How to Price Tattoos: The Guide I Wish I Had When I Started

Pricing is the single thing that causes the most anxiety for tattoo artists. Charge too little and you’re working yourself to death for pennies. Charge too much and your books are empty. And there’s no price list from the tattoo gods telling you what to charge — you have to figure it out yourself.

I’ve been on both sides. I started charging $80/hour because I was scared nobody would pay more. I was busy as hell but barely covering rent. Then I raised to $150/hour and lost a third of my clients. Panicked, almost dropped back down. Stuck with it, and within two months my books were full again — with clients who tipped better, complained less, and valued my work more.

Pricing is psychology as much as it is math. Let me break down both.

The Two Main Pricing Models

Hourly Rate

You charge a set rate per hour of chair time. Simple to explain, simple to calculate.

Typical hourly rates in 2026:

When hourly works:

• Large, multi-session projects where scope is uncertain
• Highly detailed work where time is hard to estimate
• Sessions where significant design changes happen in-chair
• Day rates for full-day sittings (usually a slight discount — $200/hr × 8 hours = $1,600, but day rate might be $1,400)

When hourly doesn’t work:

• Small pieces that take 30-45 minutes but are worth $150+ because of the design complexity
• Flash tattoos where your speed penalizes you (the faster you get, the less you earn)
• Clients who are anxious about a “running meter” and can’t relax during the session

Per-Piece (Flat Rate) Pricing

You quote a flat price for the finished tattoo, regardless of how long it takes.

When per-piece works:

• Small to medium pieces with predictable scope
• Flash tattoos (every piece has a set price)
• Anything under 3-4 hours
• When you want to reward your own speed and efficiency

When per-piece doesn’t work:

• Large, complex pieces where scope can change
• Multi-session work where the total is hard to predict upfront
• Cover-ups (scope is always uncertain until you’re in it)

The Hybrid Approach (What Most Artists Actually Do)

Here’s what I recommend and what most experienced artists use:

• Flash and small custom pieces: Per-piece pricing
• Medium pieces (2-4 hours): Per-piece pricing based on your hourly rate × estimated time
• Large pieces and multi-session projects: Hourly rate or day rate
• Cover-ups: Hourly (because you never know until you’re doing it)

Setting Your Shop Minimum

Every shop needs a minimum charge. It’s the lowest amount you’ll accept for any tattoo, regardless of size.

Why you need a minimum:

• Setup and breakdown take 15-20 minutes regardless of tattoo size
• Supplies cost the same whether you’re tattooing for 10 minutes or an hour
• Your time and skill have a baseline value
• Without a minimum, you’ll spend all day doing $50 finger tattoos and make nothing

Typical minimums in 2026:

Display your minimum prominently — on your booking page, website, and in your DM auto-reply. “Our shop minimum is $[X]. This applies to all tattoos regardless of size.”

How to Calculate Your Rate

Here’s the actual math for figuring out what to charge:

Step 1: Know Your Costs

Calculate your monthly overhead:

Step 2: Determine Your Income Goal

What do you want to take home after all expenses and taxes?

For example: $5,000/month take-home (approximately $60,000/year)

Step 3: Calculate Required Revenue

Take-home goal + overhead + taxes = required gross revenue

$5,000 + $2,500 (overhead) + $2,250 (30% for taxes on gross) = roughly $10,000-12,000/month gross revenue needed

Step 4: Work Backward to Your Rate

How many hours can you realistically tattoo per month?

• 5 days/week × 6 billable hours/day = 30 hours/week
• 30 hours × 4 weeks = 120 hours/month
• But you won’t be 100% booked. At 70% utilization: 84 billable hours/month

$11,000 target ÷ 84 hours = $131/hour minimum

If you’re on commission (50/50 split), you need to double that: $262/hour minimum because half goes to the shop.

This is your floor. Price above it, not at it.

Step 5: Check Against the Market

Research what artists at your experience level and skill level charge in your area. Look at:

• Competitor websites and booking pages (some list prices)
• Instagram posts where prices are mentioned
• Ask other artists (the tattoo community is surprisingly open about pricing when asked respectfully)
• Reddit r/tattoo and r/TattooArtists (pricing discussions happen constantly)

If your calculated rate is significantly below market, raise it. You’re leaving money on the table. If it’s above market, you’ll need strong portfolio and marketing to justify it.

