How much does Ulta pay? (Highest-paying jobs, benefits, and more!)
As one of America’s leading beauty retailers, Ulta employs a large number of people in stores and corporate locations across the country. They offer employees a wide range of positions, including sales positions, marketing positions, and administrative positions. To attract and retain talented employees, Ulta offers competitive wages and salaries.
The median annual salary for Ulta employees in the United States is $34,125. This includes part-time, full-time and corporate positions. A starting position (such as a cashier or store manager) pays between $9.98 and $14.37 an hour.
These salary amounts are derived from self-reported data available on Indeed.com and Talent.com. Local wages and wages may vary by store. Full-time positions also come with additional benefits and allowances that are not directly factored into reported wages.
Read on to learn more about working at Ulta and more about Ulta employee compensation.
What are the highest paying jobs at Ulta?
Like any major chain, Ulta has a wide range of positions with varying salaries and benefits. These include basic sales associate positions and other starter positions at Ulta stores, as well as more unique and competitive administrative and corporate positions that can pay well.
The highest-paying job at an Ulta store is associate manager, earning about $89,318 a year. Other well-paying jobs at Ulta include accounting, manufacturing, and analytics.
As an Ulta employee, the paid positions you can get will depend on your qualifications. As a result, more demanding positions such as sales analysts and even makeup artists will command higher salaries than simple sales assistants and cashiers.
Ulta locations typically recruit at all levels of their corporate hierarchy, so if you have the qualifications needed to land a well-paying job at Ulta, it’s worth your time to work with them in your job search. They also offer a wide range of competitive benefits to workers at all levels.
Do you get paid weekly at Ulta?
One of the more pertinent questions for Ulta’s new hires is “When will I get paid?” If you start working at Ulta during a pay period, you may not be able to wait until you have completed a full pay period. Receive a salary. In other cases, you may receive part of your salary until the end of the pay period.
You don’t get paid weekly at Ulta. Like most retail positions, Ulta employees are paid bi-weekly. Certain payment details may vary from store to store, but the bi-weekly payment schedule is fairly consistent across the country.
Your hours worked during training will be paid in your first paycheck. If you join midway through a pay period, you may not be paid until you complete your first full pay period (you will be paid in full for any hours worked before that.
Is it hard to get hired at Ulta?
Ulta has a streamlined recruiting and onboarding process designed to screen potential employees and prepare new employees for responsibilities at Ulta stores. Self-reported information about its recruiting and onboarding process is available on Indeed.com.
Getting hired at Ulta is not difficult. However, employees are evaluated based on their qualifications for the available positions. If you are eligible and ready to work, you should receive a job offer within a week or two of applying.
Promising applicants will be invited to interview for a position, and promising candidates are usually interviewed for a job. Higher positions requiring stricter qualifications may involve a more recruitment process. Overall, the process should take 1-2 weeks from your original application.
New employees will be invited to sign documents and begin their induction training shortly after being offered the job. If applicable, this will also be where you set up things like benefit packages.
What are the benefits of working at Ulta?
Because Ulta is one of America’s leading beauty retailers, they have many perks and perks designed to attract and retain employees. These benefits largely depend on the type of work you do (i.e. part-time or full-time), and the actual position you are hired for.
Depending on your job, working at Ulta gives you a number of benefits.
Full-time employees provide the following services:
- One of two medical PPO plans
- dental insurance
- vision coverage
- corporate life insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Lifestyle benefits (e.g. home insurance, auto insurance, etc.)
- Paid time off and vacation pay
Part-time employees have the following rights:
- dental insurance
- vision coverage
- life insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Lifestyle benefits (such as accident insurance)
In addition to these benefits, all Ulta employees can participate in a 401(k) plan with company contribution matching. This benefit is limited to employees 21 years of age or older. All employees also receive 25% off Ulta retail products and 50% off salon services.
Is it better to work at Sephora or at Ulta?
Sephora is another leading beauty retailer in the United States. They also operate stores in many other countries including Canada and Mexico. Although Sephora is older and larger than Ulta, their work environment and company culture are very similar. Sephora offers beauty products and services, and Sephora employees are paid similarly to Ulta employees.
