How much to charge for cleaning in the UK (2026): hourly rates, job prices and your own rate

What do UK cleaners charge per hour?

Reported rates for regular domestic cleaning cluster between £15 and £25 an hour. GeraHome puts a regular domestic cleaner at £15 to £20 an hour nationally and £18 to £25 an hour in London and the South East. Bark reports an average of £24 an hour for end of tenancy work, £27 in London and £19 in smaller towns and rural areas.

These are figures reported by commercial cost guides, not official statistics, so treat them as a sense check. Agencies usually charge more than independent cleaners because their price also covers vetting, insurance and cover when a cleaner is off.

Typical prices for one-off jobs

Deep cleans, end of tenancy cleans and one-off visits are normally quoted per job, because the time depends on the property and its condition. These are the figures reported at the time of writing.

How location changes the price

London is consistently the most expensive area. Bark says London end of tenancy prices are roughly 28 percent higher than the UK average, and GeraHome puts London and the South East about 20 to 40 percent above the national average, with the North, Midlands, Wales and Northern Ireland typically below it.

Check what local cleaners advertise in your own area before you set a price. A rate that is right in Oxford may be too high in a small northern town, and too low in central London.

How to work out your own hourly rate

Start from what you need to earn, not from a competitor's price list. Add up your yearly costs: insurance, products and equipment, phone, software, advertising, and vehicle running costs. Then estimate how many hours a year you can actually bill once travel, admin, holidays and sick days are taken out.

Divide your target income plus costs by your billable hours to get a minimum hourly rate. If you pay staff, remember the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour from April 2026, so your charge-out rate needs to cover that plus your other costs and a margin.

Travel is easy to forget. If you claim simplified expenses, GOV.UK sets 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in a car or van for 2026 to 2027, and 25p after that. That figure is a useful guide to what driving between jobs really costs you.

Allow for tax and National Insurance

A self-employed cleaner pays income tax and National Insurance on profit, so your rate has to leave room for both. For 2026 to 2027, Class 4 National Insurance is 6 percent on profits between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2 percent above that.

Class 2 National Insurance is treated as paid if your profits are £7,105 or more. Below that you can choose to pay voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week to protect your State Pension record.

If your trading income is over £1,000 in a tax year you normally need to register for Self Assessment by 5 October after that tax year ends. If your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a rolling 12 months you must register for VAT and add it to your prices. The complete guide to starting a cleaning business covers registration in more detail.

Hourly rate or fixed price?

Hourly pricing suits regular cleans where the work is similar every visit. Fixed prices suit one-off jobs, where the client wants to know the total before they book and you carry the risk if it takes longer.

Whichever you choose, write down what is included before you start: rooms, tasks, extras such as ovens or inside windows, and what happens if the property is in a worse state than described. Put your prices and inclusions in your terms so there is no argument at the end.

• Quote fixed prices from photographs or a short visit, not a guess
• List extras with their own price, such as ovens, fridges and inside windows
• Set a minimum visit length so short jobs still cover your travel
• Review your prices once a year, and tell regular clients in writing before a change

Get the free Cleaning Rate Calculator Worksheet: 17 questions and a signed declaration, emailed to you as a print-ready form.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Self-employed National Insurance rates, GOV.UK
• Simplified expenses: vehicles, GOV.UK
• National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates, GOV.UK
• Register for Self Assessment if you are self-employed, GOV.UK
• VAT registration, GOV.UK
• End-of-tenancy cleaning prices in the UK: 2026 cost guide, Bark
• How much does a cleaner cost in the UK? 2026 prices, GeraHome