“Sorry to bother you, but could you pay me for Saturday’s clean?”
If you have sent a message like that, you know the feeling. You did the work, and you still ask for your money like it is a favor.
Asking to be paid should never be a bother. Set the ground rules before the first clean, and it gets easier.
Most payment trouble starts with a spoken agreement. Before you start with a new client, send the essential message: the property, your rate (flat or hourly), what it includes, what you charge for extras, how often you’ll invoice. Ask them to reply “agreed.” In three months, nobody will remember exactly what was said at the door.
The extra set of sheets, the late checkout, the dog that left fur everywhere. These go unbilled most often, because they feel awkward to mention. Write them down the same day, with the date, and take pictures. If each extra has a set price, there is nothing to negotiate. It simply shows up on the invoice. (For more on setting rates, check out our rate sheet post.)
A text that says “it’s $340” invites questions. An invoice with a number, the date of every clean, your rate, and each extra on its own line does not. Invoice on a set day, every two weeks or every month, and stick to it.
If the date passes, send a short reminder with no apology: the invoice number, the amount, and the date it was due. You are not bothering anyone. You are following up on work you already delivered. If someone pays in cash, record it against that invoice right away.
In CleanSlate, you set your rate per property and your rate sheet of extras once. Cleans arrive on their own from the booking calendar, or from the schedule you set for a regular client. You review the invoice and send it. Your client can pay by card or bank transfer right from the invoice, and if they pay another way, you record it.
You did the work. Getting paid for it should not feel like asking a favor.
Get paid with a clear invoice. Free for 75 days, no card required.
Start freeDo I need a formal contract with every client?
Not to get started. A written message with your rate, inclusions, and extras, plus the client’s reply, gives you something to point back to later.
How often should I invoice?
Consistency matters most. Every two weeks or every month both work; pick one, tell the client, and keep to it.
What should I do if a client pays late?
Send a short reminder with the invoice number, amount, and due date. No apology needed for work already done.
We assumed every cleaner charged a flat fee, because we did. Building CleanSlate taught us otherwise. Here's what belongs in your rate, and how to set it once.
Getting paid is half the job. The other half is being able to show what the money was for. Here is what to keep, and how.
Every invoice our cleaner ever sent us is somewhere in a WhatsApp thread. It worked fine, right up until the moment we needed to find something.
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