# How Much Should You Charge for Lash Extensions? A Pricing Method, Not a Guess

Source: https://us.iw.pe/guides/how-much-to-charge-for-lash-extensions · By the WIPE team (https://us.iw.pe/about) · Updated 2026-10-21

**The short answer:** charge at least what your time, supplies and overhead cost, plus the pay you want, then check that number against your local market. Work out a floor price for each service: (the hourly pay you want + your overhead per hour) × the hours the service takes + supplies, then add your card processing fee on top. If that floor is below what lash artists near you charge for the same quality, price at the market. If it's above, you need to get faster, cut costs or show clients why you're worth more. Our free [lash price calculator](https://us.iw.pe/tools/lash-price-calculator) does the arithmetic for you.

Most lash artists set their first prices by looking at three accounts nearby and pricing a little lower. That's how people end up fully booked and still not covering their bills. This guide gives you a method instead, with a worked example you can copy.

## Why is copying other lash artists' prices a bad starting point?

Their prices were built on their costs, not yours. A lash artist in a cheap home studio who does a full set in 90 minutes can charge less than someone renting a salon suite who takes two and a half hours, and both can be right for their own business.

Copying also hides the most common mistake: underpricing fills. Fresha's pricing guide for lash and brow businesses puts it bluntly: if you charge less than your break-even price, "you're effectively paying for part of the appointment yourself, which isn't sustainable long term" ([Fresha](https://www.fresha.com/blog/how-to-price-lash-and-brow-services)). Fills are where most of your appointments end up, so a fill priced too low quietly drags down your whole month.

Market prices still matter. They tell you the ceiling. Your costs tell you the floor.

## What goes into the price of a lash set?

Five things. You need a number for each before you can price anything.

1. **Your time per service.** Not your best time, your usual time, from greeting to payment. Time yourself for the next ten appointments of each type and take the average.
2. **Supplies per service.** Lashes, adhesive, primer, pads, tape, micro brushes, mascara wands, cleanser. Fresha estimates that mid-range to professional supplies "typically run $8 to $15 per full set" ([Fresha](https://www.fresha.com/blog/how-to-price-lash-and-brow-services)). Fills use less. Check your own receipts: divide what you spent on supplies last month by how many sets and fills you did.
3. **Overhead per hour.** Everything you pay whether or not anyone books: suite or chair rent, insurance, license renewals, booking software, education, laundry, a share of your phone. Add it up for a month and divide by the hours you actually work on clients in a month, not the hours you're open.
4. **The pay you want per hour.** This is your wage. Decide it on purpose. Remember that as a self-employed person you also owe self-employment tax, which the IRS sets at 15.3% (12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare) on your net earnings from self-employment, on top of income tax ([IRS](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes)). Ask a tax professional how much to set aside.
5. **Card processing fees.** If clients pay by card, a slice goes to the processor. Stripe's standard US online rate, for example, is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card payment (checked October 2026, [Stripe pricing](https://stripe.com/pricing)). Use your own provider's rate.

## How do you calculate your floor price?

Here's the formula in plain words:

1. Add your hourly pay and your overhead per hour.
2. Multiply by the hours the service takes.
3. Add the supplies for that service.
4. Add your card fee on top, so the fee doesn't come out of your pay.

That last number is your floor: the lowest price at which the appointment pays for itself and pays you what you decided.

## A worked example (made-up numbers)

These numbers are invented to show the method. Use your own.

Say you rent a small suite and your monthly fixed costs come to about $1,050: $900 rent, $40 insurance, $30 for software and $80 for education and everything else. You do about 100 hours of client work a month. Your overhead is $1,050 ÷ 100 = **$10.50 an hour**.

You decide to pay yourself $35 an hour before tax. Together that's **$45.50 for every hour** you spend on a client.

**Classic full set**, 2.5 hours, about $12 of supplies:

- $45.50 × 2.5 = $113.75
- plus $12 supplies = $125.75
- plus a 2.9% + 30¢ card fee on the final price = about **$130**

**Classic fill**, 1 hour 15 minutes, about $6 of supplies:

- $45.50 × 1.25 = $56.88
- plus $6 supplies = $62.88
- plus the card fee = about **$65**

Now compare with the market. ProLong Lash's 2025 overview lists typical US prices of about $120 to $160 for a classic full set and $60 to $80 for a classic refill, with hybrid, volume and mega volume above that ([ProLong Lash](https://prolonglash.com/blogs/news/eyelash-extensions-cost-breakdown)). In this example the floor sits inside the range, so this artist can price at or above it. If your floor came out at $190 for a classic set and your area charges $130, the formula is telling you something real: you're too slow, your rent is too high for your volume, or you need a stronger reason for clients to pay more.

