Your work. Your records.
Nail Technician Workplace Records
Manicurists and pedicurists may work under employment, rental or other arrangements. For an employment review, begin with your own agreement and actual scheduling and payment practices. A salon title or payment label alone does not establish employment status or resolve a disputed deduction or service adjustment.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Agreement changes
Keep your own written terms and dated changes to rates, supplies or scheduling expectations.
Adjustment question
Record the payment entry, stated reason and your request for clarification without client attachments.
Duty sequence
List required preparation, service and sanitation tasks relevant to the disputed work period.
Start with the work you actually do
Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails. May polish or decorate nails.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Manicurists and Pedicurists (39-5092.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Clean and sanitize tools and work environment.Source task 8748 · updated 07/2015
- Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush.Source task 8753 · updated 07/2015
- Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.Source task 8758 · updated 07/2015
- Shape and smooth ends of nails, using scissors, files, or emery boards.Source task 8752 · updated 07/2015
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Manicurists and Pedicurists (SOC 39-5092). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $13.25 | $14.57 | $22.04 | $30,300 |
| Alaska | $18.55 | $23.02 | $27.43 | $47,890 |
| Arizona | $15.96 | $16.97 | $17.62 | $35,290 |
| Arkansas | $12.83 | $13.31 | $13.56 | $27,690 |
| Connecticut | $16.35 | $16.69 | $17.07 | $34,720 |
| Delaware | $15.00 | $15.00 | $17.55 | $31,200 |
| Florida | $14.28 | $18.19 | $23.20 | $37,840 |
| Georgia | $10.87 | $12.94 | $17.37 | $26,910 |
| Hawaii | $14.86 | $29.23 | $30.05 | $60,790 |
| Idaho | $12.90 | $16.78 | $19.34 | $34,910 |
| Indiana | $14.00 | $17.38 | $21.14 | $36,140 |
| Iowa | $14.52 | $21.84 | $27.77 | $45,420 |
| Kansas | $13.23 | $14.87 | $18.05 | $30,930 |
| Kentucky | $15.59 | $21.79 | $22.92 | $45,310 |
| Louisiana | $10.84 | $13.55 | $17.59 | $28,170 |
| Maine | $22.22 | $23.34 | $36.48 | $48,540 |
| Michigan | $15.93 | $17.74 | $28.47 | $36,890 |
| Minnesota | $14.83 | $17.33 | $21.56 | $36,040 |
| Mississippi | $14.59 | $17.94 | $22.02 | $37,300 |
| Missouri | $14.23 | $18.80 | $23.27 | $39,100 |
| Montana | $13.96 | $16.18 | $16.78 | $33,660 |
| Nebraska | $16.09 | $27.37 | $39.72 | $56,940 |
| New Hampshire | $16.11 | $16.87 | $21.10 | $35,100 |
| New Mexico | $12.37 | $12.37 | $15.86 | $25,720 |
| New York | $16.38 | $16.66 | $16.80 | $34,660 |
| North Carolina | $14.28 | $16.70 | $22.43 | $34,740 |
| North Dakota | $14.97 | $16.07 | $23.06 | $33,430 |
| Ohio | $13.65 | $17.11 | $21.75 | $35,590 |
| Oklahoma | $13.83 | $15.06 | $16.03 | $31,330 |
| Pennsylvania | $10.34 | $13.46 | $15.95 | $27,990 |
| Rhode Island | $15.00 | $16.78 | $17.17 | $34,910 |
| South Dakota | $17.37 | $21.79 | $25.95 | $45,310 |
| Tennessee | $13.52 | $16.74 | $19.23 | $34,810 |
| Texas | $14.80 | $16.37 | $18.70 | $34,040 |
| Utah | $10.33 | $13.85 | $18.72 | $28,820 |
| Vermont | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Virginia | $16.38 | $17.61 | $22.80 | $36,630 |
| West Virginia | $17.54 | $18.40 | $22.49 | $38,260 |
| Wisconsin | $14.36 | $17.63 | $21.99 | $36,680 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Describe the service arrangement
Record who set appointment times, service prices and product requirements during the relevant period. Identify changes to those expectations and who communicated them. Distinguish your own materials from supplies provided by the business without treating a single feature as a classification conclusion.
Connect service changes to payment
Keep your own compensation statement and the terms effective for that period. Note a cancellation, service correction or reassignment and the explanation for any adjustment. Separate required tool sanitation and setup from customer service time rather than assuming appointment duration captures the whole assignment.
Protect client and salon records
Do not export client calendars, photographs, service histories or payment details. Describe the relevant event without names and identify any business record by type and custodian. Retain only your own permitted employment and payment documents, leaving other technicians’ agreements and private information out.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Eligibility is evaluated individually; this list does not promise representation.
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