How to start a house cleaning business

What a residential cleaning company sells, and the shapes it can take

Google’s Local Services category describes the work in one line: “House cleaning professionals perform standard or deep cleans on offices or homes, among other services” (Google Local Services requirements). For tax and statistics, the work sits under NAICS 561720, Janitorial Services, whose index entries include “Maid services (i.e., cleaning services)” and “Residential cleaning services” (NAICS 561720). That shared code matters later, because several of the rules that follow treat a home and an office very differently.

Three decisions set the shape of the company before anything is filed:

• Recurring or one-off. Weekly, every-two-weeks and monthly visits are the base of most residential books. One-off work (deep cleans, move-in and move-out cleans, post-construction cleans, vacation rental turnovers) pays more per visit and has to be sold again every time.
• Solo, employees or contractors. An owner who cleans alone, a company with employed crews and a company that dispatches independent contractors face different tax, wage and insurance rules, and, as the next section shows, they offer the homeowner different protection.
• Homes only, or offices too. In Florida and California the first office contract changes what the company owes the state.

The IRS rule that makes a company the safer hire

This rule decides how the company is organized and what it can truthfully tell a homeowner.

IRS Publication 926 lists “Housecleaning workers”, “Housekeepers” and “Maids” among household workers, and it applies a control test: “The worker is your employee if you can control not only what work is done, but how it is done” (IRS Publication 926). The same page adds that “it doesn’t matter whether the work is full time or part time, or that you hired the worker through an agency.” Then it draws the line a cleaning company sits on: “If an agency provides the worker and controls what work is done and how it is done, the worker isn’t your employee” (IRS, hiring household employees).

For 2026, “Social security and Medicare taxes apply to the wages of household workers you pay $3,000 or more in cash wages,” and federal unemployment tax applies once a household pays “total cash wages of $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter.” ISSA, the cleaning industry association, puts the risk to homeowners bluntly in its consumer questions: “If you hire an individual and they do not take care of the taxes they owe on the money you pay them, YOU can be held liable for the taxes” (ISSA Residential FAQ).

Three consequences for a founder:

• Referral alone does not move the employer. The IRS separates an agency that merely found the worker from one that provides and controls the worker. A list of names that leaves the homeowner directing the cleaner does not take the homeowner out of the employer role.
• The protection only exists if the company really controls the work. If your cleaners are independent contractors who choose their own methods, the sentence that helps you describes someone else. Settle classification first (see setting up the company), and have an accountant read any sales line about it.
• State it as the IRS’s rule, not as advice. Link to the IRS page and let homeowners and their tax preparers draw the conclusion.

Pay, openings and who you compete with

Bureau of Labor Statistics data on O*NET OnLine puts the median maid and housekeeping cleaner at $17.07 an hour, or $35,510 a year, in 2025. The occupation had 1,356,800 workers in 2024, a count that includes hotel and hospital housekeepers, and O*NET projects “Little or no change” in employment from 2024 to 2034 alongside 193,500 projected openings, which it says “represent openings due to growth and replacement.” Flat employment with that many openings means most of them are replacements, and in our experience that turnover, more than demand, is what caps a new company’s growth. Crew leads earn more: first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers had a median of $23.61 an hour in 2025 (O*NET 37-1011.00).

The competition is mostly small. In the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns file for 2023, which counts establishments with paid employees, NAICS 561720 had 67,799 establishments and 1,088,193 employees, and 61.3% of those establishments had fewer than five employees (CBP 2023 national file, our calculation from its size classes). The code mixes maid services with commercial janitorial firms, so it shows the shape of the field, not a count of house cleaners. Below it sits an informal market: OSHA, citing the Economic Policy Institute, says about 305,000 of the 2.2 million domestic workers in private homes are housecleaners, and that the number “is likely underestimated, since most domestic care workers are paid ‘under the table’.” That is the price a new company is compared against.

