Tipping
Tips, set up right
Tipping is the single biggest upside on top of your service price, and the easiest to bungle. Two paths (auto-capture via Stripe Terminal on iPhone Tap-to-Pay + manual cash entry), three presets, one anti-fatigue rule.
Two capture paths
Stripe Terminal (Tap-to-Pay)
During checkout on iPhone Tap-to-Pay, the customer sees a tip-prompt screen with your configured presets + a Custom + a No-tip option. Their pick lands in tipCents automatically.
Manual cash entry
For cash tips: open the completed appointment + tap "Add tip". Enter the amount + save. Surfaces in reports + on your tip-totals dashboard.
Preset structure
Three rates + Custom + No-tip
Soft (entry tier)
15% / 18% / 22%
Industry default. Doesn’t over-anchor.
Standard (recommended)
15% / 20% / 25%
Sweet spot. 20% is the easy default click.
Premium tier
20% / 25% / 30%
Only for premium pricing tier. Can read as presumptuous on entry services.
Anti-fatigue
Three rules
- Don’t prompt twice. Stripe Terminal asks during the in-person tap; the receipt email shouldn’t ask again.
- Show No-Tip as a visible button. Hiding it behind “Custom” reads as manipulative + actually reduces tip rates over time as customers feel coerced.
- Consider Round-Up. A "round up to $60" option (~$2-5 tip) is low-friction + converts price-conscious customers who would otherwise pick No-Tip.
Reports
Track the tip rate
Reports → Tips shows your monthly tip total + tip rate as a percentage of service revenue. Healthy: 12-18% tip rate. Below 10% suggests the preset structure is too aggressive (customers picking No-Tip in frustration); above 25% suggests customers value you specifically vs platform-wide averages.
FAQ
- Should I accept tips?
- Most solo beauty pros do: clients expect to be able to tip even when you've priced your services to reflect your full value. Average tip rate is 15-20% on the service total. Cash tips are still common; card tips are growing fast as iPhone Tap-to-Pay and Apple Pay become the default checkout.
- What should my preset percentages be?
- 15% / 18% / 22% / Custom is the industry default. Some artists soften to 15% / 20% / 25% to nudge higher; some go aggressive at 20% / 25% / 30% but it can read as presumptuous. Match your service tier: premium artists can push higher; entry-tier should keep the 15-22% range.
- Are tips taxable income?
- Yes: all tips (cash + card) are reportable income on Schedule C. Goldenhour tracks them in the tipCents field so you have a clean total for tax time. See /help/sole-prop-taxes-2026 for the broader picture.
- What about tip fatigue?
- Real concern. Tip-prompted everywhere drives some customers to skip altogether. Mitigation: don't ask twice (Stripe Terminal asks once on Tap-to-Pay), use 'No tip' as a visible button (not hidden behind 'Custom'), and consider 'Round up' as a low-friction option for the price-conscious.