House cleaners and cleaning companies: books, payroll and taxes done for you

Free tax review

Find out what we’d handle and what it costs

Thirty minutes by phone; you leave with one written price.

Every month we keep the books, record each client’s cash, Zelle and Venmo payments, run payroll for your cleaners, and at year end we prepare the return. Bookkeeping starts at $375 a month, quoted as a flat fee in writing before we start. Based in Santa Clarita, we work with house cleaners and cleaning companies in any state.

Every cash, Zelle and Venmo payment recorded 1099s filed for cleaners paid as contractors The return prepared from your own books Quarterly estimates (the tax paid four times a year) from real numbers

Typical situations

Do you work with house cleaners and cleaning companies like mine?

Yes, we take on house cleaners and cleaning companies who get paid in cash and payment apps, who pay cleaners of their own, and whose books don’t match the paperwork.

A solo house cleaner paid by a dozen families

The families pay in cash, Zelle and Venmo, and none of them sends a 1099, the form a payer files to report what it paid you, so the income on the return gets guessed from memory. When income is guessed, the return can come in lower than the bank deposits. We match every app payment and deposit to a client on the list and record the cash from the weekly schedule. Monthly bookkeeping from $375 a month — what a month of books looks like.

A cleaning company paying four cleaners every Friday, some in cash, some on Zelle

Nothing is withheld, the owner calls them contractors, and there are no W-9s — the form that collects a worker’s name and taxpayer ID — on file. Cash pay with no W-9, no 1099 and no record can cost the company the deduction for that pay. We set up payroll — paying workers as employees, with taxes withheld — for the cleaners the owner puts on it, and we collect a signed W-9 from anyone paid as a contractor before the next payment. Payroll from $95 a month — what payroll for your cleaners includes.

A commercial cleaner with three office contracts and one property manager

The 1099-NECs from the business clients — the forms reporting what they paid a non-employee — don’t match the deposits, and supplies go on a personal card. When the forms and the deposits don’t match, the owner has to explain the difference, and the supply receipts never make it onto the return. We tie each client’s payments to the 1099s and put the supply purchases on the business. Books plus the return from $475 a month — what the monthly close covers.

An Airbnb turnover cleaner driving between rentals all day

Each host pays a different way: Venmo, Zelle or a bank deposit. The turnover calendar holds the schedule, and linens and supplies get bought between turnovers. There is no mileage log, so the car deduction becomes a guess at tax time, and estimated miles can’t be deducted. We set up a log with the date of every trip, keep the car costs with the books and code the linens and supplies as they’re used. Monthly bookkeeping from $375 a month — what a month of books looks like.

A cleaner leaving a cleaning company to start their own

There’s no business account or client list yet, and nothing set aside for taxes. Without a client list from the first job, the first year gets rebuilt from Venmo screenshots. We set up the books, the client list and quarterly estimates from the first client, and we look at the entity question with the owner. The return from $650 for a sole proprietor’s Schedule C — the business page of the personal return — or from $850 for an LLC or S-corp: what the return includes and how we compare entities.

A cleaning business two years behind

Venmo histories on a phone and receipts in a bag, with no books for two years. Until each payment is matched to a family on the list, neither return can be prepared from anything but a guess. We rebuild both years from the Venmo, Zelle and bank histories and the client list, sort the receipts in the bag, then prepare the two returns from the rebuilt books. A cleanup from $750 — how a catch-up project runs.

Getting paid

How do I report cleaning income when clients don’t send a 1099?

You report every dollar from cleaning (cash, Zelle, Venmo and checks) as business income on Schedule C, from your own records, because a family paying its cleaner makes a personal payment and usually sends no 1099.

An office, a property manager, a nonprofit or another business that pays a cleaning business $2,000 or more in 2026 sends a 1099-NEC; we match each form to that client’s payments. When the records are thin, the IRS can treat every bank deposit as income until the owner shows it isn’t, so we pull transfers, refunds and loan draws out of the deposits and keep the proof next to the statements.

We log the cash from the client list and the week’s schedule, code the supplies when they’re used and set up equipment that lasts as an asset, so the income on the return matches what clients actually paid, even when no forms arrive.

For a solo cleaner’s full filing picture, read how window cleaners pay taxes.

Paying cleaners

What do I need before I pay a cleaner who works for me?

Before you pay anyone, you need a signed W-9 from each contractor and payroll set up for each employee. We run payroll for anyone you put on it, and unclear cases go to an employment attorney.

A contractor paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC, and paying in cash doesn’t change it. If someone won’t give you a taxpayer ID, you hold back 24% of the payment and send it to the IRS; we flag the missing W-9 before the payment goes out. We track each contractor’s running total and file the 1099-NECs by February 1, 2027.

For anyone on payroll, we handle the pay runs with direct deposit and pay stubs, file the payroll returns, and issue the year-end W-2, the form that reports an employee’s pay and withholding. See what the payroll service covers.

Paying cash at the end of a job? Read what to do when a helper was paid in cash.

