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Answers / Life & Home / Money & Work
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I'd like to start my own house cleaning business.

I work at Oxford Health Care as a Home Health Aide three days a week. I am an excellent worker and go above and beyond at my job. I like to clean and this is a perfect job for me. I am good with people and am trustworthy.
But I need to start my own business, and plan on keeping my current job.
Has anyone else starting their own cleaning service? If so, was it hard to start? Did you have difficulty with the taxes, since you pay yourself and don't withhold taxes?

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izyandchrismomi

Asked by izyandchrismomi at 4:11 PM on Oct. 24, 2010 in Money & Work

Level 5 (82 Credits)
Answers (7)
  • Talk to your accountant about the tax issue. And being that you're already doing Home health, maybe you can talk to some of your home health patients and see if they wouldn't mind someone coming maybe 1-2 times a week and helping out a bit. It's a good way to start, and you know that those people sometimes need help doing the simple things, like cleaning.
    AtHomeMommy-3

    Answer by AtHomeMommy-3 at 4:16 PM on Oct. 24, 2010

  • I don't have an accountant nor the money to hire one. I have been researching the IRS website as well as many other sites, but wanted an actual person to give me insight to what they went through starting their own cleaning business.
    As for working additional hours for my patients, I can't do that; it's against the rules. They have a set amount of hours as handed out by Medicare/Medicaid and any increase has to be approved by them and done through the Oxford Health Company.
    Although, one of the patients has a son who has been half-way joking but wants me to come and clean his house. I told him $40, that's roughly what I get from cleaning his mom's house through Oxford.
    izyandchrismomi

    Comment by izyandchrismomi (original poster) at 4:26 PM on Oct. 24, 2010

  • You will be filing a self employment tax form with your 1040. It is one page and very easy. It is all explained very well in the 1040 booklet you get. I did not have a cleaning business but a sewing business, my husband was self emplyed for years, and I am currently self emplyed doing childcare. You need to write down the date and amounts you get paid in case you are ever audited.

    You might want to look at www.care.com for people looking for housekeepers. Use the pulldown and your zipcode. This is how I found my clients.

    Message me if there are any other questions I can help with. Good luck!!
    elizabr

    Answer by elizabr at 5:03 PM on Oct. 24, 2010

  • There's an organization called SCORE. It's retired business people who will help you with a business plan (their services are voluntary-there's no charge to you. It also might help to try working part time for a private cleaning service, to see how they run the business.
    SweetLuci

    Answer by SweetLuci at 5:14 PM on Oct. 24, 2010

  • If you file self employed you just send in quarterly statements if you make more than $400. Estimate your income taxes due. Medicare tax and social security are a set percentage of whatever you make. So just hold that out of your take home pay.

    I put my cleaning ad up online and I had to take it down after a few weeks because I was getting too many calls. You could also print some business cards for fairly cheap and some flyers to pass out.

    You can register as a business and easily open a checking account to run your money through. It might be $50 or so to register. I think that varies depending on where you live and the type of business.

    Good luck :)
    Erica_Smerica

    Answer by Erica_Smerica at 7:43 PM on Oct. 24, 2010

  • I have experience starting my own business, but not a cleaning business. How taxes are paid will be determined by the business structure you decide on. By all means, use someone from SCORE and ask lots of questions. Their services are free.
    HotMama330

    Answer by HotMama330 at 2:02 PM on Oct. 25, 2010

  • Congradulations on starting your own business. I left a chatterbox message for you for a group you might be interested in joining. It's for the business group I admin. Most of our members are small business owners and know what you're going through.
    MoversShakers

    Answer by MoversShakers at 2:57 PM on Oct. 25, 2010

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