Cleaning business insurance: what you need and what it costs

What insurance does a cleaning business need?

For most residential cleaners, cleaning business insurance begins with general liability, which pays when your work injures someone or damages their property. Add workers’ compensation when you hire employees, commercial auto if you drive for the business, and a janitorial bond if clients ask for one.

So what insurance do you need for a cleaning business that cleans homes? It depends on three things: whether you have employees, whether you or your crew drive for work, and what your clients or contracts require. The table below lists the policies most residential cleaning businesses consider.

House cleaning insurance for a one-person business can be as simple as a single general liability policy. Most owners add the rest as they hire, buy vehicles or take on clients with stricter requirements.

This guide is general information, not insurance advice. Policies, exclusions and state rules differ, so confirm the details with a licensed insurance agent or broker before you buy.

What does general liability insurance cover for a cleaning business?

General liability covers injuries to people who are not your employees and damage to property that belongs to others, when your business is responsible. It usually does not cover your employees’ injuries, your vehicles, your own equipment or theft by your staff.

General liability insurance for cleaning business owners is usually the first policy to buy, because it handles the most common accidents in a client’s home. Typical covered claims include:

• Bodily injury. A client slips on a floor you just mopped and breaks a wrist.
• Property damage. Water from a tipped bucket seeps through the floor and stains the ceiling of the room below.
• Legal defense. The cost of a lawyer to defend a covered claim, even one without merit.

What general liability usually does not cover

• Injuries to your employees (workers’ compensation)
• Accidents while driving for work (auto coverage)
• Theft by an employee (janitorial bond)
• Your own vacuums, machines and supplies (property or equipment coverage)
• Often, items that break while you are handling them (see below)

The care, custody or control exclusion

Many general liability policies exclude damage to property in your care, custody or control, as the NEXT Insurance glossary explains. In plain terms, if you damage something you do not own but are handling at the time, the claim may not be covered.

A hypothetical example: your cleaner picks up a $1,000 vase to dust under it and drops it. The vase was in your cleaner’s hands, so a policy with this exclusion may not pay. If the cleaner bumps a shelf and a vase on it falls, nobody was handling the vase, which is a different situation. The exact policy wording decides each claim.

Cleaners handle clients’ belongings all day, so this matters. Some policies cover property in your care, and others offer it as an add-on. Ask about it by name when you compare quotes.

Coverage limits

The median general liability prices that Insureon reports for cleaning businesses are for policies with limits of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Per occurrence is the most the policy pays for one claim. Aggregate is the most it pays for all claims during the policy period, usually a year.

Do you need insurance to start a cleaning business?

The law usually requires insurance in two situations: workers’ compensation once you have employees, in most states, and auto coverage that applies to vehicles you use for the business. General liability is not usually required by state law, but many clients, property managers and contracts ask for proof of it before you start.

What the law usually requires

• Workers’ compensation. States generally require it once you have employees. Rules vary by state, including which workers count and when coverage must start. Texas is a notable exception: according to the Texas Department of Insurance, most private employers there can choose whether to carry it, and employers without coverage must report that to the state.
• Auto coverage for business driving. A vehicle the business owns needs commercial auto. If you or your cleaners drive personal cars to jobs, a personal auto policy may not cover that business use, so check with your insurer.

What clients and contracts ask for

Even when no law requires coverage, clients often do. Homeowners ask whether you are insured before they give you a key or an alarm code. Property managers, real estate agents and apartment communities may ask for a certificate of insurance before you work in their units, and some contracts set minimum limits or ask to be named as an additional insured. Saying you are insured and bonded on your website and quotes also helps you get cleaning clients.

If you are still setting up, our guide on how to start a cleaning business covers the full checklist. For permits and registration, see what licenses are needed to start a cleaning business.

How much is insurance for a cleaning business?

General liability for a cleaning business has a median cost of $48 to $59 a month, depending on the source. Workers’ compensation and commercial auto cost more, while a janitorial bond has a median cost of about $9 to $11 a month.

The table compares median costs from two online insurance marketplaces. The Insureon figures, updated August 28, 2026, are the median cost of policies purchased by cleaning businesses through Insureon. Most of those customers have fewer than five employees, annual revenue from around $50,000 to more than $200,000, and five years or less in business. The TechInsurance figures are the median cost of policies for cleaning companies that applied for quotes through TechInsurance.

A median is the middle value, so plenty of businesses pay more or less. Treat these numbers as a starting point, not a quote.

What makes your premium higher or lower

• Payroll and headcount. Workers’ compensation is priced largely on payroll, so it grows as you hire.
• Revenue. More jobs mean more chances for a claim, and some policies are priced on revenue.
• Services. Riskier work, such as post-construction cleanup or high windows, can cost more than standard house cleaning.
• Claims history. Past claims usually raise your price at renewal.
• Limits and deductibles. Higher limits cost more. A higher deductible usually lowers the premium.
• Location. State rules, especially for workers’ compensation, and local claim costs affect your price.
• Vehicles and drivers. For commercial auto, the number of vehicles and your drivers’ records matter.

