It is standard in the house cleaning service industry to receive payment in advance or upfront at the time of cleaning.
Reasons Why You Should Receive Payments Upfront
- It offers peace of mind through knowing that you have already been paid for the work you are about to do.
- It prevents customers (especially first-time or one-time customers) from not paying you.
- You don’t have to waste time by tracking down payments from your customers.
- It helps you pay for your business expenses before they occur.
How to Receive Payments
There are 3 ways that you can receive payments from customers: cash, check, or credit cards. If your are just starting out, the easiest way to get paid is by having the customer pay you by cash or check. Make sure to tell them that you accept payment in advance or upfront at the time of cleaning.
For first-time or one-time cleanings, I have the customer pay in cash. This is so I don’t have to worry about them writing me a bogus check or a check that bounces. You can also use Paypal or any other merchant account to collect payment. Paypal allows you to email an invoice to your customer so they can pay you in advance by credit card, debit card, or from a checking account. A merchant account also allows you to collect credit cards over the phone.
For regular cleanings, you will have already established a relationship with your customer and they have proven that they can pay you. You can have regular customers pay by cash, check, or credit card.
Decide Which Payments You Will Accept
I am currently only taking cash or check as payment, but might consider taking credit cards especially for one-time or first-time cleanings and maybe for regular cleanings. I rarely have problems with collecting cash or checks. Accepting credit cards can be another convenient way to receive payments, but there are fees involved. If the convenience for you and your customer outweighs the costs involved you may consider using credit cards as a form of payment.
Let me know if you use credit cards and how it has worked for you by commenting below.
Josh, I am co-owner of a sporting goods store here in Florence,SC. I am just starting my cleaning business and I don’t intend on taking cc payment. I have to at the store and the fees are ridiculous! You will be better off to stick with cash/check. Many businesses still use checks as payment because of cash flow.
Wish you luck! Kristina
Hi Kristina, good point. I still just collect cash and check from my customers. I just have them leave the payment on the kitchen counter before I arrive on cleaning day. Some customers might prefer using credit cards, but it’s an option. Also, if you have employees, using cc payments might be a better option due to employee theft, etc. Good Luck!
Hello Josh,
I am just starting my cleaning business and I don’t intend on taking credit card payments. Should I disclose this information in my service cleaning agreement? Thanks.
Hey Frazier, that’s a good question! It’s really up to you. It’s an informative piece of information for your customers. They will know upfront what types of payments you take and there will be no misunderstanding going forward.