Barber and Beauty Shops

Agency filings affecting this section Business and Occupation Tax Barber and beauty shops are subject to the business and occupation tax as follows: Retailing. Taxable under the retailing classification upon charges for styling of wigs or hairpieces and upon the gross proceeds of sales of shoe shines and of packaged cosmetics, etc., sold apart from the rendition of personal services. Service and other business activities. Taxable under the service and other business activities classification upon the gross income from charges for the rendition of personal services, such as hair cutting, shaving, shampooing, tinting, bleaching, setting and the like. Retail Sales Tax Barber and beauty shops primarily render personal services as to hair cutting, shaving, shampooing, tinting, bleaching, setting and the like and, therefore are not required to collect the retail sales tax from the customers paying for such services. Sales by supply houses to barber and beauty shops of such articles of equipment as clippers, razors, barber chairs, hair waving machines, etc., and of such supplies as soaps, hair tonics, lotions, cosmetics, dyes, etc., which are used incidentally in the rendering of such personal services are taxable retail sales upon which the retail sales tax must be collected. Shops must collect retail sales tax upon sales and charges shown as taxable under retailing above. Sales by barber and beauty shops of packaged cosmetics, hair tonics, lotions and like articles are taxable retail sales when sold apart from the rendition of personal services and are subject to the retail sales tax. Sales of such articles by supply houses to barber and beauty shops are sales for resale and are not taxable under the retail sales tax. Barber shops operating shoe shine stands are required to collect the retail sales tax upon the charges made for shoe shines rendered to customers. Sales by supply houses of shoe polish, dyes, cleaners, etc., which are resold in rendering a shoe shine service are sales for resale and not taxable under the retail sales tax. However, sales to shoe shine stands of brushes, chairs and other equipment which are not resold in rendering such services are taxable retail sales and the retail sales tax must be collected thereon. [Statutory Authority: RCW 82.32.300 . WSR 83-07-034 (Order ET 83-17), § 458-20-148, filed 3/15/83; Order ET 70-3, § 458-20-148 (Rule 148), filed 5/29/70, effective 7/1/70.]