Kenelle

A cleaner can invoice for their work as a light entrepreneur without setting up their own company. You do the jobs, send an invoice through the Truster app, and receive your pay once the customer has paid. Truster takes care of tax withholding, filings with the authorities, and payment tracking on your behalf. The account is free and opening one commits you to nothing: you only pay a service fee when you invoice.

#What kinds of cleaning jobs do light entrepreneurs do?

Most light entrepreneurs working as cleaners do home cleaning for private customers. Regular customers often order cleaning weekly or every other week, which brings steady, predictable income. Alongside this, many take on one-off jobs: move-out and end-of-tenancy cleaning, window washing, cottage cleaning, and thorough cleaning after renovations or parties.

Beyond homes, there's plenty of work with businesses too. Office cleaning, stairwell cleaning, maintenance cleaning for small commercial premises, and turnover cleaning for rental cottages or Airbnb apartments all suit light entrepreneurs well. Business customers appreciate receiving a proper invoice for the work, and with Truster you can send it in a few minutes, even straight from the site.

#Pricing and typical costs in the cleaning industry

Regular home cleaning is usually priced by the hour in this industry. Move-out and end-of-tenancy cleaning is often priced as a fixed job rate based on the size and condition of the home, and window washing is typically priced per site. Set your price so it also covers travel, supplies and equipment, as well as your own pension contributions and holidays. As a light entrepreneur, you decide your own prices.

Typical costs include cleaning products, microfiber cloths and other supplies, purchasing and maintaining a vacuum cleaner and other equipment, and travel to customers. Expenses and mileage are logged in the Truster app and are automatically factored into your pay.

Home cleaning qualifies for the household tax credit, so your customer may be able to claim a deduction for the labour portion of the work. It's worth mentioning this already in your quote, as it makes buying cleaning services on invoice more appealing to the customer. Your customer can check the current terms at vero.fi (Finnish Tax Administration).

Customers can be found through local Facebook groups, gig-work platforms and notice boards, but the best channel is word of mouth: a satisfied home-cleaning customer tells their neighbours and coworkers, and many cleaners fill their calendar through recommendations alone. You stand out when the customer always receives a proper invoice and receipt, since more and more people want to buy cleaning services fairly and openly.

#How invoicing works with Truster

For regular customers, the most convenient rhythm is a summary invoice once or twice a month; one-off jobs are best invoiced right after the work is done. You create the invoice in the app in a couple of minutes, and the customer receives it however they prefer. Maksuvahti tracks your receivables and sends reminders to the customer on your behalf for 1.99 € per invoice, so you don't have to chase payments yourself.

When you need the money quickly, HetiPalkka pays your wages even before the invoice due date. The service costs 5% of the invoice amount. Monthly plan users get Truster Turva included in the price, so you're insured while working in customers' homes and premises.

Light entrepreneurship suits cleaners especially well because you can start small alongside your current job and grow your customer base at your own pace. There are no fixed costs, so a quieter month costs you nothing.

Compared with a sole proprietorship, light entrepreneurship saves you from bookkeeping and VAT filings, and compared with employed cleaning work, you decide your own prices, customers and schedule. Many start as light entrepreneurs alongside a salaried job with a few weekly cleanings, then move to it full-time once they have enough regular customers. The account flexes both ways, since it costs nothing to use when you're not invoicing.

#How much do you take home?

Truster's service fee is 3.99% of invoicing or a flat 55 €/month, which suits those who invoice a lot. The service fee and statutory payments are deducted from the invoice amount, and tax is withheld from your pay according to your own tax card. VAT is generally added to cleaning services on the invoice at the standard rate of 25.5%.

You choose the service fee model yourself: the percentage-based 3.99% suits irregular gig work, while the flat 55 €/month becomes more cost-effective as your monthly invoicing grows. Price your hours so they cover travel, supplies and holidays too, not just the time spent cleaning.

The amount you take home therefore depends on how much you invoice and your tax rate. Get a precise estimate with your own figures on our calculators page, where you can try different hourly rates and instantly see how much lands in your account.