While tips often serve as a gesture of gratitude, for many housecleaners, they are an essential supplement to low wages.
Key Takeaways
- If you hire directly, pay $25-30 per hour minimum
- If you hire through a cleaning agency, tip $20-$40
- Include an end of year bonus
- Provides other benefits and out-of-pocket costs, including paid time off, sick days, vacation time, and workers’ compensation
Should I tip if I hire a cleaner directly?
If you hire a cleaner who works for themselves, the best thing to do is to pay a fair amount for each cleaning. If you are paying a living wage, then tipping isn’t necessary. We’d never tell you not to tip if you want to, but it’s not required.
What’s considered a fair wage?
When considering a fair wage, account for the value of the work as well as the worker’s access to benefits. In most of the country, domestic workers aren’t guaranteed paid time off, sick days, or vacation time. Often, they pay for transportation to each of their clients in addition to health insurance, and if they are hurt on the job, they lose income. Depending on your arrangement, they may also be paying for cleaning supplies.
For most parts of the country, pay a cleaner an hourly rate of at least $25-$30. Pay more if you live in an area with a higher cost of living. Some cleaners prefer a flat fee for cleaning a house or apartment, in which case you can calculate an estimate based on the hourly rate. For example, if it usually takes a cleaner four hours to clean your home, use $30/hour and pay $120 for a cleaning.
If you request services that fall outside the usual scope of work, such as cleaning the inside of the fridge or oven, determine a higher rate with the cleaner.
What if I use a cleaning agency or service?
Many agencies pay minimum wage. While there are some agencies with excellent employment practices, those are the exception, not the rule. To offset the lower pay, tip for every cleaning. Aaron Seyedian, founder of Well Paid Maids, advises tipping $20 for a smaller house or $40 for a larger house per cleaning. If you have a team of cleaners, they can split the tip. If a cleaner is working alone, they can take home the whole tip.
Can I give a gift instead of a tip?
Some people feel that tipping is awkward and bypass it by giving the worker they employ gifts instead. While hand-me-downs, homemade cookies, and gift cards are all sweet gestures, they are not a supplement for a living wage. Do not offer gifts as a substitute for pay. Tipping is an appropriate way to ensure the cleaner is earning a living wage for cleaning your home.
What about an end of year bonus?
An end of year bonus is an opportunity to tell the person who cleans for you how much you appreciate their hard work contributing to your home. Whether or not you’ve been supplementing wages with tips throughout the year, we recommend giving a generous end of year bonus. An average year-end bonus is usually one to two weeks pay. Check out our Bonus Guide for more details.
Curious to know more about how to be a fair employer of a housecleaner? Check out our article, Everything You Need to Know about Hiring a House Cleaner.
Next Steps
- Compensate housecleaners with a fair wage that reflects costs of living, benefits (or lack thereof), transportation, and supplies.
- Continue learning about how to be a fair employer.
- Become a member of Hand in Hand.
