Cleaning Services

Labor eats most of your revenue. If you don't know your true cost per job, you're pricing blind and profits disappear.

The Industry

A janitorial company picks up a new commercial contract. Three nights a week, two cleaners, five hours each visit. The owner quoted $2,800 a month and felt good about it. Revenue is growing. But nobody added up what that contract actually costs. Thirty hours of labor a week at $16 per hour. Supplies restocked every two weeks. A crew driving 25 minutes each way from Pearland to Clear Lake. When you run the numbers, the contract clears less than $200 a month. And that’s before the client starts requesting extra work that doesn’t get billed.

Cleaning is a labor business. Payroll and supplies eat 60 to 70 percent of revenue on a good month. Commercial contracts pay more per job but the money shows up 30 to 45 days after the work gets done. Residential clients pay immediately but cancel with a text message. You’re juggling crew schedules, buying supplies in bulk, quoting new accounts, and dealing with callbacks. Bookkeeping falls to the bottom of the list every time.

Who This Covers

Commercial janitorial companies, residential house cleaning services, pressure washing operations, window cleaning businesses, post-construction cleanup crews, and move-in/move-out cleaning teams. Any cleaning operation in the Greater Houston area managing crews and scheduling jobs.

What Makes It Complex

Labor costs that swing depending on job size and building type. Supplies consumed across multiple jobs without clear allocation. Vehicle expenses for crews traveling between sites all day. Commercial contracts billed monthly while residential work gets paid on the spot. High employee turnover that creates constant payroll changes. And the question of whether your workers are employees or subcontractors, which the IRS and Texas Workforce Commission care about deeply.

What We Handle

Cleaning company accounting means tracking labor, supplies, and overhead by job type so you can actually see what is profitable. We configure QuickBooks Online to separate residential from commercial, recurring from one-time, and show you where the money goes each month. When your reports break down revenue and expenses by service line, you stop guessing about which contracts are worth keeping and which ones need to be renegotiated or dropped.

On the tax and compliance side, we handle quarterly estimated payments so you’re not blindsided in April. We prepare 1099s for any subcontractors you use. We track vehicle expenses, equipment purchases, and supply costs so nothing gets missed at tax time. If you have employees, we set up your payroll system and train you to run it, or we can provide ongoing support. The goal is a clean financial picture that matches reality, not one you have to reconstruct from bank statements at year end.

Financial Tracking by Job Type

Every expense tied to the right service line. Labor hours allocated to residential versus commercial work. Supplies tracked by purchase and usage. Mileage logged for crews driving between jobs. Monthly reports that show which service types generate real profit and which ones just generate activity. You know what a 3,000 square foot office actually costs to clean, not what you hope it costs.

Payroll, Taxes, and Cash Flow

Payroll system setup and training for hourly employees with rotating schedules. Quarterly tax estimates calculated based on your actual income so penalties don’t pile up. 1099 preparation for subcontractors. Cash flow forecasting that accounts for the gap between completing commercial work and receiving payment. Business and personal tax returns prepared with every legitimate deduction captured.

Common Problems

Cleaning company owners who don’t track costs by job end up pricing by instinct. They match what competitors charge or pick a number that sounds reasonable. But if your labor runs higher on commercial work because of evening scheduling and larger square footage, and your supplies budget gets eaten up by a client whose building requires specialty products, you’re losing money on a contract you thought was solid. Without the actual numbers in front of you, there is no way to adjust.

Then there’s the tax side. Quarterly estimates get skipped because cash is tight this month and it feels like something that can wait. 1099s for the sub crew you brought in for a big job never get filed. Vehicle mileage never gets logged. Each one feels small on its own. But together they add up to thousands in penalties, missed deductions, or both. By the time tax season arrives, everything has to be pieced together from memory and bank statements.

Pricing Without Real Numbers

You bid a commercial janitorial contract at $3,000 a month because it seemed competitive. But the building takes two people six hours, three times a week. That’s 144 labor hours a month plus supplies, fuel, and insurance overhead. Real cost is $2,850. You’re working for $150 a month on a contract that ties up your best crew three nights a week. Meanwhile you turned down a residential recurring client that would have netted more with less effort.

Tax Gaps That Add Up

Quarterly estimates skipped for two quarters because you figured you’d catch up later. 1099s not filed for the sub team that helped with a post-construction job. Equipment bought in cash without a receipt. Mileage between job sites never recorded. Individually these feel like minor oversights. At tax time they turn into a bill that’s larger than expected and deductions you can’t claim because there’s no documentation.

What Changes

You know exactly what residential cleaning costs per visit versus what commercial janitorial costs per contract. When a property manager asks you to bid on a new building, you pull historical data showing what similar jobs actually ran in labor, supplies, and drive time. Your pricing is grounded in real numbers. You stop taking on work that barely breaks even and focus on the jobs and clients that build the business.

Payroll runs on schedule without consuming your evening. Tax estimates go out quarterly so April is predictable. Vehicle expenses, supplies, and equipment purchases are tracked as they happen, not reconstructed months later. Your books stay current, your reports make sense, and when it’s time to approach the bank about adding a vehicle or expanding into a new territory, the financials are already in order. You spend your time managing crews and landing clients instead of staring at spreadsheets.

Data-Driven Pricing and Growth

Cost-per-job data by service type. You know your break-even point on residential versus commercial work. Bids are based on what similar jobs have actually cost, not rough estimates. When the numbers support adding a fourth crew or buying another pressure washer, you move forward with confidence instead of crossing your fingers. Growth decisions backed by real financial history.

Clean Books and No Tax Surprises

Monthly reconciliation and clear reporting. Quarterly estimates filed on time with the right amounts. Every deduction for mileage, supplies, equipment, and insurance captured throughout the year. 1099s prepared and filed for every sub. When your tax return is due, the information is already organized and ready. No last-minute scramble, no penalties, no money left on the table.

Houston's Trusted Bookkeeping Firm