Business Code for Cleaning Service: Solo Cleaner Tax Guide

The business code for cleaning service work: 561720

When you run your cleaning business as a sole proprietor, you report it on Schedule C (Form 1040). Line B asks for a six-digit “principal business or professional activity code.” The codes are listed in a chart at the end of the Schedule C instructions.

Here are the cleaning-related codes on that chart:

The chart has no separate line called “house cleaning” or “maid service.” For most solo residential cleaners, the closest IRS business code for cleaning service work is 561720 Janitorial services. So whether you call it a cleaning service business code, a housekeeping business code or a business code for house cleaning, start with 561720.

Tips for picking your code

• Pick the code for the work that brings in most of your money. If you clean homes and do a few carpet jobs, 561720 still fits best.
• Use the same code every year unless your business really changes.
• Check the chart in the current year’s instructions when you file, in case anything changed.
• If you’re torn between two codes, ask a tax professional.

Are you self-employed or a household employee?

This matters for “housekeeper and taxes” questions. If a homeowner is your employer, they may owe household employment taxes for you. If you run your own business, you handle your own taxes.

The IRS page on hiring household employees explains the line. A self-employed worker usually brings their own tools and offers services to the general public as an independent business. And if only the worker controls how the work is done, the worker isn’t the homeowner’s employee.

Many solo cleaners fit that self-employed picture (if you’re still setting up, see how to start a house cleaning business): you set your prices, bring your own supplies, pick your schedule and clean for many clients. If that’s you, the rest of this guide applies. If one family tells you exactly how and when to work and you only work for them, talk to a tax pro, because you may be a household employee instead.

The taxes a solo house cleaner pays

Income tax on your profit

Your profit is what you earn minus your business costs. Schedule C works it out, and that profit is added to your other income on your Form 1040.

The Schedule C instructions say to report all income from your business from all sources. That means cash, checks and app payments all count, even if nobody sends you a tax form for them.

Self-employment tax

Employers pay part of their workers’ Social Security and Medicare. When you’re self-employed, you pay both parts yourself. The IRS page on self-employment tax says:

• The rate is 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security plus 2.9% for Medicare (12.4% + 2.9% = 15.3%).
• You must file Schedule SE if your net self-employment earnings are $400 or more.
• You can deduct the employer-equivalent part of your self-employment tax when you figure your adjusted gross income.

Estimated tax payments

No boss is holding back tax from your pay, so the IRS expects you to pay during the year. The 2026 Form 1040-ES says you generally must make estimated payments if you expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax for the year after withholding and refundable credits, and your withholding and credits will be less than a set safe amount (the form explains it).

The 2026 due dates on that form are:

If you missed an earlier 2026 payment, pay as soon as you can and ask a tax pro what to do next. The last 2026 payment is due January 15, 2027.

A simple habit helps: each time a client pays you, move a set share into a separate savings account for taxes. A tax pro can help you pick the right share for your income.

What about Form 1099-K from payment apps?

If clients pay you through Venmo, PayPal or similar apps, you might get a Form 1099-K. The IRS says the 1099-K reporting threshold is back to more than $20,000 in payments and more than 200 transactions. If your app payments stay under both numbers, you may not get one. Either way, your business income still goes on Schedule C.

Tax deductions for a cleaning business

A deduction is a business cost you subtract from your income before tax. The Schedule C instructions let you deduct ordinary and necessary business expenses. For a solo house cleaner, common ones include:

• Cleaning supplies (Schedule C line 22): sprays, cloths, mop heads, vacuum bags, gloves.
• Car costs (line 9): driving between clients. For 2026 the IRS standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile.
• Phone: the business-use share of your phone bill. For a home landline, the instructions say you can’t deduct the base rate of the first line into your home.
• Insurance for your business, like general liability. Our house cleaning business insurance guide explains the common types.
• Home office (line 30): if part of your home is used regularly and only for business (for example, a desk area used only for scheduling, quoting and bookkeeping), the IRS simplified home office option gives $5 per square foot, up to 300 square feet. That’s at most 300 × $5 = $1,500.
• Software and apps you use to run the business.

Example: how deductions change your profit

Here’s a made-up solo cleaner, Maria, so you can see the math. These numbers are an example, not an average.

Maria brings in $48,000 from cleaning in 2026. Her business costs:

Her profit is $48,000 − $5,060 = $42,940.

Now look at just the driving. If Maria never tracked her miles, her profit would be $42,940 + $2,900 = $45,840. Tracking those miles kept $2,900 off her profit. A lower profit usually means less income tax and less self-employment tax, because both are figured from what’s left after expenses.

The lesson: costs you don’t write down are costs you can’t deduct.

Other things to ask a tax pro about

• State and local taxes. Many states have their own income tax, and some have their own estimated payments.
• Form 1099-NEC. A business client (not a homeowner) may send you one for your work.
• The qualified business income deduction. Some self-employed people can take it, so ask whether you qualify.

Records to keep all year

You have to be able to prove your income and expenses. The IRS answers to common recordkeeping questions say the general rule is to keep records for three years, depending on the record.

Keep these, sorted by month:

• Income: who paid, how much, the date and how (cash, check, app).
• Receipts for supplies, insurance, phone and software.
• A mileage log: date, where you drove, why and how many miles.
• Bank and payment app statements.

A separate bank account for the business makes all of this easier, because your business money isn’t mixed with groceries and rent.

How to keep tax time easy as a solo cleaner

1. Price with taxes in mind. Your price has to cover supplies, driving, taxes and your pay. Set your rates with those costs in mind, then use the cleaning price calculator to get a price for each home.
2. Log income the day you’re paid. It takes seconds and saves hours in April.
3. Save for taxes every payment. Move money to tax savings before you spend it.
4. Track miles every day. A notes app or a paper log in the car both work.
5. Mark your calendar with the four estimated tax dates.

If you use CleanPal Pro, the Money screen shows the cleans you marked done this month, what you’ve been paid, and who still owes you. That makes it easier to see your income and chase unpaid jobs before tax season.

Quick recap

• The business code for cleaning service work for most solo house cleaners is 561720 Janitorial services.
• You pay income tax on your profit, plus self-employment tax (15.3% rate) if your net self-employment earnings are $400 or more.
• Estimated tax payments for 2026 are due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15, 2027.
• Track supplies, miles (72.5 cents per mile in 2026), phone, insurance and home office costs to lower your profit on paper.
• Keep records for at least three years (some records longer), and ask a tax professional when you’re unsure.