Bookkeeping for Cleaning Services: How to Keep Your Finances Sparkling
Running a cleaning service means balancing schedules, employees, and supply costs-often on the move. But what about balancing your books? Whether you run a commercial janitorial operation or a residential maid service, proper bookkeeping is crucial for understanding profitability, managing payroll, and avoiding tax issues.
Download Our Free Brochure →Industry-Specific Section: Unique Bookkeeping Needs for Cleaning Businesses
Cleaning service businesses often deal with:
- Recurring and one-time jobs
- Contractor vs. employee payments
- Job-specific supply tracking
- Mobile or app-based payments
- Time tracking and mileage for staff
- State-by-state sales tax complexities
Professional bookkeeping ensures that all of these moving parts are categorized correctly. We help cleaning businesses segment income by service type, track job costs by client, and manage staff payments across hourly, flat-rate, or per-job structures.
If you offer both residential and commercial cleaning, we’ll help you split and analyze revenue to see which side of your business is more profitable.
Test Case: A Growing Janitorial Business Cleans Up Its Finances
A janitorial company in Georgia with 12 employees and 60+ recurring commercial clients struggled with profit visibility. RemoteBooksOnline helped them implement class-based income tracking, reconcile supply purchases to client invoices, and automate payroll categorization. They quickly spotted a loss-leader contract and renegotiated terms-boosting margins by 18%.
State Tax References: Cleaning and Sales Tax Rules Vary by State
In many states, residential cleaning is not taxable, but commercial cleaning is. For example, in Texas, janitorial services are subject to sales tax. In New York, cleaning over $500 per year per client must be taxed. Proper classification ensures your business is collecting and remitting correctly-and staying off the audit radar.
If you’re tired of guessing which jobs are profitable or worrying about tax season, it’s time to get your books in order. RemoteBooksOnline offers industry-specific bookkeeping that works as hard as you do.
FAQs
Can you track cleaning income by client or service type?
Yes. We can break down your income by recurring vs. one-time jobs, residential vs. commercial, or by client.
Download Our Free Brochure →What about tracking mileage or cleaning supply usage?
We can help log reimbursable mileage and track cost of supplies per job or client.
I use apps like Jobber or Housecall Pro—can you still help?
Yes. We can work with exports from those systems and sync the data into your books.
Do I need to collect sales tax for cleaning services?
It depends on your state. We ensure proper setup and reporting so you stay compliant.
What if I’m behind on my bookkeeping?
We specialize in catch-up bookkeeping and will get your records current—fast.
Whether you clean homes, offices, or entire buildings, our bookkeeping services for cleaning businesses are built for your workflow. We work with companies in Georgia, Texas, Florida, New York, and North Carolina.
Need help in your ZIP code? We support cleaning services in 30318, 75201, 33101, 10036, and 28277.
Don’t let messy books get in the way of a clean business.
RemoteBooksOnline provides affordable, accurate bookkeeping tailored to cleaning service professionals.
