Cleaning services
Books and taxes for residential house cleaning companies.
Weekly clients, biweekly clients, one-off deep cleans, and a crew paid by the house or the hour. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March came in at $9,600. Your recurring clients covered almost all of it, so the two spring add-ons were pure upside.
- ZenMaid payoutRecurring clients
- Thumbtack lead jobOne-time cleans
- Crew payrollCrew wages
- Costco supply runCleaning supplies
- Progressive commercial autoVehicles and fuel
Why your books are different
House cleaning books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and payroll. Your business is standing routes, one-off jobs, a rotating crew, and clients who tip in cash. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which clients are worth keeping and April finds mistakes it should not.
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1
Recurring clients hide inside one deposit pile
Weekly, biweekly, and monthly clients all land in the same ZenMaid or Jobber payout with the one-off jobs from Thumbtack. Lumped together, you cannot see how much of next month is already booked before the phone rings.
What we doSplits recurring client revenue from one-time jobs so you can see how much of the month is already spoken for. -
2
A cleaner paid like a contractor who works like an employee
A cleaner who uses your supplies, wears your polo, and drives your route schedule looks like an employee no matter what you call her on the check. Paying her as a 1099 to skip payroll taxes is the most expensive habit in this trade.
What we doFlags any cleaner whose pay pattern looks like an employee's and brings the accountant in before it becomes a year-end problem. -
3
Cash tips and side jobs go missing
A client hands your cleaner $20 cash on the way out, or books a small extra job off the books entirely. It feels harmless and it still counts as income the IRS expects to see.
What we doAsks about cash and tip income when the bank statement does not tell the whole story, and records it the same as any other job. -
4
A supply stock-up wrecks a good month
One bulk Costco or Sam's Club run for microfiber, disinfectant, and trash bags can eat a third of a month's profit on paper, then the next two months look great for no real reason.
What we doKeeps supplies in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not a slow month, is why the number looks thin. -
5
Mileage between houses disappears every year
A crew running four or five houses a day racks up real mileage that is a legitimate deduction, but nobody writes it down.
What we doKeeps vehicle costs in their own line and asks for mileage records so the deduction does not get left on the table.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a house cleaning company.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Recurring clientsWeekly, biweekly, and monthly houses billed through ZenMaid or Jobber.
- One-time cleansMove-in specials, one-off deep cleans, and jobs from Thumbtack or Angi.
- Add-on servicesFridge, oven, and inside-window add-ons booked on top of a regular clean.
- Pet feesExtra charged for homes with dogs or cats that shed more or need more attention.
Money out
- Crew wagesHourly or per-house pay for cleaners, kept apart from any contractor pay.
- Cleaning suppliesMicrofiber, disinfectant, vacuum bags, and trash bags.
- Vehicles and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the cars or vans that run the routes.
- Scheduling softwareZenMaid, Jobber, or Housecall Pro for booking and routing.
- Lead feesThumbtack, Angi, and Care.com fees for one-time jobs.
- Insurance and bondingGeneral liability and the bonding many clients expect before letting a crew in the house.
- Uniforms and supplies caddiesPolos, aprons, and the caddies crews carry from house to house.
What we watch for you
- Recurring share
How much of the month is standing clients versus one-off jobs. It shows how safe next month already is.
- Labor share
Crew wages against money in. It tells you when it is time to raise prices, not just hire faster.
- Cost per house
Supplies and mileage against houses cleaned. A rising number is worth a look before it becomes a habit.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things house cleaning owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Yes, it counts as income even in cash. Tell me roughly what came in and I will record it, same as any other job.
If she uses your supplies, wears your uniform, and follows your schedule, she is usually an employee under the rules, no matter what the check says. That is a real accountant conversation, not a quick yes.
You stocked up on supplies at Costco the same week. Real spending, not a bad month. I kept it in one line so it will not spook you again.
The tax side
The tax side of a house cleaning business.
Most of what goes wrong here is who counts as staff and what counts as a write-off. Get the crew classified right and the mileage tracked, and the rest is mostly steady.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Employee or contractorA cleaner who uses your supplies, drives your route, and wears your uniform is usually an employee, not a contractor. Getting this wrong on a crew this size gets expensive, so Gus flags it early.
- Mileage between housesBusiness mileage between houses can be deducted at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
- Self-employment taxAn owner who takes profit directly instead of a paycheck owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base.
Deductions residential house cleaning companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Cleaning supplies and chemicals
- Vacuum bags and filters
- Uniforms and aprons
- Vehicle fuel and repairs
- Liability and bonding insurance
- Scheduling software fees
- Lead fees from booking apps
- Background check fees
- Phone for scheduling and routing
- Trash bags and paper towels
- Cleaning caddies and totes
- Workers compensation premiums
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A house cleaning year, kept every month.
Spring brings the deep clean requests. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, any contractor 1099s are ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring rush of deep cleans changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Before the pre-holiday cleaning surge, Gus looks at any equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for residential house cleaning companies. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions house cleaning owners ask first.
I run recurring clients through ZenMaid. Do I need to change how I book jobs?
No. Keep booking the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement and deposits, and when one is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Some of my cleaners are 1099 and some are W-2. Is that a problem?
It depends on how they actually work, not what you call them. If a 1099 cleaner uses your supplies and follows your schedule, that usually needs to be a payroll relationship, and Gus flags it so you can fix it before it costs you.
Do I have to track every cash tip my cleaners get?
Roughly, yes. It does not need to be exact to the dollar, but cash tips and cash jobs are income and Gus records what you tell him so the books stay honest.
My books are a mess from the last year. Can you still help?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Can Gus tell me if a client is actually profitable?
He tracks recurring revenue against labor and supply costs, so you can see the shape of it. If one route is thin, that shows up in the numbers he gives you every month.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in cleaning services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Biohazard & crime scene cleanup
- Hoarding cleanup
- Kitchen hood & exhaust cleaning
- Trash can cleaning
- Deep cleaning & spring cleaning specialists
- Eco-friendly / green cleaning companies
- Medical office cleaning
- Post-construction cleaning
- Short-term rental turnover cleaning
- Tile & grout cleaning
- Upholstery & area rug cleaning
- Carpet cleaning
- Commercial janitorial
- Move-in / move-out cleaning
- Window cleaning
- Chicken coop & backyard farm structure builders
- Dock & boathouse builders
- Gazebo & pavilion builders
- Outdoor audio & TV installers
- Playground & swing set installers
- Putting green installers
- Retractable screens & motorized shades
- Seawall & bulkhead contractors
- Sport court builders (pickleball, basketball)
- Cedar shake roofing specialists
- Custom built-ins & trim carpenters
- Historic home restoration contractors
- Popcorn ceiling removal
- Skylight installation & repair
- Slate & tile roofing specialists
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever