Charging for house cleaning in Canada usually means a flat price per visit set by home size and condition, built from a timed hourly rate, with deep cleans and move-outs quoted higher. Job Bank lists employed house cleaners at $15.50 (low), $19.74 (median), and $25.00 (high) an hour nationally. A self-employed cleaner prices above that employee wage because supplies, travel between homes, unpaid quoting time, and both halves of CPP come out of the same rate. This guide suits someone who will time a real clean before quoting.
How to start is in the house cleaning side hustle guide. Supplies and insurance are in house cleaning startup costs. Turning the price into regular homes is in your first house cleaning clients. More home work sits in the local services hub.
What do house cleaners earn per hour in Canada?
Employed house cleaners in Canada earn a median of $19.74 an hour, according to Job Bank’s house cleaner wage page (NOC 65310, light duty cleaners, reference period 2023–2024, updated November 19, 2025). Those are employee wages. A self-employed cleaner’s per-visit price should work out above them once travel and supplies are counted.
| Area (Job Bank, house cleaner) | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $15.50 | $19.74 | $25.00 |
| Ontario | $17.95 | $19.00 | $25.89 |
| British Columbia | $18.25 | $20.00 | $26.00 |
| Alberta | $15.00 | $18.20 | $23.08 |
| Quebec | $16.60 | $20.47 | $25.00 |
This guide does not publish an average price per clean because no public Canadian survey we could verify collects one. Local listings show what is charged near you; compare three for the same home size.
Which pricing models work for house cleaning in Canada?
House cleaning in Canada is usually sold as a flat price per visit by bedrooms and bathrooms, with a higher first-visit or deep-clean price and a recurring rate for weekly or biweekly clients. Hourly billing suits unusual homes and add-ons.
| Model | How it works | Works well for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat per visit | Price by bedrooms, bathrooms, and condition | Recurring clients | A home that was not cleaned for months |
| Hourly | Rate × hours, with an estimate | Unusual homes, partial cleans | Clients who want one number |
| First visit / deep clean | Longer clean to reset the home, priced from timed hours | New clients, spring cleans | Pricing the deep clean like a maintenance visit |
| Recurring (weekly / biweekly) | Same home on a schedule, set price per visit | Predictable income | Monthly visits drift toward deep-clean time |
| Move-out / move-in | Empty home, inside cabinets and appliances | Tenants and landlords | Ovens and fridges add real time |
Price add-ons separately: inside oven, inside fridge, interior windows, laundry, and baseboards by hand.
How do you calculate a house cleaning rate in Canada?
Calculate a house cleaning rate in Canada from your target hourly pay, the share of time lost between homes, the timed hours for that home, and per-visit supplies. Then round and compare with local listings.
Step 1: Set a target hourly pay
The Job Bank table is your floor check. Your effective pay per working hour should not sit below your province’s employee low.
Step 2: Count travel and unpaid time
Driving or transit between homes, walkthroughs, and messages. If a quarter of your day is unpaid, the billable rate has to cover it.
Step 3: Time the home
Do a walkthrough and time a standard clean on similar homes. Bathrooms and kitchens drive the time more than bedrooms.
Step 4: Add supplies per visit
Cleaners, cloths, vacuum bags, and gloves. Divide a month of supplies by visits that month.
Step 5: Hold back tax and CPP, then round
Self-employed people pay both CPP shares; see the CPP contributions page and the tax set-aside guide.
Illustrative example
This is a teaching sketch with assumed numbers, not a quote, average, or survey. Suppose your target is $24 an hour, just under Job Bank’s national high of $25.00. Suppose 75% of your working time is billable. The billable rate is $24 ÷ 0.75 = $32 an hour.
Suppose a standard biweekly clean of a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment times at 3 hours. Labour is 3 × $32 = $96. Add an assumed $6 of supplies: $102, which you might round to $105 before tax.