Catch-up work

What does a catch-up look like when a cleaning business’s books are behind?

A catch-up rebuilds the missing months from your Zelle, Venmo and bank histories and the client list, then prepares the return from the rebuilt books — cleanup work starts at $750.

What we ask for

The Zelle, Venmo and bank histories, the client list, the cleaning schedule or calendar, the supply receipts, even the ones in a bag, any mileage notes, what you paid each cleaner and how, and any 1099s that arrived. Where a record is missing, we note the gap instead of guessing.

How the cleanup runs

We tie each deposit and app payment to a client on the list, log the cash from the client list and calendar, code the supplies and mileage, and sort cleaner payments into payroll or 1099s.

What you get

The rebuilt year — every family’s payments adding up to the income on the return — the return prepared from it, and quarterly estimates figured from reconciled numbers.

Cleanup is billed half to start and the balance on delivery; the cleanup project page shows how the work is scoped.

The monthly close

What do you check every month in a cleaning business’s books?

Each month in a cleaning business’s books, we check the Zelle and Venmo histories against the bank, the deposits against the client list and the schedule, the supply receipts, the mileage log and the cleaner pay records.

Zelle and Venmo histories matched to the client list
The bank reconciled, so no deposit is missed or counted twice
Cash logged from the schedule
Transfers between your own accounts pulled out of income
The business card checked for warehouse-store supply runs
The mileage log kept current
Cleaner pay records tied to payroll or the 1099 totals

Each month you get the profit and loss statement (P&L), the balance sheet and a short note on what needs attention. See what the monthly bookkeeping includes.

California

What’s different for a cleaning business in California?

In California, five things change for a cleaning business: who counts as an employee, workers’ comp, a state contractor report, janitorial registration and sales tax.

Worker status: California presumes a cleaner working your jobs is your employee, and paying that cleaner as a contractor means meeting California’s three-part ABC test for who can be paid as a contractor. We don’t make that call; gray cases are for an employment attorney.
Workers’ comp: once anyone is on payroll, California requires workers’ compensation insurance — one employee is enough. We carry its cost in the books; we sell no insurance.
The DE 542: California has its own contractor report, filed with the EDD — the state’s payroll tax agency — within 20 days of the first payment to a contractor or the contract with them, whichever comes first. We track each contractor’s first payment date so the 20 days aren’t missed.
Janitorial registration: a janitorial business with even one covered worker registers with the Labor Commissioner every year; the Labor Commissioner’s FAQ puts businesses that only clean homes outside it. We raise it at intake and keep the renewal on the calendar — we don’t file the registration.
Sales tax: a house or office cleaning is a service, so there’s no sales tax on the job and no seller’s permit for it — you pay sales tax on the supplies when you buy them. We keep the supply receipts with the books.

Working inside the City of Los Angeles adds a city tax registration: a cleaner based outside the city who works in it seven days or more in a year registers too, and with $100,000 or less of prior-year worldwide gross receipts the city tax is zero for a registered business that renews on time. We check the address and calendar the renewal.

Pricing

What do books, payroll and taxes for a cleaning business cost in 2026?

In 2026, bookkeeping for a cleaning business starts at $375 a month, books plus the return from $475 a month, payroll from $95 a month, the return alone from $650 for a Schedule C or from $850 for an LLC or S-corp with the owner’s personal return included, and a cleanup from $750. Each is a flat fee quoted in writing before we start.

Recording the app and cash payments, the 1099 filing and the quarterly estimate figures sit inside the quote; there’s no separate charge for them. If you don’t need monthly books, W-2 and 1099 filing on their own starts at $95. We figure the quote from the work itself: how many clients you clean in a month, how many cleaners are on payroll, how clients pay, how many accounts and cards are in the mix, and how far behind the books are.

Books

from $375/mo

Every cash, Zelle and Venmo payment matched to a client
Supplies and mileage coded
Monthly P&L and balance sheet
A short note on what needs attention

Books plus the return

from $475/mo

Everything in the books
The year-end return prepared from your own books
Quarterly estimate figures from the reconciled books

Payroll

from $95/mo

Cleaners on payroll, pay runs on your schedule
Direct deposit and pay stubs
The payroll returns
Year-end W-2s
What a payroll month includes for your cleaners

The return alone

from $650

Schedule C prepared from your records, every 1099 reconciled
From $850 for an LLC or S-corp — the owner’s personal return included
How we prepare the return

Cleanup

from $750

Back months reconciled to a clean starting point
Billed half to start, the balance on delivery

The quote is the price.

Book my free 30-minute call

How it works

What happens after you book?

The free 30-minute call comes first; the engagement letter goes out during the call, and then it’s onboarding, your documents and the first monthly close.

The 30-minute call

We ask how clients pay you, how you pay your cleaners, what supplies and mileage look like, and how far behind the books are. You leave with one flat price for the work we’d take on, in writing, before we start.

The engagement letter

It goes out during the call and you sign when you’re ready; it doesn’t expire. Signing books a short onboarding call, and the secure-portal invite comes from that call.

