How to Collect Payments as a Cleaning Business
When you complete a cleaning project, you likely issue an invoice to your client so that you can get paid while also keeping track of what services have been done for whom and at what price.
As your cleaning business grows, you may want to consider automating your invoicing process. This can be done through contactless payment methods like PayPal, Square, and others.
Payment methods like cash or checks can be a hassle to store and keep track of over time. Utilizing a system that allows you to send invoices through email or text message is much more efficient and convenient.
Pros and Cons of Top Cleaning Payment Methods
Not all methods of payment are best suited for all cleaning services. Choosing the right payment method for your cleaning business will be determined by how you want to be paid. Do you prefer cash and checks over digital payment?
The following will help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each payment method.
Cash
Getting paid in cash for a cleaning business may seem like a good idea, but more often than not, it slowly becomes cumbersome to deal with.
If you are consistently taking on cleaning projects that are paid in full through cash, it can be challenging to manage your money. As a cleaner, you will also need to notify the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that you are being paid in cash as your main source of income.
There are advantages to getting paid in cash, however, including:
- It’s convenient
- It’s fast payment completion
Unfortunately, getting paid in cash can also come with a few disadvantages:
- Hard to manage and track
- Run into IRS problems if not properly claimed
- More tax forms to complete
- Potential to lose clients who aren’t comfortable with paying in cash
- Less opportunity to have “write-offs”
Checks
A popular way of paying for cleaning services is through the form of a check. Checks are useful because they offer a written statement of how much customers are paying you and for what.
The advantages of receiving a check for your completed cleaning services are:
- Convenient payment process
- Easy to transfer to an existing bank account
- Easy way of tracking payments
- Get paid on the spot
Even so, there are a few disadvantages to be aware of when choosing to have your clients pay you through checks:
- Difficulty managing payments
- Cumbersome storage process
- Checks bouncing back
Stripe
Stripe is a great payment method for any small or large cleaning business. The platform easily integrates with various websites and is a great tool to acquire if you wish to automate payments.
The advantages of using Stripe are as follows:
- Accepts all credit and debit cards
- Integrated with digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more
- Buy now, pay later options with Klarna and Afterpay
- Compatible with Xero, Squarespace, Mailchimp, and more
- No set contract fee
- You choose your payout timing for clients
The only disadvantage to Stripe is that the client’s first payments may take up to a week to process. This is because their card information is validated before processing the payment.
PayPal
PayPal is a very common contactless payment method across cleaning businesses. This payment method allows you to send and receive money by e-mail. PayPal has been around for a while, and that is why it is trusted by so many cleaners.
Advantages of using Paypal for your cleaning business are that:
- It’s easy and convenient for both parties
- Clients do not have to have a PayPal account to pay you
- It has an invoice reminder feature to send clients
- Creates a record of your payments per client so you don’t have to
Regardless, there are some disadvantages to using PayPal that every cleaning business owner should be aware of:
- High chargeback fees
- It may take two business days to receive your payment
- Customer service can be hard to reach
Square
Square is a great option for cleaning businesses that don’t operate on a fixed rate and instead charge hourly. However, the best way to use Square is to have your client swipe their card through Square’s card reader.
The advantages of using Square are as follows:
- User-friendly interface
- Free card swipe reader
- Accepts offline payments
- Convenient process for both parties
Even so, there are a few disadvantages associated with using Square:
- Customer service can be hard to reach
- It takes two business days to receive your payment
3 Tips for Managing Your Cleaning Payments
Once you have decided which payment method will work best for your cleaning service, you can start booking projects. The best way to handle your cleaning payments is to always consider your client and their needs. Yes, you want to be paid, but you’ll want to consider a few things before agreeing to clean for them.
1. Communicate Early On About Your Payment Expectations
Before taking on any cleaning project, make sure your clients are informed on how you take care of your payments. Depending on your channel of communication, you can clarify through your email or private message which payment method you prefer.
If your clients are uncomfortable with your current payment method, ask them what payment method they would like to use.
2. Offer Contactless Payment Options
More often than not, clients will prefer to use contactless payment options. These offer a more convenient way of paying you for your services from anywhere.
Offering these payment options can increase your efficiency, as well. Getting paid faster can mean that you are able to complete other cleaning projects. Once you know you have been paid for one project, you can feel secure going into the next knowing that your hard work has been compensated.
3. Reach Out to Clients Post-Payment
Just because your clients have paid for your services, it doesn’t mean you should stop communicating with them.
You want your clients to become repeat customers, and to do so, you will want to focus on customer development. Customer development is simply following up with your clients to make sure that your business is still at the forefront of their minds. Sending out a small thank you email or message after they have paid can lead to more future conversations.
Automate Your Cleaning Service Payment Methods
There are several platforms you can use to help automate your cleaning payments. For example, if you run a vacation rental cleaning service, the Taskbird app integrates with TurnoverBnB so that you can create invoices, send them out, and keep track of your payments per client.
Learn more about how Taskbird can help simplify your cleaning business today.
