House cleaning price calculator

How to price a house cleaning job

There are two common ways to charge: by the hour, or a flat price per visit. Clients usually prefer a flat price because they know what they'll pay. The risk for you is guessing wrong and losing money on a big or messy home. The fix is to build the flat price from time: estimate how long the home takes, turn that time into cost, then add your profit. That's what this calculator does.

The formula

The default speeds are person-minutes for one cleaner. A Standard clean starts at 10 minutes of setup and a 30-minute kitchen, plus 15 minutes per bedroom, 25 per bathroom and 4 per 100 sq ft. Deep and Move-in/out cleans use longer times and higher supply costs. The condition multiplier adjusts for the home: Light 0.85×, Average 1.0×, Heavy 1.35×.

Break-even: the number to never go under

Break-even is what the visit costs you, counting everything: labor for the cleaning and the add-ons (at your wage plus burden), supplies, the drive and a share of your overhead (insurance, software, marketing, phone). A price at break-even pays your wage but leaves the business nothing. A price below it means you're paying to clean. When a price, including one you type in to test, falls below break-even, the calculator shows a red warning.

Effective hourly rate

This is what each labor hour really earns once supplies, travel and overhead are paid: (price − supplies − travel − overhead) ÷ labor hours. Compare it with your target wage. If a recurring discount or a low "test" price pushes it under your target, you'll see that too. A 2-person team finishes faster on the clock, but the labor hours, and the cost, stay the same.

Recurring discounts and add-ons

Homes cleaned weekly or every two weeks stay cleaner, so each visit is quicker, and the steady income is worth a discount. The defaults are 15% weekly, 10% biweekly and 5% monthly. Add-ons like inside the oven or fridge, interior windows or pet hair have their own price and minutes. Their price goes on top of the base price, and their minutes count toward break-even.

Make the numbers yours

• Time your next few jobs. If a Standard 3-bed, 2-bath home takes you about 3.5 hours working alone, your minutes should add up to about 210.
• Don't forget labor burden. Payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance and paid time off often add 8–15% on top of wages. Ask your accountant for your own figure.
• Count the drive. The vehicle cost per mile defaults to the IRS 2026 business standard mileage rate (76¢ a mile from July 1, 2026; irs.gov). It's used here only to estimate trip cost.
• Set a minimum. Small jobs still carry setup and travel, so a minimum job price keeps them worthwhile.

Common pricing mistakes

• Quoting the first clean like a maintenance clean. A home that hasn't been cleaned in months takes much longer. Price the first visit as Deep or Heavy, then move to the recurring price.
• Matching the cheapest competitor. Their costs and speed aren't yours. Start from your break-even and work up.
• Giving add-ons away. Inside the oven or fridge can add half an hour each. If it takes time, it has a price.

This calculator is a pricing aid, not financial, legal or tax advice. The defaults aren't market research for your area, so check local rates and your costs before you quote.