FREE COMMERCIAL CLEANING TOOL

Commercial Cleaning Bid Calculator

Calculate the real monthly cost of a commercial cleaning account and build a bid around your target profit margin.

Free • No sign-up • Uses your own business assumptions

01

Cleaning Schedule

Start with how often the account is serviced and how many labor hours each visit requires.

visits/week

Enter the average number of scheduled cleaning visits each week.

hours/visit

Use the total labor hours you expect the cleaning work to require on each visit.

02

Labor Cost

Add the hourly wage and the payroll burden you want included in this account.

$ /hour

Enter the wage rate you want to use for this account.

%

Include employer payroll taxes, workers' compensation, and other payroll-related costs you choose to account for.

03

Monthly Account Costs

Add the recurring costs required to service this account.

$ /month

Cleaning chemicals, consumables, and other recurring supplies used for this account.

$ /month

Enter the monthly equipment cost you want allocated to this account.

$ /month

The portion of your business overhead you want this account to carry.

04 Add travel, other costs & initial cleaning

Travel & Additional Costs

Include paid travel time and other recurring account-specific expenses when they apply.

minutes

Enter the total paid travel time for the round trip associated with each visit.

Travel labor rate
$ /hour

Uncheck the option above if paid travel uses a different labor rate.

$ /month

Parking, tolls, special consumables, or other recurring costs specific to this account.

$ one-time

Keep catch-up or reset cleaning separate from the recurring monthly contract.

05

Target Profit Margin

Choose the profit margin you want this account to achieve.

%

This margin is used to calculate the recommended monthly bid from the costs you entered.

HOW IT WORKS

How This Commercial Cleaning Bid Calculator Works

The calculator builds a monthly cleaning bid from the labor, payroll burden, account costs, and target profit margin you enter. It does not rely on universal production rates or preset industry pricing.

  1. 01

    Enter the cleaning schedule

    Add the number of visits per week and the labor hours you expect each visit to require.

  2. 02

    Add labor costs

    Enter the hourly wage and any payroll burden you want included in the account.

  3. 03

    Include recurring account costs

    Add supplies, equipment, overhead, and other monthly expenses that belong to the account.

  4. 04

    Account for paid travel

    If travel time is paid, include the round-trip time per visit so it becomes part of the real labor cost.

  5. 05

    Choose your target margin

    Enter the profit margin you want the account to achieve based on your own pricing strategy.

  6. 06

    Review the recommended bid

    See the recommended monthly bid, estimated profit, gross margin, workload, and cost breakdown.

BUILD THE REAL COST

What Costs Should You Include in a Commercial Cleaning Bid?

A profitable cleaning bid needs to cover more than the cleaner's hourly wage. Use the costs that actually apply to the account and to your business.

Cleaning Labor

Start with the total labor hours needed for each visit and the hourly wage you expect to pay.

Payroll Burden

Include employer-side payroll costs you want the account to carry, such as payroll taxes or workers' compensation.

Paid Travel Time

If employees are paid while traveling to or from the account, that time is part of the real labor cost.

Supplies

Add the recurring chemicals, consumables, and other supplies used to service the account.

Equipment

Allocate the equipment expense you want this account to absorb instead of treating equipment as free.

Overhead

Include the portion of business overhead you expect this account to carry based on your own cost structure.

Other Account-Specific Costs

Parking, tolls, special consumables, or other recurring expenses can reduce margin if they are left out.

Initial or Reset Cleaning

Keep one-time catch-up work separate from the recurring monthly service so the ongoing contract is not distorted.

PRICE WITH THE RIGHT FORMULA

Profit Margin vs. Markup in Commercial Cleaning Bids

Margin and markup are not the same calculation. If your goal is a specific profit margin, simply adding that percentage to your cost will produce a lower margin than you intended.

30% MARKUP

Add 30% to the cost

$3,000 × 1.30 = $3,900
Cost
$3,000
Bid
$3,900
Profit
$900
Actual Margin
23.1%
30% TARGET MARGIN

Build the margin into the price

$3,000 ÷ (1 − 0.30) = $4,285.71
Cost
$3,000
Bid
$4,285.71
Profit
$1,285.71
Actual Margin
30.0%

ContractGauge uses the target-margin method: total account cost divided by one minus your target margin. The calculator uses the margin percentage you enter rather than assuming a standard margin for your business.

DON'T IGNORE THE DRIVE

How Travel Time Affects Commercial Cleaning Profitability

Paid travel time can quietly increase the labor cost of an account. The client invoice may stay the same while the hours required to service that contract increase.

If employees are paid for travel, include the round-trip time associated with each visit. ContractGauge converts that time into monthly paid hours using the cleaning frequency you enter.

The calculator does not assume a travel cost for you. Travel is only included when you enter it, using either the cleaning wage or a separate travel labor rate.

KEEP ONE-TIME WORK SEPARATE

Should Initial Cleaning Be Included in the Monthly Price?

A new commercial cleaning account may require heavier catch-up or reset work before the normal recurring schedule begins.

Folding that one-time workload into the recurring monthly price can make it harder to understand the true economics of the ongoing contract.

ContractGauge keeps the initial cleaning separate. You can enter the one-time cost and calculate a recommended price using the same target margin as the recurring bid.

01
Initial / Reset Cleaning

Price the heavier one-time work separately.

↓
02
Recurring Monthly Service

Keep the ongoing contract based on its normal workload and recurring costs.

FREE TOOL WORKFLOW

From Labor Cost to Actual Margin

Use each calculator for a different step in the commercial cleaning pricing process.

01

Know Your Labor Cost

Calculate loaded labor cost per paid hour using your own wage and payroll burden assumptions.

Labor Cost Calculator →
02

Build the Bid

Combine labor, account costs, and your target margin to price one cleaning account scenario.

Bid Calculator
03

Compare Estimate With Actual

See how actual labor hours and account costs changed profit and margin after the work was performed.

Margin Drift Calculator →
COMMON QUESTIONS

Commercial Cleaning Bid Calculator FAQ

Quick answers about how the calculator works and what it does — and does not — assume for your business.

Is this commercial cleaning bid calculator free?

Yes. You can use the calculator without creating an account or entering an email address.

Does the calculator use price per square foot?

No. The calculator uses the labor hours, wage, payroll burden, account costs, and target margin you enter.

Does ContractGauge include standard cleaning production rates?

No. ContractGauge does not provide universal production rates. Use the workload and production assumptions that fit your own business and account.

What is payroll burden?

Payroll burden is the additional employer-side payroll cost you choose to include above the hourly wage, such as payroll taxes, workers' compensation, or other payroll-related costs.

What profit margin should I use?

The calculator does not assume a standard margin. Enter the target margin that fits your own costs, pricing strategy, and business goals.

Is this calculator the same as ContractGauge?

No. This free calculator is designed to price one account scenario. ContractGauge covers the broader workflow from walkthrough and bidding to contracts, actual costs, and profitability.