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Cleaning price calculator
Find the lowest price per clean that still pays your target hourly after helper pay, driving, supplies and payment fees, and see your real hourly at the price you charge now.
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How to use it
- Enter the hourly pay you want to keep, how long one clean takes on site and any helpers.
- Add drive time, admin time and mileage for the visit: they're hours you work too.
- Add supplies, other costs and your payment fee (0 for cash).
- Read your minimum price per clean. Then type your current price and recurring discount to check them.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type into the calculator is sent or saved anywhere.
How the minimum price is worked out, with an example
Most cleaning prices start from a guess or from what someone else charges. The trouble is that two cleaners charging the same $150 can keep very different amounts per hour, depending on drive time, helpers, supplies and card fees. This calculator works the other way round: it starts from the hourly pay you want to keep and adds every cost of the visit to find the lowest price that still pays it.
- Your hours = time on site + round-trip drive time + admin time (booking, messages, invoicing).
- Your pay = target hourly × your hours.
- Costs = helper pay (time on site and driving) + mileage + supplies + your share of other costs like insurance and software.
- Payment fees are a percentage of the price, so the total is divided by (1 − fee %) and the fixed fee per payment is added.
- The result is rounded up to the next $5, or whatever step you choose.
Worked example
A solo cleaner wants to keep $35 an hour. A typical clean takes 3 hours on site, with a 30-minute round trip and 10 minutes of admin, so the visit takes 3 hours 40 minutes of their time. The round trip is 15 miles at $0.70 a mile, supplies are $8, their share of other costs is $6, and card payments cost 2.9% + $0.30.
| Your pay: $35 × 3.67 hours | $128.33 |
| Mileage: 15 × $0.70 | $10.50 |
| Supplies | $8.00 |
| Other costs | $6.00 |
| Payment fees (2.9% + $0.30) | $4.88 |
| Minimum price (exact) | $157.71 |
| Rounded up to the next $5 | $160.00 |
If this cleaner currently charges $150, the check shows a real hourly of $32.96 after costs, a little under the $35 target. With a 15% recurring discount, the visit drops to $127.50 and the real hourly to about $27. For a 15% discount to still pay $35 an hour, the full price would need to be $190, assuming the recurring visit takes just as long.
Using the result
The minimum is a floor, not a quote. You might charge more for deep cleans, first visits, pets or larger homes, and many clients happily pay above the floor for reliability. What the floor tells you is which jobs and discounts quietly pay you less than you meant to earn. If you work with a helper, enter them: their pay for time on site and driving comes out before your share.
Everything here is before income tax and only reflects the numbers you type. Try a few versions, such as a longer drive or a card fee of 0% for cash, to see which costs move your minimum the most.
// want this in a spreadsheet?
Quote every job, not just the minimum.
The Cleaning Quote & Profit Calculator ($19) quotes by square feet, rooms or hours, with add-ons, recurring discounts, a floor-price warning and a copy-ready quote summary. See what’s inside.
Want it as a spreadsheet? Get the free Hourly Minimum Check below. Calculators give estimates from the numbers you enter; they aren’t financial, tax or legal advice.
Questions
How is the minimum price worked out?
Minimum price = (target hourly × your hours + helper pay + mileage + supplies + other costs + fixed payment fee) ÷ (1 − payment fee %). Your hours are time on site plus drive time plus admin time. Helpers are counted as paid for time on site and drive time. The result is rounded up to the next $5 (or whatever you choose).
Why include drive time and admin?
They're hours you work for that clean even if nobody pays for them by the hour. Leaving them out makes your hourly look better than it is.
What does "real hourly at your price" mean?
What's left from your price after helper pay, mileage, supplies, other costs and payment fees, divided by all your hours for that clean. It's before income tax.
Why does the discount check matter?
A recurring discount comes straight off what's left for you. If the discounted price is below your minimum, the check shows by how much, the largest discount that still keeps your minimum, and the price you'd need for the discount to work.
Is this a quote calculator?
No. It tells you the lowest price per clean that still pays your target hourly. You decide the actual price. The free spreadsheet does the same check and you can keep it with your numbers.
Is this tax or legal advice?
No. It's arithmetic on the numbers you type. Check local rules on pay and tax with a qualified professional.
// free spreadsheet
Get the free Hourly Minimum Check spreadsheet
The same check as a spreadsheet (.xlsx) you can keep, with the example filled in. Enter your email to unlock the download right here. Tick the box only if you’d also like occasional tips and new tools by email.