How to set a minimum cleaning visit charge

The target price for a particular job

Estimate all the paid crew hours the visit consumes, then multiply by your cost floor. Include paid travel for each cleaner, plus setup and packing time not already included in the visit duration. Do not count the same time twice.

target price = cost floor per crew hour × total paid crew hours

Your floor includes wages, payroll burden, supplies, overhead and target margin. The cost-per-crew-hour guide explains each input. The following illustration uses a $36/hour floor, not an industry benchmark.

Every row includes 20 minutes of paid travel per cleaner, in addition to the stated visit time. Crew hours are rounded for display; prices use unrounded hours. Replace the illustrative floor with your own result from the free cost-per-hour calculator.

A price below target does not prove an accounting loss. It means the visit contributes less than the overhead allocation and target margin included in your floor.

The minimum visit charge

A minimum visit charge is the least you accept for any visit, even when the calculated target is lower. Travel and setup do not necessarily shrink when the cleaning scope gets smaller. A short visit may also leave a schedule gap you cannot fill.

Choose the shortest visit that works for your route and schedule, then price its paid crew hours at your floor. This is a business decision, not a universal minimum or evidence that clients will accept it. Do not assume a small job displaces larger work unless that work is actually available.

quote = the higher of the job's target price and your minimum visit charge

A short recurring visit, worked through

Assume 1 cleaner needs 1 hour on site, including setup, plus 20 minutes of paid travel. At the illustrative $36/hour floor, the target price is $48. Suppose you independently choose a minimum representing 1.5 paid crew hours: $54.

(1 + 20 ÷ 60) crew hours × $36/hour = $48 target price
1.5 crew hours × $36/hour = $54 minimum visit charge
Higher of $48 and $54 = $54 quote

The $54 minimum is illustrative, not a recommended price for your business. If the same visit needs 2 cleaners, its target becomes $96, which exceeds that minimum. A shared route may reduce paid travel; use the time the visit actually adds, without omitting it across the route.

Tell the client the minimum and agreed scope before they book. For the example above: “Our minimum visit charge is $54. That covers the agreed 1-hour visit with 1 cleaner.” If their budget is lower, consider a narrower scope or decline; the client may still say no.

Apply the same check to existing clients

A minimum protects new quotes only if you apply it. Existing recurring prices may need a separate review when wages, travel or visit duration change. Price a longer first clean separately rather than assuming the recurring quote covers it.

Compare each recurring price with paid crew hours at your own floor. The recurring-pricing guide explains how visit frequency changes the estimated monthly margin gap. A new target is an estimate, not a promise that a client will accept an increase.

Check your recurring book with a free Leak Report. Paste or upload your rows; no account or card is needed. Client addresses, phone numbers and email addresses are discarded.

RateRescue is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp; the calculations use your own inputs.