How to price a cleaning job.

Build a price from your costs first. Then check whether it works for your customers and your business.

1. Count all the labour

Two cleaners working three hours each means six labour hours. At a fully loaded cost of AED 25 per hour, the labour cost is AED 150. Include the employer costs that apply to you; this figure is an example, not a wage benchmark.

2. Add direct expenses

Suppose supplies cost AED 20 and transport costs AED 15. Your direct job cost is now AED 185. Include parking, equipment hire, or other job-specific costs where relevant.

3. Give overhead a fair share

If monthly overhead is AED 3,000 and you expect 100 similar jobs, allocate AED 30 per job. Total cost becomes AED 215. If jobs differ greatly in length, allocating overhead by labour hours may be more useful.

4. Choose a margin, not just a markup

A 25% target margin leaves about AED 71.67 after the entered costs. Simply adding 25% to cost would produce AED 268.75 and a 20% margin.

5. Check the final quote

Consider scope, access, condition of the property, travel time, and what happens if the job runs over. Account separately for applicable taxes. Compare the quote with customer expectations without assuming that a competitor has the same costs.

6. Compare the estimate with reality

After the job, record actual hours and expenses. If it took eight labour hours instead of six, your costs rose by AED 50. Use that information when quoting the next similar job.

Worked examples use hypothetical figures. Review your own costs and assumptions regularly.