How Much to Tip on a Tattoo (and How Shops Should Handle Tips)
How Much to Tip on a Tattoo (and How Shops Should Handle Tips)
The short answer: tip your tattoo artist 15% to 25% of the price of the tattoo, with 20% as the usual amount for good work. On small pieces, a flat $10–$20 is common even if the percentage works out lower. Tip in cash or on the card, at the end of the session, directly to your artist.
That covers most situations. The rest of this guide handles the awkward ones — touch-ups, multi-session pieces, tipping a shop owner — and then switches sides for shop owners: how to set up tip prompts, how to get card tips to artists quickly, and what to know about taxes.
Why tipping a tattoo artist is the norm
Most tattoo artists aren't salaried. They rent a booth or split each ticket with the shop, so the price you pay for a piece is shared before it ever reaches them. Drawing time, consult back-and-forth, and stencil revisions usually aren't billed separately either. A tip is how clients pay for that unbilled time, and for most artists it's a real part of their income.
How much to tip, by situation
| Situation | Typical tip |
|---|---|
| Standard piece, happy with the work | 20% |
| Tight budget, still happy | 15% |
| Custom design, long sessions, or a hard placement | 20%–25% or more |
| Small flash or walk-in (under about $100) | $10–$20 flat |
| Free touch-up | $10–$20, or a small percentage of the original price |
| Multi-session piece | Tip each session, or one larger tip at the end |
Touch-ups. Many shops do a free touch-up within a set window. The artist is still giving up chair time, so a small tip is a good gesture.
Big pieces over several sessions. Either works: tip at each session based on that day's price, or tip once at the end on the full price. Tipping as you go is easier on your budget, and your artist gets paid for each day they work.
The shop owner did your tattoo. The old rule that you don't tip the owner no longer applies. If the owner tattooed you, tip like you would any artist.
Not happy with the work. Talk to your artist before you skip the tip. Most problems can be fixed with a touch-up, and you'll get a better result than you would from leaving quietly.
Cash or card?
Both are fine. Cash reaches the artist immediately. A tip on the card is just as welcome if the shop pays out tips quickly, and most shops now let you add one on the terminal. If the shop uses tattoo shop POS, you'll often see tip buttons on the screen before you sign.
For shop owners: how to handle tips well
Everything above is what clients want to know. If you run the shop, tips also affect artist retention, how smoothly checkout goes, and your bookkeeping.
Put tip prompts on the terminal
Clients tip more consistently when the terminal asks them. Three preset buttons (15%, 20%, 25%) plus a custom amount and a clear "no tip" option work well. The client never has to calculate anything, and the artist never has to bring it up. Calculate the presets on the tattoo price only, not on aftercare products you sell at the counter, so the suggested amounts feel fair.
If the deposit was taken weeks earlier, make sure the tip is calculated on the full price of the piece and not just the remaining balance. Otherwise the suggested amounts will be too low and clients won't notice. We cover how deposits and high-ticket sessions affect payments in deposits, tips, and high-ticket tattoos.
Need terminals with built-in tip prompts? Revify provides free terminals to shops that process with us, including handhelds where clients choose a tip and sign on the device. See the free terminals →
Get card tips to artists quickly
Slow tip payouts cause a lot of quiet frustration between artists and shops. Agree on a written schedule (same night, or every payday) and stick to it. Give artists a simple daily report showing tickets and tips so they never have to ask. Artists rarely leave a shop because of the decor. They leave over how and when they get paid.
Tips and taxes
Tips are taxable income for the artist, whether they're paid in cash or on a card. Booth renters and commission artists who are paid as independent contractors report tips on their own returns. Shops with W-2 employees have payroll reporting obligations. Card tips also show up in your processing records, so keep tip totals in a separate line in your books from the start.
The federal "No Tax on Tips" deduction created by the 2025 tax law applies only to occupations on the Treasury's official list, and final regulations were issued in April 2026. Whether a tattoo artist's tips qualify depends on how that list applies to their situation, so artists should ask a tax professional before claiming it. This section is general information, not tax advice.
The bottom line
Clients: 20% is the standard, 15% is fine, and 25% or more is for work you love. Shop owners: let the terminal ask for the tip, calculate it on the full price, and pay artists their tips on a schedule they can rely on.
