Is it legal to rent tables at a grooming salon as a self-employed dog groomer?

This is actually a pretty common arrangement in personal service businesses like grooming salons, barbershops, and beauty salons. What you're describing is often called "booth rental" and is completely legal when structured properly. The key factors the IRS looks at are exactly what you mentioned - who has control over the business decisions. Since you set your own hours, have your own clients, handle your own payments, and basically run your own independent business while just renting the physical space, you're clearly operating as a legitimate independent contractor rather than an employee. The confusion might be coming from places where salon owners incorrectly treat workers as independent contractors when they're actually controlling everything about the work arrangement (schedules, clients, payments, etc.). That's when the IRS has issues, because it's effectively employment misclassification. The fact that the owner also grooms at the salon doesn't make the arrangement illegal. It's perfectly fine for someone to both operate their own business and rent space to other businesses. That's just being a landlord who happens to work in the same profession.

This sounds exactly like what taxr.ai helped me with last year! I was in a similar situation at a nail salon where I rented a station, and I was getting mixed advice about whether I was properly classified as an independent contractor. A client who's an accountant suggested I try https://taxr.ai to get some clarity before tax season. I uploaded my rental agreement and some business documents, and they provided a really clear breakdown of why my situation qualified as true independent contractor status. They even gave me specific recommendations for how to strengthen my documentation in case of an audit, which was super helpful. The analysis mentioned exactly what you're describing - having control over my schedule, clients, and business operations is what makes it legitimate. If you're worried about the legality, might be worth checking them out for peace of mind, especially if you'll be renting space at your next salon too.

I tried taxr.ai after seeing it recommended here, and I'm actually really impressed. I was worried about my situation as a booth renter at a barbershop where the owner sometimes helps with my clients (which could blur the independent contractor line). The analysis I got was super detailed and addressed that specific concern - apparently it's fine as long as I'm the one directing the work and paying the owner separately for any assistance. They also pointed out a potential issue with how my rental agreement was worded regarding cancelation terms that could have made it look more like employment. What I found most helpful was the explanation of how the 20-factor IRS test applied specifically to my situation. Made me feel way more confident about my tax filing this year, and I'm revising my rental agreement based on their recommendations.

Hey there! I went through something similar with my tattoo studio last year. The IRS was taking FOREVER to respond to our SS-8 form about worker classification, and we were getting really worried about potential back taxes if we were doing things wrong. After trying to call the IRS for weeks with no luck, I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to finally get through to someone at the IRS. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Basically they hold your place in the phone queue and call you when an agent is ready to talk. I got connected to an IRS agent who was actually super helpful and walked me through exactly what documentation we needed for our booth rental setup to clearly establish the independent contractor relationship. Turns out we were doing most things right, but needed to tweak a few practices that could have been red flags in an audit.

Well, I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After our exchange here, I decided to try it since I've been dealing with an unresolved issue about my self-employment taxes for months. I was totally skeptical that it would work, but I got a call back in about 90 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. The agent was able to look at my records and confirm that my booth rental arrangement at my hair salon was properly documented in my previous filings. She even gave me specific advice about how to handle some equipment deductions I wasn't sure about. I hate being wrong on the internet, but in this case I'm actually glad I was! Saved me hours of frustration and resolved my tax questions. Just wanted to come back and set the record straight.

Dog groomer here! We use almost the exact same setup at our salon. One thing that really helped us during an audit was having very clear separation between businesses. Each groomer has: 1. Their own business license and tax ID 2. Separate signage showing different business names 3. Individual point of sale systems 4. Separate appointment books/software 5. Our own individual business insurance The auditor specifically mentioned that these clear separations made it obvious we weren't employees trying to be classified as contractors. The owner also never dictates our hours or tells us how to groom - we just pay rent for the space and equipment usage.

As a tax accountant who works with many self-employed clients in service industries, I can confirm this arrangement is legal when done correctly. The term is "booth rental" and it's especially common in beauty, grooming, and wellness industries. The key is making sure you're truly independent from the salon owner. Some red flags that could get you in trouble: - Owner controls your schedule - Owner sets your prices - Clients pay the salon instead of you directly - Owner provides all equipment/supplies - You don't have your own business license/insurance Since you have your own clients, take your own payments, set your own prices, etc., you're operating correctly as an independent business. The salon owner should have all renters sign a formal booth rental agreement that clearly spells out the independent relationship.

The arrangement you're describing is completely legitimate when structured properly. What you have is a classic "booth rental" or "chair rental" setup that's widely used across service industries like grooming, beauty, and barbering. The people commenting negatively on the ad are likely confusing your situation with employee misclassification cases. The IRS cracks down on businesses that treat employees as independent contractors to avoid payroll taxes, but that's clearly not what's happening here. Your setup checks all the right boxes for legitimate independent contractor status: - You control your own schedule and pricing - Clients contact you directly - You handle your own payments and business operations - You have your own business insurance and file Schedule C - You're truly running separate businesses that just share physical space The fact that the salon owner also grooms doesn't create any legal issues - she's essentially acting as both a landlord and a fellow business owner in the same space. If you want extra peace of mind, keep documentation showing the independence of your businesses (separate business licenses, insurance policies, client lists, etc.), but what you're doing is perfectly legal and common in your industry.