← Appointment deposit calculator
FOR TATTOO ARTISTS AND SHOPS
Deposit and touch-up pricing, in one place.
A tattoo deposit works the same way any service deposit does. What's different is the touch-up: most shops offer a free window after the original session, then charge for touch-ups after that. This calculator handles both — set the deposit, then check a specific client's touch-up against your free window and price it by percent, flat fee, or hourly rate if the window has closed.
The session and your policy
Deposit
- Deposit at booking
- Balance due at session
This client's touch-up
- Free-window status
- Full touch-up price (your pricing rule)
- Amount due for this touch-up
Draft deposit & touch-up policy
The share link stores this plan's numbers, including the shop and artist names, in the page's own URL — never sent to any server, but only share it with people you trust.
Common questions
How much deposit should a tattoo shop charge?
There is no single correct amount — shops commonly ask for a flat amount or a percentage of the estimated session price, often in the 20-50% range for custom work. This calculator turns whatever percentage you choose into a dollar deposit and the balance still due; it does not tell you what percentage to charge.
Is a tattoo touch-up free?
That depends entirely on the shop's own policy, which this tool does not set for you. Many shops offer touch-ups free within a stated window after the original session (commonly a few months to a year) and charge for touch-ups requested after that window closes. Enter your own free-window length and how long ago the original session was, and the calculator reports which side of that window a specific client falls on.
How should a tattoo shop price a touch-up once it is no longer free?
Three common approaches: a percentage of the original session price, a flat fee regardless of the original price, or the shop's hourly rate multiplied by the estimated touch-up time. This calculator supports all three and reports the dollar figure for whichever one the shop already uses — it does not recommend one approach over another.