Skip to main content
industry

Tattoo Artist Invoice Template

A tattoo artist invoice records what one sitting cost and where the client stands on the whole piece: the design and placement, the session number and hours to date, the hourly rate or flat price, the design fee, and whether the booking deposit is still held or applied on this invoice. Aftercare products go on their own lines because some states tax products but not the tattoo, and tips stay off the invoice entirely, because a tip the client chooses to give is not something you bill. The download is an editable HTML invoice with invoice number, dates, a line table and totals, plus fields for those tattoo details and your deposit and touch-up policy. Fill it in your browser, then print it or save it as PDF. For walk-in flash paid at the counter, an itemised receipt is usually enough; this layout is for custom and multi-session work.

Draft this invoice
Preview this editable document

Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.

What This Template Includes

  • Piece and placement (for example 'fine-line peony, left forearm')
  • Session number and hours to date (multi-session work)
  • Billing basis: hourly rate or flat piece price
  • Custom design fee, refundable or not
  • Booking deposit: amount, date paid, held or applied on this invoice
  • Tax treatment by line (for example tattoo exempt, aftercare taxable)
  • Studio or guest-spot location where the work was done
  • Deposit, rescheduling and touch-up policy

How to Create Your Tattoo Artist Invoice

  1. 01

    Describe your work

    Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.

  2. 02

    AI generates your invoice

    InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.

  3. 03

    Review, download, and send

    Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.

Recommended Payment Terms

Tattoo work is normally paid at the end of each sitting, so mark the invoice 'due on receipt' rather than giving net 14 or net 30 terms. Take a booking deposit before you draw the design and write down three things before the client pays it: the amount, which invoice it will be applied to, and when it is forfeited (for example after two missed appointments without 48 hours' notice). For a single-session piece the deposit usually comes off that day's invoice; for multi-session work many artists hold it until the final sitting, so it is applied once and never counted twice. If a deposit is forfeited, issue a short invoice or receipt for it so the income is recorded.

Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.

Tax Information

Sales tax on tattooing depends on the state, and one sale can mix taxable and non-taxable lines. The Washington Department of Revenue says tattoo services, including permanent makeup and microblading, are retail sales on which you collect sales tax. New York's bulletin TB-ST-855 says tattooing is exempt from sales tax everywhere in the state outside New York City but subject to New York City's local sales tax inside the city, while aftercare ointments, lotions, creams and jewelry are taxable throughout the state. List products separately from tattoo time in every state so the split is easy to show. Tips are not a taxable sale line and should not be on the invoice. A template is only a layout: add any registration or license numbers your state or city requires. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage to the whole invoice and copies saved business and client tax IDs to new invoice PDFs on its PDF, so a mixed New York sale needs two invoices there. This is general information, not tax advice; check with your state revenue department or an adviser. Last reviewed October 2026.

Industry context (2026)

Tips became a tax question for tattoo artists in 2025. The IRS says the new deduction for qualified tips allows up to $25,000 a year for 2025 through 2028, reduced for modified adjusted gross income above $150,000 ($300,000 for joint filers), and for self-employed people it cannot exceed the net income of the business. The final list of occupations that customarily and regularly receive tips, published in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-18, includes 'Tattoo Artists and Piercers' (code 609). The IRS also says qualified tips must be paid voluntarily, not be subject to negotiation, and that a service charge the customer cannot disregard or modify generally does not qualify. Eligibility has further conditions, so ask a tax adviser, but the invoicing consequence is simple: a tip folded into your service price, or added as a fixed charge, cannot be shown to be a tip. Sales tax rules are also state by state: Washington taxes tattoo services as retail sales, while New York taxes them only in New York City.

