What does it actually cost to start a cleaning business?
Answered by Bryan Griffin · Updated · 2 min read
The short answer
Entity formation and an EIN, roughly $300 in most states, plus insurance at around $60 a month.
Education only, not legal advice. Rules differ by state. Talk to a professional about your own setup.
The minimum to start a cleaning business legally is smaller than most people think.
The minimum
- Entity formation and an EIN. Roughly $300 in most states. This makes you a real business on paper, with its own identity for banking and taxes.
- Insurance. Around $60 a month. You’re sending people into strangers’ homes, so this isn’t something to put off.
Everything else can wait a few weeks.
Why it can be this lean
In a referral model, there’s no vehicle, no equipment and no supplies to buy, because the independent professionals bring their own. Your costs are the business itself, not the cleaning.
That’s the big difference from cleaning the houses yourself, which is how I started. When you’re the cleaner, you’re buying the supplies and the gear, and you’re the one driving to every job.
What can wait
You don’t need a perfect setup on day one. When I paid my very first cleaner, I drove over after the job and handed her cash, because I didn’t have a business bank account or direct deposit set up yet. I had a website and social media, and that was enough to get started.
Nobody knows everything on day one. Get the legal minimum in place, then build the rest as you learn by operating.
Common questions
When should I hire a virtual assistant?
Later than you think. If you haven’t done the job yourself and written down the rules, you’re paying someone to run a system that doesn’t exist. Take the calls, book the jobs, handle the problems and document how you do it. Then delegate it.
Who should I line up early?
A CPA, a bookkeeper and a lawyer. I call them my business trinity. Different states have different legal, tax and licensing rules, and having those three early saves you from expensive guesses later.
Is it really just $360?
That’s the legal minimum to open, not a full budget. Filing fees vary by state, and insurance depends on the coverage you choose. Marketing and software come next, as you start taking bookings.
This is general education, not legal or tax advice. Costs and rules vary by state, so check what applies where you are.
Read what I say in the video
What is the absolute minimum to start a cleaning business legally?
Entity formation and an EIN. Roughly three hundred dollars in most states.
Plus insurance, around sixty a month.
Everything else can wait a few weeks. And in a referral model there is no vehicle, no equipment, no supplies, because the independent professionals bring their own.
Written by Bryan Griffin, founder of Patriot Maids and Blank Canvas Cleaning. He's run Patriot Maids from home since 2017, and it now operates in 26 states and 40 major cities.
Part of my complete guide: Legal basics