Suppose the first deep clean of the same home takes 1.5 times as long, 4.5 hours. Labour is 4.5 × $32 = $144, plus $8 of supplies: $152, rounded to $155. If the home later shifts to monthly visits and each takes 3.5 hours, the price should move to 3.5 × $32 + $6 = $118, rounded to $120.
What does a sample house cleaning price sheet look like in Canada?
A house cleaning price sheet in Canada lists recurring prices by home size, a first-visit or deep-clean price, and add-ons. The table is an illustrative example built on the $32 billable rate and assumed timings, not a market average.
| Home (illustrative) | Assumed time | Biweekly visit | First / deep clean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1 bed, 1 bath | 2 h / 3 h | $70 | $105 |
| 2 bed, 1 bath | 3 h / 4.5 h | $105 | $155 |
| 3 bed, 2 bath | 4 h / 6 h | $135 | $200 |
| Add-on: inside oven | 45 min | $25 | $25 |
| Add-on: inside fridge | 30 min | $16 | $16 |
| Move-out clean | quoted from walkthrough | hourly at $32 | hourly at $32 |
Rows round labour plus an assumed $6–$10 of supplies. Write “before tax” if you are not registered for GST/HST.
When should you raise house cleaning prices in Canada?
Raise house cleaning prices in Canada when your schedule is full, when supplies or travel costs rise, or when a home’s visits run longer than the price assumed. Give recurring clients written notice, often a month, and change new-client prices first.
An annual review is common. Raising per home is more honest than a blanket percentage, because a home that now takes 3.5 hours instead of 3 needs a different price than one that still takes 3.
What house cleaning pricing mistakes are common in Canada?
Common house cleaning pricing mistakes in Canada are quoting without a walkthrough, pricing a first clean like a maintenance visit, and leaving add-ons unpriced. Each one hands away hours.
Ask for photos or a short video. Separate the reset clean from the recurring price. Write what is not included (biohazards, mould remediation, heavy furniture moving). Charge a lockout or late-cancellation fee you can enforce. Do not copy the lowest flyer price; you do not know what it includes.
How do GST/HST and income tax affect house cleaning prices in Canada?
House cleaning income in Canada is self-employment income reported on Form T2125. Add GST/HST only after you register, which is required once your taxable supplies pass the $30,000 small-supplier threshold in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, across all your side hustles.
When registered, use the rate for the province where you clean from the CRA’s charge and collect page. The GST/HST registration guide covers voluntary registration and input tax credits on supplies.
Recurring biweekly clients are easier to bill with recurring invoices. FreshBooks TODO-AFFILIATE can automate that once a spreadsheet gets crowded.
This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Which guides sit next to house cleaning pricing in Canada?
House cleaning pricing in Canada sits beside dog walking pricing on the same blocks, handyman pricing for small repairs, and junk removal pricing for move-out clear-outs.
What are the common questions?
How much should I charge for house cleaning in Canada?
There is no official rate. Job Bank lists employed house cleaners at a national median of $19.74 an hour. A self-employed cleaner should price each visit so the effective hourly rate, after travel and supplies, sits above that. Time a standard clean and compare with three local listings.
Should I charge hourly or per visit for house cleaning?
Most recurring clients prefer a flat price per visit by home size. Hourly with an estimate suits unusual homes, partial cleans, and move-outs. Build both from the same timed hourly rate.
How much more should a deep clean cost?
Price it from timed hours rather than a fixed markup. In this guide's illustrative example, a first deep clean took 1.5 times as long as the recurring visit, so it was priced from 1.5 times the hours.
Do house cleaners charge GST/HST in Canada?
Only once registered. Registration is required after more than $30,000 of taxable supplies in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, across all side hustles. This is not tax advice.
How do I raise prices on existing cleaning clients?
Give written notice, often a month, explain what changed, and raise per home based on actual time. Change new-client prices first.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- House Cleaner in Canada: Wages — Government of Canada, Job Bank
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Charge and collect the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Form T2125, Statement of Business or Professional Activities — Canada Revenue Agency
- Contributions to the Canada Pension Plan — Government of Canada