Nail Salon Permit Requirements in Honolulu, HI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Hawaii Beauty Operator License — Nail Technician Class

   Hawaii does not issue a licence called a "Nail Technician License" on its own. Nail technicians are licensed as Beauty Operators by the DCCA Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, in the Nail Technician class covering manicure and pedicure services. That class requires 350 hours of beauty school training (or 700 apprenticeship hours, or a year of licensed experience in another jurisdiction), a high school education or equivalent, a minimum age of 16, and passing the nail technology examinations — not the 1,800 hours a full cosmetologist licence needs.

   Official government source

   $92 where the license is issued in an odd-numbered year (application $20 + license $22 + compliance resolution fund $50) or $165 in an even-numbered year (a $100 compliance resolution fund charge plus a $23 half-renewal); a temporary permit is an extra $40·File the exam application by the Board's published deadline; the license is issued after the written and practical exams are passed, and licenses expire December 31 of each odd-numbered year (active renewal $146)

   $92 where the license is issued in an odd-numbered year (application $20 + license $22 + compliance resolution fund $50) or $165 in an even-numbered year (a $100 compliance resolution fund charge plus a $23 half-renewal); a temporary permit is an extra $40

   File the exam application by the Board's published deadline; the license is issued after the written and practical exams are passed, and licenses expire December 31 of each odd-numbered year (active renewal $146)

2. Hawaii Department of Taxation — General Excise Tax (GET) License

   Hawaii has no sales tax. Instead the state levies a General Excise Tax on the gross income of the business itself, and unlike a sales tax it reaches services, commissions and rent as well as goods. Every business must register for a GET licence with the Department of Taxation on Form BB-1 before doing business. The rate is 4% statewide, rising to 4.5% on Oahu because of the 0.5% county surcharge, and it is owed on gross income whether or not it is passed on to the customer.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1)·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1)

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

1. Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology — Beauty Shop License

   Hawaii licenses nail salons as Beauty Shops through the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology — the Board's own definition of cosmetology covers hairdressing, esthetics and nail technology, so a nail salon is a beauty shop like any other. The application asks for a labelled floor plan showing the sanitary facilities serving the shop and is reviewed at a Board meeting before the licence is issued. Booth or chair rentals within an existing shop are licensed separately.

   Official government source

   $138 where the license is issued in an odd-numbered year (application $50 + license $38 + compliance resolution fund $50) or $226 in an even-numbered year (a $100 compliance resolution fund charge plus a $38 half-renewal), per the Board's shop application·Every shop application is reviewed at a Board meeting, so allow time beyond filing; shop licenses expire December 31 of each odd-numbered year and renew at $176 on active status

   $138 where the license is issued in an odd-numbered year (application $50 + license $38 + compliance resolution fund $50) or $226 in an even-numbered year (a $100 compliance resolution fund charge plus a $38 half-renewal), per the Board's shop application

   Every shop application is reviewed at a Board meeting, so allow time beyond filing; shop licenses expire December 31 of each odd-numbered year and renew at $176 on active status

2. Hawaii General Excise Tax (GET) License

   The City and County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services issues no business licence — its divisions are accounting, real property assessment, treasury, purchasing and the liquor commission, and Honolulu has no general business licence at all, so there is nothing to renew annually or display. What a business does need is the statewide General Excise Tax licence from the Department of Taxation on Form BB-1, plus any activity-specific approvals such as building or zoning permits from the Department of Planning and Permitting.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — there is no city business license fee·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — there is no city business license fee

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

Official Sources

• Hawaii Board of Cosmetology — Salon License
• City and County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services

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