Worked example

Worked example (hypothetical): Rosa Kim tattoos at a private studio in Albany, New York, outside New York City. A client books a custom fine-line peony on the left forearm and pays a $200 booking deposit on 4 March 2026, held for the sitting. On 18 March Rosa finishes the piece in one session and issues INV-0142, due on receipt. Lines: custom design fee, non-refundable once drawn, $120.00; fine-line peony, left forearm, 4.5 hours at $160 = $720.00; aftercare balm, 1 at $25.00 = $25.00. The tattoo and design lines are marked non-taxable, because New York exempts tattooing outside New York City; the balm is taxable, at the 8% Albany rate listed in Publication 718, so tax is $25.00 x 8% = $2.00. Total $867.00. Less booking deposit paid 4 March, applied: $200.00. Balance paid by card at the studio: $667.00. The client adds a $40 tip on the card terminal; it is not on the invoice and Rosa records it as tip income. Notes: 'Free touch-up within 90 days. Deposit forfeited after two missed appointments without 48 hours' notice.' Check: $120 + $720 + $25 + $2 - $200 = $667. In InvoiceQuickly, which applies one tax rate per invoice, the same sale would be two invoices: $840.00 for the tattoo at 0% tax with the $200 deposit recorded as a payment, and $27.00 for the balm at 8%.

Common mistakes to avoid

Putting the tip on the invoice

A 'gratuity' line that the client cannot change is a service charge. Keep tips on the card terminal or receipt so service income and tip income are recorded separately.

Counting the deposit twice

Listing the deposit on every sitting, or forgetting to apply it, makes the client's total wrong. Show it once, on the invoice where it is applied, with the date it was paid.

Lumping aftercare into the tattoo price

In states such as New York, the tattoo can be non-taxable while the balm or jewelry is taxable. A single combined line makes the correct tax impossible to show.

No policy on the invoice

Deposit forfeits and touch-up charges are disputed months later. One or two sentences of policy in the notes of the invoice the client received is your clearest record.

Guest-spot invoices without a location

Sales tax follows where the work was done. An invoice from a convention in another state without the city and venue leaves you unable to show which rules applied.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Describe the piece the way the client would: style, subject and placement ('blackwork mandala, upper back'), not just 'tattoo'.
  • 2On multi-session work, put 'Session 3 of an estimated 4, 14.5 hours to date' on every invoice. It answers the 'how much more?' question before it is asked.
  • 3If you bill in 15- or 30-minute increments, say so on the rate line, so rounding is a stated policy and not a surprise.
  • 4Show the deposit only on the invoice where it is applied, with the date it was paid. Showing it on every sitting invites double counting.
  • 5Never add a fixed 'gratuity' line. If the client cannot change it, it is a service charge, not a tip. Let tips go on the card terminal or receipt.
  • 6When you work a guest spot or convention, put the city and venue on the invoice: sales tax follows where the tattoo was done.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a tattoo artist invoice include?

Your studio or artist name, the client, an invoice number and date, the piece and placement, the session number and hours (or the flat price), any design fee, aftercare products on separate lines, the deposit status, the total and how it was paid, and a one-line deposit and touch-up policy.

Do tattoo artists need invoices, or are receipts enough?

For a walk-in piece paid in full at the counter, an itemised receipt is usually what the client needs. For custom and multi-session work, a numbered invoice per sitting is better, because it records the deposit, the hours and what is left to pay.

Should tips go on a tattoo invoice?

No. A tip is money the client chooses to give, so it goes on the card terminal or the payment receipt, not on a line you bill. The IRS says qualified tips for the federal tips deduction must be paid voluntarily and not be subject to negotiation, and a service charge the customer cannot disregard or modify generally does not count.

Do I charge sales tax on a tattoo?

It depends on where the work is done. Washington treats tattooing as a taxable retail sale. New York exempts tattooing outside New York City but taxes it inside the city under the city's local sales tax, and aftercare products are taxable statewide. Check your own state's revenue department.

How do I show a booking deposit on the invoice?

On the invoice where it is used, add 'Booking deposit paid 4 March, applied' as a deduction from the amount due, so the balance is what the client owes today. On earlier sittings, note 'Deposit of $200 held for final session' in the notes rather than as a line.

Can I bill touch-ups?

Yes, if your policy says so. Many artists offer a free touch-up within a stated window after the final session and charge their hourly rate after that. Put the window on the invoice ('free touch-up within 90 days') so a later charge is backed by what the client received.

Can I make a tattoo invoice in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes. Type or say what you did and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice you review before saving. Line amounts cannot be negative, so record the booking deposit as a payment against the invoice instead of a minus line. There is no tip field, booking calendar or card terminal, and one tax rate applies per invoice. Free includes 5 invoices and 3 AI drafts; Pro ($9 a month) adds unlimited invoices, email delivery and payment links through your own Stripe or PayPal account.