Cleaning business startup cost calculator
A residential cleaning business is one of the cheapest companies to open, which is exactly why owners underestimate it. The money goes on paperwork, the first insurance payment, kit, a launch push and — the line most people leave out — enough cash to pay the fixed costs before the round fills. Add yours up below.
Before you start
- Get your state's registration fee from its own website
- Ask your city and county about a local licence
- Get one insurance quote at $1M / $2M limits
After you total it
- Carry the total into your business plan
- Keep the reserve in a separate account
- Re-run it before your first hire
Insurance and software start at published averages and prices; kit, marketing and the “other” line are example inputs — type your own quotes over them.
Cash to launch
$1,822
- Paperwork
- $125
- Insurance upfront
- $60
- Kit and machines
- $800
- Launch marketing and hiring
- $300
- Cash reserve
- $498
- Fixed costs a month
- $249
What goes into the number
Every line falls into one of three groups. One-off paperwork: the state filing and any local licence. Kit and launch: supplies, machines, uniforms and the first marketing push. And recurring fixed costs — insurance, software, phone — which you pay from day one and should hold in reserve for the months before revenue covers them.
The reserve is what separates a business that survives a slow second month from one that does not. The calculator multiplies your monthly fixed costs by the months you choose, starting at two months for a solo operator and three with a crew.
Solo against a small crew
The two presets in the calculator, at their default inputs. The crew preset adds workers’ compensation, a five-user software plan, more kit and a hiring line.
| Line | Solo | Owner plus crew |
|---|---|---|
| Paperwork | $125 | $125 |
| First month of insurance | $60 | $174 |
| Kit and machines | $800 | $2,200 |
| Marketing and hiring | $300 | $1,100 |
| Cash reserve | $498 | $2,169 |
| Total to launch | $1,822 | $5,917 |
Treat these as a shape, not a quote: kit, marketing and the “other” line are example inputs. Itemise the kit with the cleaning supplies list and the vacuum guide, and price your launch push from the marketing guide.
The figures we could source, and the ones we could not
| Default | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | $125 ($100 filing fee plus $25 registered agent fee) | Florida Division of Corporations (example state) |
| EIN | You never have to pay a fee for an EIN | IRS |
| General liability | $51 a month | Insureon, house-cleaning average |
| Janitorial bond | $9 a month | Insureon |
| Workers' comp (crew) | $114 a month | Insureon |
| Software (solo) | $39 a month | ZenMaid Pro |
| Software (crew) | $149 a month billed annually ($189 monthly) | Housecall Pro Essentials |
Insureon, read 2026-10-18 · Florida Department of State, LLC fees (Wayback capture of 1 October 2026; the live site blocks this network), read 2026-10-18 · ZenMaid pricing page, read 2026-10-18
Kit, machines, marketing and hiring have no honest national average — they depend on what you already own and what you choose to buy — so they ship as example inputs rather than a figure dressed up as research. The structure choice behind the registration line is covered in LLC vs sole proprietorship, and the insurance lines in the insurance cost guide.
Where to spend less, and where not to
Spend less on: a logo, printed stationery, a second machine before the first is busy, and software tiers above what your headcount needs. A solo operator can run a first round from a printed schedule and a simple invoice.
Do not cut insurance or the reserve. One uninsured breakage can cost more than the whole launch budget, and running out of cash in month two is exactly the failure the reserve exists to prevent.
When the total is settled, put it in the startup line of the cleaning business plan template to see the month you break even.