Insurance is overhead, so build it into what you charge. The house cleaning price calculator includes overhead in every price, and the cleaning business profit calculator shows what a new policy does to your monthly profit.

What does bonded and insured mean for a cleaning business?

“Bonded and insured” means the business carries liability insurance and a janitorial bond. The insurance pays for accidents, and the bond pays the client back if one of your employees steals from them.

A cleaning business bond is usually called a janitorial bond. It exists to protect your clients, not you. If an employee takes jewelry or cash from a home you clean, the client can file a claim against the bond. Depending on how the bond is written, you may have to pay the bonding company back for a claim it pays.

A bond is not a substitute for insurance. It covers employee theft, not a client who trips over your vacuum or a stained carpet. It also has a limit, the most it will pay, so pick one that fits the homes you clean.

Bonds are among the cheapest coverage you can buy. The median janitorial bond cost $9 a month ($112 a year) through Insureon and $11 a month (about $126 a year) through TechInsurance.

A bond matters most when your crew works in homes while the owners are away, or holds keys and alarm codes. If you clean alone, ask whether a bond covers the owner before you buy one just to say “bonded.”

Do you need workers’ compensation when you hire cleaners?

In most states, yes: once you have employees, you generally need workers’ compensation. Rules vary by state, and Texas is a notable exception where most private employers can choose whether to carry it.

Workers’ comp pays medical bills and part of lost wages when an employee is hurt on the job. Cleaning is physical work, with lifting, bending, ladders, wet floors and chemicals. A cleaner who hurts their back moving a couch is a workers’ comp claim, not a general liability claim. Most workers’ comp policies also include employer’s liability coverage, which helps if an employee sues you over a work injury.

Texas

Texas does not require most private employers to carry workers’ comp, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. Employers that go without it must report that to the state. Without coverage, the cost of an employee’s injury may fall on you, so weigh that choice carefully.

Employees or contractors

Some owners pay cleaners as independent contractors to avoid workers’ comp. Whether someone is an employee depends on how you actually work with them, not on what you call them, and the tests differ by state and agency. If you set their schedule, train them and supply the products, they may count as employees. Getting this wrong can leave an injury uninsured and you owing back premiums or penalties, so check your state’s rules.

Covering yourself

Rules for covering owners also differ by state and business type. If you clean alongside your crew, ask your agent whether the policy covers you.

How to get cleaning business insurance

Gather your business details, get quotes from several insurers or an independent broker, and compare limits, deductibles and exclusions, not only price.

1. List your details. Write down the services you offer, your annual revenue or an estimate, the number of employees and your payroll, any contractors, the vehicles you use and who drives them, and the value of your equipment. If you also do short-term rental turnovers, list them as a separate service; our guide to running an Airbnb cleaning business covers that work.
2. Decide what you need. Use the table at the top of this guide, and check what your clients or contracts require for limits, bonds and certificates.
3. Get several quotes. Prices for the same insurance for cleaning business owners can differ between companies, so compare them side by side. Ask a few insurers directly, use an online marketplace, or work with an independent broker who can quote several companies for you.
4. Compare more than price. Line up each quote and check:
   • Limits per occurrence and aggregate
   • Deductibles
   • Exclusions, especially care, custody or control, and whether property in your care can be added
   • Whether every service you offer is listed as covered work
   • Whether the bond covers all employees, and whether it covers you
5. Ask about certificates of insurance. A certificate of insurance (COI) is a short document that proves your coverage. Ask how quickly you can get one, whether it costs anything, and whether you can name a client as a certificate holder or additional insured.
6. Review it every year. Tell your insurer when you hire, add a vehicle or add a service. Some policies are priced on estimated payroll or revenue and adjusted with an audit at the end of the term, so keep accurate records.

How can you lower your cleaning business insurance costs?

Buy the coverage your business and clients actually need, bundle where it makes sense, and keep claims down with training and good records. The goal is the right coverage at a fair price, not the lowest premium.

• Bundle with a BOP. If you need both general liability and property coverage, a business owner’s policy often costs less than buying them separately.
• Pick a deductible you can afford. A higher deductible usually lowers your premium. Only choose one you could pay tomorrow.
• Match limits to real requirements. Buy the limits your clients and contracts ask for. If one big client needs much higher limits, ask whether an umbrella policy is cheaper than raising each underlying policy.
• Train your crew. Teach safe lifting, ladder use, correct product dilution and wet-floor signs. Fewer injuries and broken items mean fewer claims, and a clean claims history helps at renewal.
• Keep good records. Checklists, before and after photos, and clock-in times show who was in which home and what was done. If you use BroomBook, the crew app’s checklists and clock-in times keep that record for every visit.
• Shop again at renewal. Get fresh quotes after your business grows or your claims record improves.