The short answer
Start with standard home cleans, register your business name, check your city's license rules and your state's sales tax, and get general liability insurance. Price by home size: US customers pay about $75 to $175 for a standard clean and $200 to $400 for a deep clean. Then get your first customers from people you know and a Google Business Profile, and use a quote form, a client intake form, a booking form and a feedback form so every job starts with the facts you need.
The numbers
| Standard clean | $75 to $175 a visitBob Vila, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Deep clean | $200 to $400 a visitBob Vila, 2024 |
| Hourly price | $25 to $90 an hourBob Vila, 2024 |
| What employed cleaners earn | $17.07 an hour (median, May 2025)US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| EIN (federal tax ID) | Free from the IRSIRS |
| Self-employment tax | 15.3%, once you net $400 in a yearIRS |
| Business license | Set by your city or countySBA |
US figures, checked on . Rules change by state and city, so check yours before you rely on them.
1 Decide what you'll offer
Start with standard cleans of homes, then add deep and move-out cleans once you know how long jobs take you.
Homes are the quickest way in: no contracts to bid on, and a regular weekly or every-other-week client pays the same amount on the same day. Most cleaners offer three jobs:
- Standard clean: kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, floors. The repeat job most of your income will come from.
- Deep or first clean: everything in a standard clean plus the build-up: baseboards, inside cupboards, behind appliances. Charge more, because it takes longer.
- Move-in or move-out clean: an empty home, cleaned top to bottom for a landlord or a new owner.
Write down what each one includes. Customers compare on price, and a clear list stops arguments about what was left out.
2 Register, insure and check your local rules
Pick a business structure, get a free EIN if you need one, check your city's license and your state's sales tax, and buy general liability insurance.
Structure. A sole proprietorship is the easiest to set up, but you're personally responsible for the business's debts. An LLC protects you "in most instances", according to the SBA. Many people start as a sole proprietor and switch later.
EIN. It's your federal tax ID. You need one to hire staff, and the IRS never charges for it. Ignore websites that ask for a fee.
License. Licenses depend on what you do and where, and the SBA says to check your city or county website. Some places have no general business license at all.
Sales tax. This one catches people out. In Pennsylvania, residential cleaning is taxable and you need a free sales tax license. In Texas, cleaning a home is taxable unless you count as the household's own employee. Check your state's tax website before your first invoice.
Insurance. General liability covers injury and damage you cause, such as a broken vase or a slip on a wet floor (SBA). A bond is different: it repays a client if an employee steals (NAIC), so it matters once you hire.
Tax on the side income. Once you net $400 in a year, you file and pay self-employment tax of 15.3% (IRS), usually as quarterly estimated payments (IRS). Keep a log of the miles you drive between jobs: in 2026 the business rate is 72.5 cents a mile until June and 76 cents from July (IRS).
3 Set your prices
Price by the size of the home and the type of clean, and show customers an estimate before they ask.
Cleaners price by the hour ($25 to $90), by the room, by the square foot ($0.05 to $0.10), or with a flat fee. By bedrooms, US customers pay about $75 to $130 for one, $100 to $180 for two, $130 to $220 for three and $200 to $225 for four (Bob Vila, May 2024, built from home-services marketplace data).
A simple formula covers most homes. Our quote form starts with $50, plus $25 a bedroom, plus $20 a bathroom, and multiplies by 1.75 for a deep, first or move-out clean. That puts a 1-bed, 1-bath home at $95 and a 3-bed, 2-bath home at $165, inside the ranges above. Extras like the oven ($15 to $40) or the fridge ($10 to $50) go on top.
In the kit
House cleaning quote form
Shows a price estimate as people fill it in, then emails it to them and the request to you.
Try the form →The estimate shows on the form as people answer, and they get it by email too. Change the numbers to yours by telling the agent: "make it $60 base and $30 a bedroom".
4 Get your first ten customers
Start with people you already know, then set up a Google Business Profile with your service area and ask every happy customer for a review.
Your first jobs will come from friends, neighbors and coworkers. Ask each of them for one name, and send them the quote form link instead of a price list: it answers the question they'll ask anyway.
Then make a free Google Business Profile. If you clean at customers' homes, Google asks you to hide your own address and list the areas you serve instead. Reviews help your profile show up, so ask for one after each visit.
5 Book the job and prepare the first visit
Take booking requests with a form, then collect access, pets, priorities and allergies before the first clean.
A booking request form gets the service, the address, a date and a time of day in one go. You reply to confirm, and the customer already has an email saying the request arrived.
In the kit
House cleaning booking request form
Customers pick a service, a date and a time of day. You confirm by reply.
Try the form →Before the first visit, the intake form covers how you get in, pets, rooms to skip, what matters most, and allergies. If someone is sensitive to scents or chemicals, the EPA's Safer Choice label is a good place to look for products. The form asks about alarms, but tells people not to type codes: get those by phone.
In the kit
House cleaning client intake form
Everything you need before the first clean: getting in, pets, priorities and allergies.
Try the form →6 Ask for feedback, then grow
Send a short feedback form after each visit to catch problems early, find referrals, and get permission to quote happy customers.
A star rating and "anything we missed?" catches small problems before a customer quietly leaves. The form also asks whether you can quote them and whether they know someone who'd like a clean.
In the kit
House cleaning feedback form
A star rating, anything missed, any damage, and who else might need you.
Try the form →When you're ready to hire, read the IRS guide on employees versus contractors before you decide how to pay anyone. It looks at who controls the work and the money, and getting it wrong is expensive.
The whole kit, free
We built these 4 forms for a house cleaning business. Each comes with the emails that go out after someone fills it in. Add them all to your workspace in one go, then change anything by telling the agent.
- House cleaning quote formShows a price estimate as people fill it in, then emails it to them and the request to you.
- House cleaning booking request formCustomers pick a service, a date and a time of day. You confirm by reply.
- House cleaning client intake formEverything you need before the first clean: getting in, pets, priorities and allergies.
- House cleaning feedback formA star rating, anything missed, any damage, and who else might need you.
Free to start. Unlimited submissions. No card.
Questions
Do I need a license to start a house cleaning business?
It depends on your city, county and state. Many places require a general business license; some don't have one. Check your local government's website. Pennsylvania, for example, has no general business license but does require a free sales tax license for cleaning.
How much should I charge for house cleaning?
US customers pay about $75 to $175 for a standard clean, $200 to $400 for a deep clean, or $25 to $90 an hour (Bob Vila, 2024). A simple starting formula is $50 plus $25 a bedroom plus $20 a bathroom, with deep cleans at 1.75 times that.
Do I need an LLC to clean houses?
No. A sole proprietorship is the easiest way to start, but you're personally responsible for the business's debts. An LLC protects your personal assets in most cases. Many cleaners start as sole proprietors and form an LLC later.
Do I charge sales tax on cleaning?
It depends on the state. Pennsylvania taxes residential cleaning. Texas taxes it unless the cleaner counts as the household's own employee. Check your state's tax department before you send your first invoice.
What insurance does a house cleaner need?
General liability insurance covers injury and property damage you cause on a job. A bond, which repays clients if an employee steals, matters once you hire staff. Compare quotes from licensed insurance agents.
What forms does a cleaning business need?
Four cover most of it: a quote form that asks bedrooms, bathrooms, type of clean and extras; a new client intake form for access, pets and allergies; a booking request form; and a short feedback form after each visit. All four are free in the Happier Forms kit on this page.