Pricing Specific Types of Work

Flash Tattoos

Price each flash piece individually based on:

• Size and complexity
• Number of colors
• Estimated time
• Your expertise in that style

Flash should generally be priced slightly higher per-hour-equivalent than custom work because:

• You designed it (intellectual property value)
• It’s ready to go (no consultation time)
• Limited availability creates urgency (“one-of-one” flash)

Cover-Ups

Always price cover-ups higher than equivalent-size new tattoos:

• They take longer (working around existing ink)
• They require more skill (color theory, design strategy)
• They often need larger designs than the client initially expects
• The old tattoo creates unpredictable challenges

My rule: Cover-ups are priced at 1.5x my standard rate for the equivalent size piece.

Touch-Ups

Your own work: Free within 6-12 months (this is standard and expected). After that, charge a reduced rate.

Other artists’ work: Full price. You didn’t create the original issues, and touch-ups on someone else’s work can be tricky.

Lettering and Script

Lettering takes longer than most clients expect. Small script that looks “quick” still requires precise line work, proper spacing, and careful skin handling. Price based on the actual time involved, not how “simple” it looks. Minimum charge should always apply.

When to Raise Your Prices

You should raise prices when:

• Your books are consistently full 3+ weeks out
• You’re turning away more clients than you’re accepting
• Your skill level has noticeably improved
• Your operating costs have increased
• You haven’t raised prices in 12+ months
• Comparable artists in your market charge more

How much to raise:

• 10-15% annually is reasonable and sustainable
• You’ll lose some clients with every increase — that’s normal and expected
• The clients who leave are usually the price-sensitive ones you’re better off without

How to announce it: Keep it simple. Post on Instagram and update your website/booking page: “Hey everyone — effective [date], my rates are increasing to $[X]/hour (from $[Y]). All appointments booked before [date] will be honored at current rates. Thanks for your continued support!”

No need to justify or apologize. Price increases are normal in every industry.

The Psychology of Pricing

Higher prices attract better clients. This sounds counterintuitive, but clients who pay $250/hour generally tip better, respect your time more, show up reliably, and are less demanding than clients who pay $100/hour. Premium clients value quality and understand that good work costs money.

Don’t race to the bottom. There’s always someone willing to charge less. You cannot compete on price and build a sustainable business. Compete on quality, style, experience, and reputation instead.

Round numbers feel arbitrary; specific numbers feel calculated. “$175/hour” feels more carefully considered than “$200/hour.” Use this to your advantage.

Anchoring works. If your booking page shows “Day Rate: $1,400 | Half-Day: $800 | Per-Piece: Starting at $150,” the day rate anchors high and makes the per-piece pricing feel very reasonable.

Never discount your work. No “50% off Tuesdays.” No “happy hour pricing.” Discounting trains clients to wait for sales and devalues your art. If you want to fill slow days, offer added value instead — free aftercare products with Tuesday bookings, or priority booking for regulars.

Deposits and Payment Structure

Deposits: Require for every booked appointment. See our no-shows guide for detailed deposit strategies.

For large/multi-session projects:

• Session 1: Deposit + remainder of first session
• Subsequent sessions: Pay at end of each session (or start — your preference)
• Don’t let balances accumulate — collect at every session

Payment methods: Accept cards (Square, Stripe), cash, and optionally Venmo/Zelle. Don’t be cash-only in 2026 — you’ll lose clients and make your accounting harder.

The Bottom Line

Price based on math (your costs + income goal), validated against your market, and adjusted upward as demand grows. Don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth. The artists who thrive financially aren’t necessarily the most talented — they’re the ones who price confidently and fill their chairs efficiently.

Your art has value. Price it like it does.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I charge per hour for tattoos?

Tattoo hourly rates in 2026 range from $100-300/hour depending on experience, location, demand, and style. Research your local market and price based on your skill level and demand.

Should I charge hourly or per piece?

Most experienced artists use per-piece pricing because it rewards efficiency and skill. Hourly pricing works better for large, multi-session projects. Many artists use a hybrid approach — per-piece for smaller work and hourly or day rates for larger projects.