Licensing and registration

No federal license exists for house cleaning, and none of the four states below issues a cleaning license. What applies is business registration, local licenses, sales tax registration where cleaning is taxable, and federal tax and workplace rules. The SBA says the licenses and permits you need “will depend on your business activities and business location,” and that you “may also need licenses from your county or city.” Google’s screening for its cleaning ads checks state business and owner licenses only “where applicable by local law” (Google Local Services requirements).

State	Agency	What you need	Key requirements, as the agency states them
California	Labor Commissioner’s Office	No cleaning license; janitorial registration only for commercial work	Janitorial employers register with a “$500 nonrefundable application fee,” renewed each year for $500, and train employees in sexual harassment prevention every two years; not required for an entity “that only cleans residential dwellings”
Texas	Comptroller of Public Accounts	No cleaning license; a sales tax permit	“Tax is due on the charge to clean a home, office, warehouse, garage, restaurant, or any other building”
Florida	Sales tax statute (Fla. Stat. 212.05)	No cleaning license found; sales tax registration once you clean nonresidential property	Tax at 6 percent on “Nonresidential cleaning”; residential cleaning is not named
New York	Department of Taxation and Finance	No cleaning license; a Certificate of Authority	Sales tax on “all charges for interior cleaning and maintenance services performed in New York State” since June 1, 1990

Fees are as of October 2026. The agency’s own page is the authority, so confirm each rule with it, and with your city or county clerk, before you register or quote a price.

California. The Property Service Workers Protection Act covers anyone “predominantly working, whether as an employee, independent contractor, or franchisee, as a janitor” (California Labor Code 1420), but the Labor Commissioner’s FAQ lists among businesses not required to register “A person or entity that only cleans residential dwellings, including private residences, condos or mobile homes” (California janitorial registration FAQs). A homes-only company stays outside the program; the first office or retail account brings the $500 registration and the training duty with it.

Texas. Publication 94-111 opens with a direct instruction: “If you operate a maid, janitorial, custodial, or swimming pool maintenance service, you should be collecting sales and use tax.” The household exemption that spares a family’s own housekeeper does not reach a company, because the worker “must be an employee of the household and not act as a subcontractor for a third party, such as a maid service.” So in Texas the same visit carries sales tax from a company and none from a cleaner the family employs. Supplies left with the customer, such as “toilet paper, paper towels, and hand soap,” can be bought on a resale certificate.

Florida. The tax reaches “Nonresidential cleaning,” citing NAICS 561720 by number. Residential cleaning is not on the list, so the first office contract is the point to register and start collecting.

New York. The memo’s taxed tasks include “dusting furniture,” “cleaning, disinfecting, and deodorizing bathrooms” and “changing linens,” and vendors need “a valid Certificate of Authority” when the service is performed. The memo dates from 1991 and does not discuss private homes separately, and we could not open the current statute, so have a New York tax professional confirm how it applies to house cleaning before you print prices.

Voluntary credentials. ISSA, with “more than 11,000 members, including … residential cleaners” (ISSA Residential), offers the Professional House Cleaning course at $150, or $75 for members, and the IICRC House Cleaning Technician, “a two-day virtual class” (ISSA Residential certification), as of October 2026.

Setting up the company

Entity and EIN. The SBA says an LLC protects personal assets from the company’s bankruptcy or lawsuits “in most instances.” The IRS issues an EIN at no charge and says to “form your entity through the secretary of state before you apply for an EIN” if you are forming an LLC or corporation (IRS, EIN).

Sales tax, before the first quote. In a taxable state the number the customer pays is not the number on your rate card, so settle the state’s rule (above) before publishing prices.

Employees or contractors. The IRS weighs “Behavioral,” “Financial” and “Type of relationship” factors, and warns that a business that classifies an employee as a contractor with “no reasonable basis for doing so” may owe that worker’s employment taxes; a formal ruling on Form SS-8 “may take at least six months” (IRS, contractor or employee). A cleaning company that sets the schedule, the checklist, the supplies and the uniform is, in our reading of those factors, describing employees. That is also what lets it make the household employee point above honestly. California applies a stricter test; ask a California employment lawyer before using contractors there.