The [lash price calculator](https://us.iw.pe/tools/lash-price-calculator) runs this for you: put in your rent, supplies, card fee, time and the pay you want, and it shows the lowest price for a full set and a fill.

## How should fills be priced compared with full sets?

By time. A fill that takes half as long as a full set should cost roughly half, plus its own supplies. Problems start when a "fill" turns into a full set because the client came back at five weeks with a third of her lashes left.

A clear fill structure protects you:

- **By interval:** a 2-week fill, a 3-week fill, and anything later booked as a full set.
- **By what's left:** for example, at least 40% of extensions remaining to count as a fill.
- **Foreign fills:** whether you fill another artist's work, and at what price, or whether you require a removal and new set.

Write these rules into your policy so you don't argue about them at the chair. Our guide to [lash cancellation policies](https://us.iw.pe/guides/lash-cancellation-policy) has wording, and [lash price list ideas](https://us.iw.pe/guides/lash-price-list-ideas) shows how to lay them out.

## Should a new lash artist charge less?

It's reasonable to charge less while you're slow, because the formula uses your actual time. If a classic set takes you three and a half hours, a lower hourly pay for now is honest. But keep two things in mind:

- **Set the price you're aiming for now**, and say your current price is an introductory one. "Classic full set $95 (introductory, until March)" makes the next increase expected rather than a surprise.
- **Don't discount fills** below your floor. Discount the first full set if you want to attract people; fills are the visits that come back every few weeks.

## How do you raise your lash prices without losing clients?

Most artists raise prices once or twice a year, or when they get noticeably faster or better. Some practical steps:

1. **Give notice.** A month is common. Post it in your stories, add it to your booking page and mention it at the chair.
2. **Say what changes and when.** "From January 1, full sets go from $140 to $155 and fills from $70 to $75." No apologies needed.
3. **Consider honoring the old price for a short time** for regulars who prebook before the change.
4. **Raise new-client prices first** if you're nervous. Your price list for new clients can change today; regulars can follow later.
5. **Re-run the formula.** If rent or supply costs went up, your floor went up too.

## How should your prices appear to clients?

Put real numbers where people decide. A price list hidden behind "DM for pricing" filters out exactly the clients who would have booked without asking. Show:

- each service with a price and a time;
- what a fill requires and when it becomes a full set;
- add-ons (bottom lashes, color, removal) as separate lines;
- your deposit, and that it comes off the total (see [lash deposits](https://us.iw.pe/guides/lash-deposit-policy)).

A short menu with clear prices tends to sell better than a long one. Three set styles, fills at two intervals, a lift and a removal cover most lash businesses.

## Where WIPE fits

Once your prices are settled, they need a place to live that isn't a DM thread. WIPE turns your Instagram into a website with your services, prices and photos, plus a Book button. Building and previewing it is free; publishing is $39 a month. You can [see what yours would look like](https://us.iw.pe/start). Here's [what a lash tech website on WIPE shows](https://us.iw.pe/lash-artists).

This guide is general information, not tax or financial advice. Your numbers, your state's rules and your tax situation are your own.

## Frequently asked questions

**How much should a beginner lash tech charge?**
Use the same method as anyone else: your hourly pay plus overhead, times your real service time, plus supplies and card fees. Because beginners are slower, an introductory price with a stated end date is common. Avoid pricing fills below what they cost you, since fills are the appointments clients repeat.

**What's a normal price for a classic full set in the US?**
It varies a lot by city and experience. One 2025 supplier overview puts typical US prices at about $120 to $160 for a classic full set and $60 to $80 for a classic refill, with hybrid and volume higher. Check artists near you with similar experience and reviews.

**How do I price lash fills?**
Price them by time, the same way as full sets: hours times your hourly pay plus overhead, plus supplies and card fees. Then set rules: which intervals count as a fill, how much must remain, and when a late fill becomes a full set. Put those rules in your policy.

**Should I add card fees to my lash prices?**
Most artists build the fee into the price rather than adding a surcharge at checkout. Work out your floor price, then gross it up so that after the processor takes its percentage and fixed fee you still receive the full floor. Surcharge rules vary by state and card network, so check before adding one.

**How often should I raise my lash prices?**
Many artists review prices once or twice a year, and whenever rent or supply costs change or they get noticeably faster. Give regulars about a month's notice, state the old and new prices plainly, and consider raising new-client prices first.

## Sources

- Fresha, [How to price your lash and brow services](https://www.fresha.com/blog/how-to-price-lash-and-brow-services) (July 28, 2026)
- ProLong Lash, [Eyelash extensions cost breakdown](https://prolonglash.com/blogs/news/eyelash-extensions-cost-breakdown) (May 29, 2025)
- IRS, [Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes)](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes)
- Stripe, [Pricing](https://stripe.com/pricing) (checked October 2026)