That being said, when self-reported employee satisfaction surveys are stacked side-by-side, Sephora’s ratings seem fairly consistent compared to Ulta’s. The biggest difference is management approval; 80% of Sephora employees are satisfied with top management, compared to 73% of Ulta employees.
Better to work at Sephora than Ulta. Self-reported employee satisfaction surveys revealed a pattern of employee satisfaction that favored Sephora over Ulta. That being said, your experience will largely depend on your location and location.
Different Ulta locations will have different managers and employees, as well as different clients. These factors may affect how well you fit at work. Another important thing to consider is the difference in benefits between Sephora and Ulta:
| benefit | Sephora | Urta |
| employee discount | 30% off regular purchases 40% off Sephora collections | 25% off product purchases 50% off salon services |
| 401(k) match | Yes (one year later) | Yes |
| Health insurance | Several plans available | Choose from 2 PPO plans |
| dental insurance | Do not | Yes |
| Lifestyle benefits | Family Planning, Donation Matching | Accident insurance, car insurance, etc. |
| Paid leave | Yes | Yes |
In the end, the right employer for you will largely depend on your own qualifications, career path, and jobs available in your area. Explaining your expectations and abilities up front during recruiting and orientation is a great way to ensure a great employment experience at Sephora and Ulta.
Do you need makeup knowledge to work at Ulta?
Since Ulta is a beauty retailer, working with them usually requires a lot of makeup knowledge. They have many positions dedicated to makeup artists and beauty consultants, and understanding makeup brands and techniques can make a huge difference to your qualifications and fulfillment of your duties.
That being said, Ulta has many positions that don’t require any makeup knowledge to work properly. Generally speaking, employees who work as cashiers and sales assistants need to know about makeup brands and other beauty products, but generally don’t need a deep understanding of makeup applications, etc.
No makeup knowledge is required to work at Ulta. Ulta will train new employees on the cosmetics and brands available in its stores. However, Ulta employees are generally expected to wear them at work to showcase some products.
Finally, prior knowledge of the makeup industry, brands and techniques is a plus when working at Ulta, but it’s not required. If you’re self-aware of your level of makeup knowledge, bringing it up during the onboarding process can ensure you’re pointed in the right direction in terms of knowledge and preparation.
Does Ulta pay tuition?
If you were in school while working for Ulta, you may find it daunting to pay for all your schooling needs in addition to the other expenses of living. Going to school is expensive, and many need help in the form of scholarships and other programs.
Ulta does pay tuition. Active full-time employees who have worked at Ulta for a year or more are entitled to financial aid in the form of elective tuition reimbursement.
Tuition reimbursement must be approved for the employee in question before they begin the school year. This means that if you want Ulta to help you financially with your tuition fees, you should make sure you fill out all the appropriate paperwork so things are handled in a timely manner. If you are curious about the process, it is best to ask your manager for details. Even if they don’t have the details themselves, they can point you in the right direction.
Does Ulta pay overtime?
At times, Ulta employees may be required to work more than 40 hours per week. This usually happens during busy times of the year, such as around holidays. It can also happen when a store is temporarily understaffed due to staff changes or other emergencies.
Ulta does pay overtime. Any hourly worker who works more than 40 hours a week will be paid 1.5 times normal wages. This is required by U.S. federal law.
If you work more than 40 hours a week and you don’t get paid 1.5 times your salary for those extra hours, it’s probably just negligence. Submit the issue to your manager to correct the discrepancy. Remember that vacation or sick time does not count towards your total work week of 40 hours (and therefore does not qualify for overtime pay).
Want to learn more about Ulta? Check out our related posts to find out if Ulta accepts Apple Pay, if Ulta prices match, and if you can use your Sephora gift card at Ulta.
final thoughts
Working at Ulta can be a rewarding step in your career if you stick with it and adjust your expectations accordingly. Both part-time and full-time employees have a wide range of benefits and perks. Wages are also competitive and employees can take on a variety of positions at Ulta.
If you want to work at Ulta, you don’t need prior knowledge of makeup brands and techniques, but some…
