| South Dakota | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | Taxable | 4.2% + local | Free |
| Tennessee | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 7% + local | Free |
| Texas | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.25% + local | Free |
| Utah | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4.85% + local | Not stated |
| Vermont | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% + local | Free |
| Virginia | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4.3% + local | Not stated |
| Washington | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6.5% + local | Not stated |
| West Virginia | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 6% + local | $30 |
| Wisconsin | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 5% + local | $20 |
| Wyoming | Not taxable | Not taxable | Not taxable | Taxable | 4% + local | $60 |
Method
How we checked each state
- Official sources only. For each state we read the tax agency's own publications, bulletins and FAQs (its guide for barber and beauty shops where it has one), its list of taxable services, the sales tax statute and rules, and its page on registering to collect the tax. Tax software vendors, accountants' blogs and other guides were not used as sources.
- Every answer carries the state's own words. Each answer is stored with the official page it came from and a verbatim quote, and a script confirmed that every quote, rate and fee appears on its page before the page was published. Each state's page shows those quotes.
- Three groups of services. Hair services (haircuts, color, styling, perms, shaves), nail services (manicures, pedicures, enhancements) and skin care (facials, waxing and other hair removal, makeup) are answered separately, because some states tax one and not another.
- Not tax advice. These are the states' own rules as published on October 25, 2026. Rates and rules change, and how a mixed charge of a service and products is taxed can depend on the details: confirm with your state tax agency or an accountant.
Questions
Salon sales tax, answered
Are haircuts taxable?
In most states, no. 45 states do not tax hair services on their official pages, 5 of them because they have no statewide sales tax. Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico and South Dakota do. Pick your state above for its rule.
Do nail salons charge sales tax?
On their services, in 6 states: Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico, Ohio and South Dakota. Everywhere with a sales tax, the products a nail salon sells to clients are taxable.
Do salons charge sales tax on products?
Yes, in every state with a sales tax. Shampoo, styling products, polish and other products sold to clients are retail sales, so the salon collects the tax on them even where its services are not taxed. Products used up during a service are usually taxed when the salon buys them instead.
Does a salon need a sales tax permit?
If it sells products to clients in a state with a sales tax, yes: a seller's permit, sales tax permit or retail license from the state tax agency, free in 18 states. Each state's page names it and links the application.
Where do these answers come from?
From each state tax agency's own publications, rules and statutes, read on October 25, 2026, never from tax software vendors or other guides. Each answer carries the official page and the state's own words, and a script confirmed each quote is on that page. This is not tax advice: rules change, so confirm with your state tax agency or an accountant.
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