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Why office cleaning quotes vary so much, and how to compare them
What you'll learnOffice cleaning quotes differ mostly because each one prices different hours, a different kind of labour and a different share of risk. This guide shows the six lines to compare, so you can see what each price buys.
Why do office cleaning quotes vary so much?
Office cleaning quotes vary because each one prices a different job. Labour is half or more of the cost of commercial cleaning (BSCAI, 2025), so the biggest gaps come from how many hours a company plans for your office, how often it visits and who does the work. Supplies, equipment, overhead and profit make up the rest of the price (ISSA, 2018), and WSIB, insurance and HST can move it further. Ask every company to price the same tasks on the same schedule and to break its price into the same lines, then compare line by line.
Most of a cleaning quote is labour hours
Commercial cleaning is a labour business. David Murphy, a certified building service executive who runs a U.S. cleaning contractor (Supreme Maintenance Organization), puts labour at 50 to 80% of janitorial costs (BSCAI, 2025). Jordan Tong, a building-services consultant, puts direct wages alone at 75 to 80% of most janitorial budgets (CleanLink, 2020). Both write about the U.S. market, and we found no Canadian figure. The logic still holds here: the biggest question behind any quote is how many hours your office will take, and who will work them.
Companies estimate those hours in different ways. Tong describes counting the square feet of each floor type and the number of washrooms and fixtures (CleanLink, 2020). David Frank, president of the American Institute for Cleaning Sciences, starts from the area that is actually cleaned and how many times a year each task is done (ISSA, 2018). Murphy adds that the number of people using a building changes how long each task takes (BSCAI, 2025).
Even the industry's reference times leave room for judgement. Brant Insero, chief engagement officer at ISSA, the cleaning industry association, describes its published cleaning times as averages rather than timings taken on a real job (ISSA, 2022). So two honest companies can walk the same office and plan different hours. If a quote leaves out the hours, ask how the company worked out the time your task list needs.
Fewer visits mean longer visits
Mickey Crowe, an industry trainer with more than 35 years in the field, made this point in a short 2014 trade column (CleanLink, 2014). The less often a task is done each week, the longer it takes each time, because dirt builds up beyond what published time standards assume (CleanLink, 2014). Murphy makes the same point about days of service (BSCAI, 2025).
Neither Crowe nor Murphy puts a number on how much longer a less frequent visit takes, and we found no reliable figure elsewhere. So quotes for weekly and twice-weekly cleaning can't be compared by dividing one by the other. Ask every company to price the same frequency first, then ask what changes if you add or drop a visit.
Who does the work changes the price
Two quotes for the same hours can still differ because the labour costs different amounts. Ontario's general minimum wage rises from $17.60 to $17.95 an hour on October 1, 2026 (Government of Ontario, 2026). A quote priced before then may not reflect the new floor, so ask whether the price changes when it takes effect. Job Bank puts the median wage in the Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region at $18.00 an hour for light duty cleaners (Job Bank) and $20.00 for janitors and custodians (Job Bank), from 2023-24 data.
An employer pays more than the wage. Employees in Ontario get vacation pay of at least 4% of gross wages (Government of Ontario), and most employees who qualify get public holiday pay on Ontario's nine public holidays (Government of Ontario). The employer pays 1.4 times the employee's EI premium (CRA) and matches the employee's CPP contributions (CRA). Most Ontario businesses with employees must also register with WSIB (WSIB). Building services sit in Schedule 1, Class M (O. Reg. 175/98). The 2026 class rate is $1.43 per $100 of insurable earnings, and each firm's own rate can differ (WSIB, 2026).
Not every quote carries those costs. In 2025, Ontario's services-to-buildings industry had 19,156 non-employer or indeterminate establishments and 10,713 employer establishments (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada). The count also includes landscaping, pest control and carpet cleaning firms, and the source advises caution when comparing the two figures, so treat this as a rough picture. Outside construction, a sole operator with no workers doesn't have to register with WSIB at all (WSIB).
A lower price is not proof of anything wrong, and a quote should still say who does the work. Under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, the working relationship decides whether someone is an employee; the label on the contract doesn't (Government of Ontario). Ask each company who will clean your office, whether they are employees and who supervises them.
WSIB and insurance decide who carries the risk
Under WSIB policy, a business that hires a contractor may be liable for that contractor's unpaid premiums, up to the labour portion of the contract (WSIB Operational Policy Manual). A clearance certificate removes that risk for the period it covers (WSIB Operational Policy Manual). Clearances are valid for up to 90 calendar days, and both sides must keep a record of them for at least three years (WSIB Operational Policy Manual).
A company with workers should be able to show a current clearance. A sole operator with no workers may not have one, because registration is optional for them; WSIB lets a business with no employees request a tender letter instead (WSIB). Our guide to switching cleaning companies walks through the clearance check step by step.