Insurance. The SBA says “The federal government requires every business with employees” to carry workers’ compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and describes general liability as protection against loss “as the result of bodily injury, property damage.” Google’s cleaning category requires certificates for general liability and professional liability before a company can run Local Services Ads. In our experience a business-use auto policy belongs on the list as soon as a crew drives between homes, since a personal policy may not cover it.

Workers’ compensation by state:

• California: required “even if they have only one employee” (California DWC).
• Florida: outside construction, required in “All private employments in which four or more employees are employed by the same employer” (Fla. Stat. 440.02).
• Texas: “Texas doesn’t require most private employers to have workers’ compensation,” though employers contracting with government entities must carry it (Texas Department of Insurance).

ISSA tells homeowners that “Legally just about the only insurance requirements pertain to worker’s compensation insurance,” which is why a certificate showing it is worth handing over before anyone asks.

What a bond really covers

Homeowners are told to check whether a company is bonded before they book. Insureon, an insurance broker, describes janitorial bonds as surety bonds that “protect your house cleaning clients if one of your employees steals their cash or belongings,” and notes that “Some clients may also require you to be bonded” (Insureon). Thumbtack’s advice to homeowners is to “Choose a company that’s bonded and insured” (Thumbtack).

ISSA, writing for consumers, is more skeptical: “Somehow along the way bonding became the industry standard question to ask. This is a false sense of security.” A dishonesty bond, it says, “will only pay if the person is caught, tried, and convicted,” and “More importantly make sure there is proper liability insurance, workers comp.” So carry the bond, because buyers look for it, and then sell what actually protects them: liability coverage for a broken vase, workers’ comp for a cleaner hurt on their stairs, and screening and key control that make a theft claim unlikely.

Supplies, vehicles, keys and software

From what we see across residential cleaning companies, the start-up kit is short:

• Cleaning equipment. HEPA vacuums, a color-coded microfiber system, mops, caddies and step stools, with the chemical list kept small so the safety data sheets and training stay manageable.
• Disinfectants. EPA treats them as pesticides: “Antimicrobial pesticides are substances or mixtures of substances used to destroy or suppress the growth of harmful microorganisms,” and “More than 4000 antimicrobial products are currently registered with EPA” (EPA, antimicrobial pesticides). Use them as the label directs, and only claim “disinfecting” when a registered product is doing it. For clients who ask about ingredients, EPA’s Safer Choice label identifies “products with safer chemical ingredients, without sacrificing quality or performance.”
• Vehicles. A car per crew or a branded van, both well under the 10,001-pound weight rating where federal motor carrier rules begin (49 CFR 390.5).
• Key and alarm code control. ISSA tells homeowners to ask “what the procedure is for signing keys out,” whether keys are “tagged with tamper resistant tags,” and to “Ensure nothing that could identify you or your address is on the tag.” Write the policy down, follow it and show it during the sale.
• Software. Online booking, recurring schedules, routing, a card on file, checklists with photos and review requests, ideally from a Google Local Services booking partner.

Pricing and cash

No source with a stated method publishes what it costs to start a cleaning company, so no figure appears here; the usual lines are equipment, chemicals, insurance, vehicles, software and payroll before recurring revenue catches up.

Most companies price recurring visits as a flat rate by bedrooms and bathrooms, charge more for the first visit or a deep clean, quote some one-off jobs by the hour and list add-ons such as inside the oven, inside the fridge, windows and laundry. Thumbtack’s platform data shows what homeowners have been told to expect: a national average of “$40-$55 per hour,” with post-construction cleans at “$203-$285” (Thumbtack), and it notes that “some cleaning companies charge an hourly rate based on the number of cleaners.” Those are Thumbtack’s averages from its own platform, not costs, and they do not say what any company keeps.

