How to Quote Commercial Cleaning in Australia
Commercial cleaning is won on reliability, not the lowest bid — but only if your numbers stack up. Here's how to quote commercial cleaning so labour, materials and margin are all covered before you sign a contract.
A commercial cleaning contract is recurring money, which is why a thin quote hurts for months, not once. Price it too low and you're cleaning an office for free every week; too high and a competitor takes it. This guide covers how to quote commercial cleaning — the pricing models, the real cost of labour, the margin to hold, and what a professional quote must spell out.
What a good commercial cleaning quote covers
A commercial quote is as much a scope document as a price. Before you cost it, pin down exactly what you're signing up to clean, how often, and what's left out. A complete quote covers:
- Your business details — name, ABN and contact, so the quote reads as a real business.
- Site and scope — address, areas covered, and the specific tasks (vacuuming, dusting, restroom sanitisation, floor mopping).
- Frequency — daily, nightly, weekly or one-off, because it changes everything about the price.
- Inclusions and exclusions — spelt out, so nobody assumes windows or carpets are in when they're not.
- Payment terms and validity — for example 7 days net, and how long the quote stands.
Nail the inclusions and exclusions in writing. On a recurring contract, an unspoken assumption — 'the windows too, right?' — becomes an unpaid task you repeat every single visit.
Pricing models and 2026 rates
Commercial cleaning is priced hourly or per square metre, and the job decides which. A small office suits an hourly rate per cleaner; a large, predictable space or a one-off deep clean is clearer per square metre. Either way, frequency and the site's condition drive the number — a 100m² office cleaned weekly is a different price to a 500m² retail floor cleaned nightly.
| Service | Typical rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard office / maintenance | $45–$65 per cleaner/hour | Vacuuming, dusting, restrooms, bins |
| Regular contract | Per m², quoted on scope | Predictable spaces cleaned to a schedule |
| Specialist work | Priced separately | Window cleaning, carpet shampoo, strip and seal |
Keep specialist tasks like window cleaning, carpet shampooing or floor strip-and-seal off the base rate — they need different gear and skills, and burying them in the hourly figure just eats your margin.
Working out true labour cost
Labour is the biggest cost in commercial cleaning, and the mistake is quoting off the wage instead of the true cost. A cleaner you pay $30/hour can cost your business closer to $45–$50/hour once you load everything on top:
- Superannuation — 12% on top of ordinary wages in 2026.
- Insurance — workers' compensation and public liability.
- Payroll tax — where your wage bill crosses the state threshold.
- Travel and fuel — time and vehicle costs getting cleaners to site.
- Overheads — admin, accounting, marketing and equipment maintenance, spread across every job.
Materials are smaller but easy to underquote. Track consumables — detergents, disinfectants, bin liners, paper towels — plus wear on vacuums, scrubbers and mops. Many operators add a flat 5–10% of labour for materials; others itemise the key consumables for transparency.
Setting a margin you can live with
Once your costs are real, add a margin that keeps the business healthy. Most commercial cleaning businesses aim for a 20–35% gross margin — enough to reinvest in gear, pay fair wages and absorb the odd surprise without gutting your cash flow. Don't race to the bottom to win a contract you'll resent.
Work it from total cost, not gut feel. If labour, materials and overheads for a job come to $750, a 25% margin means adding $250 and quoting the client $1,000. Do that maths before every contract, not after the first month when it's too late to change.
Common mistakes that eat your margin
- Skipping the site inspection. You can't scope access, security, wear or the real area from an email. Walk the site before you quote anything.
- Quoting off the wage, not the cost. A $30/hour cleaner costs you $45–$50 loaded. Quote the bare wage and your margin is gone before you start.
- Leaving materials out. Consumables and equipment wear are real costs. Add a percentage or itemise them — don't absorb them silently.
- Vague scope. If inclusions and exclusions aren't written down, every 'can you also do...' becomes unpaid work on a recurring contract.
- Racing to the lowest price. Undercutting to win locks you into thin margins for the length of the contract. Compete on reliability and a clear quote instead.
Pro tips for winning commercial bids
- Do a detailed site inspection before you price a single line.
- Load every labour cost — super, insurance, travel — into your hourly rate.
- Refresh your chemical and consumable prices with suppliers regularly.
- Write inclusions and exclusions in plain language to head off scope creep.
- Hold a 20–35% gross margin on every contract, not just the big ones.
- Offer flexible frequencies — daily, weekly, monthly — so you fit the client's budget and needs.
ServiceYak keeps your cleaner rates, task lists and material loadings in a reusable kit, so you can build a scoped, itemised commercial cleaning quote after a site walk and send a branded PDF the same day.
Frequently asked questions
What are commercial cleaning rates in Australia?
Basic office and maintenance cleaning generally runs $45–$65 per cleaner per hour. Larger or contracted spaces are often quoted per square metre on scope, and specialist tasks like window cleaning or floor strip-and-seal are priced on their own.
How do I work out labour cost for a cleaning quote?
Start with the wage, then load it. A cleaner paid $30/hour typically costs $45–$50/hour once you add superannuation, workers' compensation and public liability, payroll tax where it applies, and travel. Quote off the loaded figure, never the wage.
What profit margin should I aim for in commercial cleaning?
Most operators target a 20–35% gross margin after labour, materials and overheads. On $750 of costs, a 25% margin means quoting $1,000. It's enough to reinvest and cover surprises without gutting your cash flow.