Access and documents

The portal invite, read-only bank feeds or the QuickBooks file, the Zelle and Venmo histories, the client list and how each client pays.

Behind first

If the books are behind, the cleanup comes first, then the first monthly close.

You see the return before it’s filed

Half the return fee starts the work, and the balance is due before e-file. Questions during the year go to the same team that keeps the books.

Communication

Who do I talk to when a question comes up?

When you call about a family’s Venmo payment, you reach the team that closed your month.

The same-day rule

Call or email during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day — all twelve months.

A free extension if April gets tight

If the return isn’t ready by the April deadline, we file the extension at no charge and finish the return from the same books.

Admitted to practice before the IRS

Our team of IRS representation specialists is admitted to practice before the IRS. If an IRS letter shows up — one saying the deposits don’t match the return, for example — forward it: how we handle IRS letters.

The N&T Tax & Advisory Group team

For a cleaning business, we keep the books, record the cash and app payments, run payroll for the cleaners and prepare the return. We’re reachable all year.

Bookkeeping · Tax preparation · Tax planning · IRS representation · Direct line: (661) 554-4495

Reviews

Rated 5.0 on Google

★★★★★ Twelve reviews, every one five stars, every one verifiable. Read all of them on Google →

"Alex helped me resolve a complicated tax situation that had been causing me a lot of stress. He was extremely knowledgeable, responsive, and efficient throughout the entire process."

Kevin B. — via Google

"Working with Alex was straightforward. I hadn't looked at my books all year, but he made my life easy and handled the whole profit and loss at the end of the year so I could get my taxes done."

Levon B. — via Google

"I came to this company with previous tax years and bookkeeping that were done incorrectly. They're very knowledgeable about what they do and help me get everything in order at a very reasonable price."

Sayra A. — via Google

Where we work

Do you work with house cleaners and cleaning companies outside California?

Yes — we’re based in Santa Clarita and work remotely with house cleaners and cleaning companies in every state. Documents move through the secure portal, and the monthly report goes over a call or a screen share. If you work in another state, we work to that state’s payroll and filing rules and price it into your quote.

Anywhere in the US Santa Clarita Los Angeles San Fernando Valley

What we don’t do

We handle the tax and money side: the books, payroll, quarterly estimates, the 1099s and the returns. We don’t handle business licenses, bonding or insurance, the janitorial registration filing itself, or pricing your cleaning jobs. We don’t give legal advice on contracts or decide who is an employee, and we don’t prepare reviewed, compiled or audited financial statements.

Worth reading

What can you read before you call?

Short articles on paying workers, quarterly taxes, the receipts to keep and the self-employment tax.

Paying cleaners

Paying Workers Cash: The Tax Risk and How to Do It Right in 2026

W-2 vs 1099

What a W-2 Employee Really Costs in Taxes vs 1099 (2026)

Quarterly taxes

Quarterly Taxes for the First Time: What to Pay, When, and How in 2026

Receipts

What Receipts to Keep for Taxes in 2026: The Self-Employed Owner’s Keep-or-Toss Guide

Self-employment tax

Self-Employment Tax Explained: What Schedule SE Charges 1099 Workers in 2026

FAQ

What should a cleaning business ask before booking?

Do I have to report Zelle and Venmo payments if I don’t get a 1099?

Yes — the income is reportable either way: a payment platform files a 1099-K, the form reporting payments it processed, only once payments pass $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. We match every payment to a client on the list, so the return shows what each client actually paid.

Can I pay my cleaners as 1099 contractors?

Not always, and we don’t make that call — worker status is a legal question, and unclear cases go to an employment attorney. Whoever you put on payroll, we run the pay runs; for anyone paid as a contractor, we collect the W-9 before the first payment and file the 1099-NEC.

Can I deduct my car if I drive between houses?

Yes — a return claims either the standard mileage rate or the car’s actual costs, one method per car per year. For 2026 the standard rate is 72.5 cents a mile through June 30, 2026 and 76 cents from July 1, 2026, so a 2026 log needs the date of every trip. We keep the dated log and the car receipts in the monthly books.

Am I the family’s employee or self-employed?

That depends on how the work is set up, and we don’t make that call. A cleaner who runs a cleaning business reports that income as a business, not as wages. A family that hires a housekeeper as its own worker is a household employer — for 2026, Social Security and Medicare apply once it pays that worker $3,000 or more in cash wages. We file your business on Schedule C, the business page of your personal return; we don’t run household payroll for families.

My books are a year behind. Can you catch them up?

Yes. The cleanup comes first, then the return, then monthly bookkeeping from a clean starting point. A cleanup project starts at $750.

Should a cleaning business be an LLC or an S-corp?

Either can work; an S-corp is a tax election an LLC can also make, so the choice is about how the business is taxed, and a California LLC owes the $800 annual tax. We model both on your numbers before you form or elect anything — our entity-selection page shows how the comparison runs.

Ready to hand off the books, the payroll and the return?

One free 30-minute call. You’ll leave knowing what we’d handle and what it costs — whether or not you hire us.