Work back from labor: a price has to cover wages, payroll taxes, workers’ comp, drive time, supplies and cancelled visits. Recurring clients billed to a card on file keep cash steady, and Texas or New York sales tax belongs in a separate account until it is filed. Our cleaning company budget breakdown shows how recurring clients change the marketing math.

Hiring crews and handling chemicals safely

The job is physical and the workforce turns over. On O*NET, 84% of respondents said they spend time standing “Continually or almost continually,” 57% said they are exposed to contaminants every day, and 45% said less than a high school diploma is required. Plan to hire continuously and pair new cleaners with a crew lead for their first weeks.

Hazard Communication. OSHA’s standard requires employers to “develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace, a written hazard communication program,” and lets companies whose employees travel keep it “at the primary workplace facility” (29 CFR 1910.1200). It was the second most cited OSHA standard in general industry in fiscal year 2025 (OSHA top 10).

Store-bought products are not automatically outside it. The exemption covers a consumer product only where the employer “can show that it is used in the workplace for the purpose intended by the chemical manufacturer,” with “a duration and frequency of exposure which is not greater than the range of exposures that could reasonably be experienced by consumers.” A cleaner using the same spray in five homes a day is not exposed like a homeowner using it once a week, so plan on the full program.

OSHA’s guide for cleaning work sets out what that means in practice (OSHA 3512): “Employers must obtain and maintain SDSs for all hazardous cleaning products”; training “must be provided BEFORE the worker begins using the cleaner”; and “Never mix different cleaning chemicals together,” since bleach and ammonia mixtures can harm workers. Keep every safety data sheet in the crew’s car or app, label every refill bottle and keep a signed training record for each hire.

Background checks. If a screening company runs them, the FTC says to “Get the applicant’s or employee’s written permission to do the background check,” and to give the required notices before acting on a report (FTC, background checks). Only advertise “background checked” when it is true of every cleaner you send.

Wages. Minimum wage and overtime rules apply to your crews. In our experience the question that catches cleaning companies is pay for travel between homes, so ask your state labor agency how it treats that time.

Finding the first customers

A verified Google profile. A cleaning company works at the customer’s home, so Google says to “remove your address from your Business Profile” if you do not serve customers there, and lets you “set up to 20 service areas based on the cities, postal codes, or other areas you serve” (Google, service areas). A rented mailing address, “also known as a virtual office,” is not eligible (Google Business Profile guidelines). Google picks the verification method, and “If your business is eligible for video verification, we recommend that you use this option” (Google, verification).

Local Services Ads. House cleaning has its own category with the Google Verified badge. Screening covers general and professional liability insurance, business and owner checks for select advertisers, and a “public and verified Google Business profile,” and Google says it “takes 3-4 weeks to complete after submitting your documents.” House cleaning was named in the first phase, from August 2026, of Google moving these ads into Google Ads (Google Ads, Local Services migration), so a new company will set them up in the new structure. Apply the week the profile is verified and the insurance certificate arrives.

Reviews. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey found that “97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses” and that 47% will not use one with fewer than 20 (BrightLocal). A recurring client meets the crew every week or two, which makes the first and third visits natural moments to ask. Keep rewards out of it: the FTC’s 2024 rule bans “compensation or other incentives conditioned on the writing of consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, either positive or negative.”

Partners. In our experience the first steady referrals come from property managers and agents with move-outs, rental hosts with turnovers, builders with post-construction cleans, and clients’ neighbors.

Our page on marketing for house cleaning companies covers the channels, the season and the first ninety days. Start with your Google Business Profile and a steady review request system.

What trips up new cleaning companies

• Calling employees contractors. It can cost back employment taxes, and it undercuts the strongest point a company has with homeowners.
• Pricing without the tax. A Texas company that quotes as if cleaning were untaxed pays the tax from its margin.
• Taking an office contract without checking. In California it triggers janitorial registration; in Florida it triggers sales tax.
• Treating supermarket chemicals as exempt. Daily professional use is outside the consumer exemption, and missing paperwork is a common OSHA citation.
• Leaning on the bond. Buyers ask for it, but liability insurance, workers’ comp, screening and key control are what protect them.

