Cash advances for UK tattoo studios.
Funded against your card takings, deposits, session payments, retail. Built for studios balancing artist schedules, deposit systems, and walk-in flow.
What MCA means for a tattoo studio.
Tattoo studios are card-dominant now. Booking deposits go through card (Tattoo.com, studio-owned booking systems, PayPal), session balances are paid by card at the chair, retail (aftercare, merch, art prints) is card-paid. Studios with strong artist rosters and consistent booking patterns have clean MCA card data. Uses: studio refit, additional chair build-out, equipment upgrades (machines, sterilisation), artist retention bonuses, online portfolio and booking platform build, flash event organisation.
Sound familiar?
Studio refit or expansion, additional chairs or private rooms.
New stations, partition work, reception rework, signage, £15k to £40k for a meaningful studio upgrade.
MCA funds the refit. More chairs enable more artists; more artists drive card volume; repayment accelerates with capacity.
Star artist wants a retention package or signing bonus.
Bonus or guaranteed booking fee for a highly-booked artist, £5k to £20k of retention investment.
MCA covers the retention cost. Artist's card bookings through the studio continue feeding repayment. Protecting revenue rather than creating it.
Online booking system and portfolio platform upgrade.
Booking platform, website rebuild, portfolio photography, £4k to £15k. Smooth online booking drives deposits and fills artist diaries.
MCA funds the build. Better booking platform typically lifts booking conversion 15-30%; revenue and repayment both accelerate.
Here's what it actually costs.
An independent 4-chair studio borrows £12,000 for refit and booking system. Monthly card takings: £28,000. £12,000. Average monthly card takings £28,000. Fixed cost 1.28. 12% daily repayment % on card sales, total cost £3,360.
These figures are illustrative. If a term loan or asset finance fits your situation better, we'll tell you.
Open the fixed cost calculator →Work out the real cost.
New businesses typically start at a higher daily % and a shorter term.
Illustrative only, not a quote.
- Advance£12,000
- vs card takings43%
- Fixed cost1.28
- Daily repayment£110
- Avg monthly£3,360
- Est. term4.6 months
Illustrative. The fixed cost is set on day one; daily repayment varies with takings. Term capped at 18 months.
Illustrative only, not a quote. Every figure here is subject to the funder. Funders advance anywhere from 100% up to 150% of monthly card takings, so 150% is not guaranteed, and the fixed cost is not guaranteed either. Your actual advance, fixed cost and terms depend on the funder and your business profile.
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£10,000 funded a 5th chair build-out and guest artist programme, repaid in 4 months.
Illustrative composite. Four-chair studio pre-MCA, £24k/mo card takings. MCA at 1.27 factor, 13% daily repayment. Fifth chair installed within three weeks, guest artist slots ran monthly, card takings lifted to £32k/mo within two months. Advance repaid comfortably.
Illustrative composite scenarioTattoo studios, quick answers.
Card-rail takings all count. Multiple processors are fine, lenders can aggregate across Square, Stripe, Zettle, PayPal card-paid deposits. Flag your processor mix at application so the lender can pull the right data.
Funding options for tattoo studios
Tattoo studios take card-paid deposits and final settlements across every booking, plus aftercare retail at the till. A merchant cash advance (MCA), also called a PDQ cash advance or card machine loan, uses that combined card flow to fund kit, fit-out, or a second studio. Repayments scale with daily takings. Advances from £10,000 to £1,000,000. See PDQ cash advance →
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