Questions people ask before starting a house cleaning business

Do you need a license to start a house cleaning business?

Usually not a trade license. You need business registration, any local business license and a sales tax permit where cleaning is taxable, as in Texas; California’s $500 janitorial registration applies only to commercial cleaning.

Why would a homeowner hire a company instead of an independent cleaner?

Because of how the IRS treats household workers. A cleaner the homeowner hires and directs can be their employee, with Social Security and Medicare taxes due at $3,000 in 2026 cash wages; a worker an agency provides and controls is not.

Do I have to charge sales tax on house cleaning?

It depends on the state. Texas taxes the charge to clean a home, New York taxes interior cleaning under a 1991 memo, and Florida taxes only nonresidential cleaning; confirm with your state’s tax agency before setting prices.

Does a house cleaning business need to be bonded?

No state reviewed here requires a bond, but many customers expect one. ISSA notes that a dishonesty bond pays only after the person is caught, tried and convicted, and that liability insurance and workers’ comp matter more.

What insurance does a cleaning company need?

General liability at a minimum, plus professional liability if you want Google’s Local Services Ads. Workers’ comp depends on the state: California from the first employee, Florida from four outside construction, and optional for most private employers in Texas.

Which OSHA rules apply to a cleaning company?

Hazard Communication is the main one: a written program, safety data sheets, labels and training before a worker first uses a hazardous chemical, store-bought ones included when used daily.

How long before a new cleaning company can run Google’s Local Services Ads?

Expect about three to four weeks of screening after documents go in, and a public, verified Business Profile is required first.

Sources

Checked on October 3, 2026. Rules and fees change, and many are set state by state or city by city: confirm the current requirements with the agency that issues them before you apply.

• IRS Publication 926, Household Employer's Tax Guide for 2026
• IRS, hiring household employees
• IRS, independent contractor (self-employed) or employee
• IRS, get an Employer Identification Number
• ISSA Residential, commonly asked questions (bonds, insurance, taxes, keys)
• ISSA Residential home page
• ISSA Residential, education, training and certification
• O*NET OnLine, Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (37-2012.00), with BLS wage and projection data
• O*NET OnLine, First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (37-1011.00)
• Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 national file
• Census Bureau, County Business Patterns program
• NAICS 561720 Janitorial Services index entries
• OSHA, cleaning industry hazards and domestic worker figures
• OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.1200 Hazard Communication
• OSHA, top 10 most frequently cited standards
• OSHA 3512, Protecting Workers Who Use Cleaning Chemicals
• EPA, what are antimicrobial pesticides
• EPA, learn about the Safer Choice label
• Texas Comptroller Publication 94-111, maid, janitorial and custodial services
• New York Department of Taxation and Finance, TSB-M-91(4)S, interior cleaning and maintenance services
• Florida Statutes 212.05, sales tax on nonresidential cleaning
• Florida Statutes 440.02, workers' compensation definitions
• California Labor Commissioner, janitorial providers and contractors registration
• California Labor Commissioner, janitorial registration FAQs
• California Labor Code 1420, covered worker definition
• California Division of Workers' Compensation, employer information
• Texas Department of Insurance, workers' compensation for employers
• SBA, launch your business (licenses, structure, insurance)
• Insureon, insurance for house cleaners and janitorial bonds
• eCFR, 49 CFR 390.5, commercial motor vehicle definition
• Thumbtack, house cleaning prices
• FTC, background checks: what employers need to know
• FTC, final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials, August 2024
• BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
• Google Local Services, requirements by category
• Google Ads, moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads
• Google Business Profile guidelines
• Google Business Profile, service areas
• Google Business Profile, verification