General liability insurance covers injuries and property damage caused by a company's negligence on its premises or involving an employee (BDC). A certificate of insurance only shows that coverage existed on the day it was issued, insurance consultant Wade Millward explains (Risk Management Magazine, 2021). A policy can be cancelled mid-contract without the certificate holder being told (Risk Management Magazine, 2021). Millward writes about U.S. certificates, so have your own broker check the coverage. Ask for a current certificate, ask to be added as an additional insured by endorsement, and check again at renewal.
HST alone can make one quote 13% higher
Ontario's HST is 13% (CRA). A cleaner whose taxable sales, counting those of any associated businesses, don't go over $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters is a small supplier and doesn't have to register (CRA). A supplier that doesn't register doesn't charge HST (CRA, RC4022). So with the same price before tax, the quote that adds HST totals 13% more than the one that doesn't.
For many offices, that difference isn't real. A business registered for HST recovers the HST it pays on purchases for its commercial activities by claiming input tax credits (CRA). Businesses generally can't claim those credits on purchases used to make sales that are exempt from HST, which the CRA calls exempt supplies, so for those purchases the HST is a real cost (CRA, RC4022). Ask your accountant which applies to you, and check any GST/HST number on a quote with the CRA's GST/HST Registry (CRA).
Supplies: check what's in the price
Paper towel, toilet tissue, hand soap and bin liners are consumables, which Crowe separates from the chemicals a crew uses to clean (CleanLink, 2017). Some clients buy their own consumables, which changes what the quote has to cover, though the crew still spends time restocking them (CleanLink, 2017).
Practice varies. One U.S. contractor's guide to writing a cleaning request for proposals says tissue, towels, soap and liners are typically in its bid price, while hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes are traditionally billed separately each month, based on usage (PMM Companies, 2025). A quote with supplies and one without them are pricing different things, so put them on the same basis before you compare totals.
How to compare quotes line by line
Ask every company to show these six lines for the same written scope, then work through the steps below.
| Line | What to ask for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and frequency | Tasks by room, how often each is done, and what is excluded | More tasks or visits mean more hours |
| Hours and crew | Number of cleaners, time on site per visit and total hours per month | Labour is the largest cost |
| Who cleans | Employees or subcontractors, and who supervises | Employer costs such as vacation pay, EI, CPP and WSIB |
| Supplies | Which products, equipment and consumables are included, supplied by you or billed separately | Consumables are a monthly cost |
| WSIB and insurance | WSIB status, a current clearance if they have workers, and a liability insurance certificate | Decides who carries the risk if something goes wrong |
| HST | Whether HST is charged, and the GST/HST number | Can make one quote 13% higher on its own |
- 01
Write the scope first
Corinne Zudonyi, editor-in-chief of Facility Cleaning Decisions, describes a scope of work as the tasks and how often each is done, and notes that building service contractors price each task from it (Facility Cleaning Decisions, 2026). Our nightly office cleaning checklist is a starting point.
- 02
Send the same scope to everyone
Ask each company to walk the space and quote the same tasks at the same frequency.
- 03
Ask for the six lines
Use the table above. A U.S. contractor's guide to cleaning bids recommends a worksheet that breaks out staffing, payroll costs, supplies, overhead and tax for the same reason (PMM Companies, 2025).
- 04
Compare hours before price
Put supplies and HST on the same basis first. Check that the quotes plan similar hours for the same scope, then divide each monthly price by its total monthly hours across the whole crew. If one price is far lower for the same hours, ask which line is different.
- 05
Check the paperwork
Ask for a current WSIB clearance, a liability insurance certificate and, if HST is charged, a GST/HST number, and check the number on the registry. A sole operator with no workers may not have a clearance, so ask about their WSIB status. Recheck a clearance before it expires, since each one lasts up to 90 days.
- 06
Ask what happens when something is missed
Who you call, how fast they come back, and whether the return visit costs extra.
When the lowest quote is the right one
The cheapest quote isn't wrong by default. A small office that needs one clean a week may be well served by a sole operator. Write the scope down first and check their insurance and WSIB status. Comparing line by line tells you what each price buys before you pick one.
At Néa, the free walkthrough comes first, and the written quote follows within one business day of the visit.
Common questions
How do I know which office cleaning quote is fair?
Compare what each quote buys before you compare totals. Ask every company to quote the same written scope at the same frequency and to show total hours, who cleans, supplies, WSIB, insurance and HST. Put supplies and HST on the same basis, then divide each monthly price by its monthly hours. If one is far lower, ask which line is different.
Why is one cleaning quote so much cheaper than the others?
It may be pricing a different job: fewer hours, visits or tasks, no supplies or no HST. Labour costs also differ between companies with employees, which carry vacation pay, EI, CPP and WSIB, and operators without them. A lower price is not proof of a problem. Ask each company to show the same line items and explain any gap.
Do cleaning companies charge HST in Ontario?
Cleaning businesses registered for GST/HST charge 13% HST in Ontario. A small supplier with no more than $30,000 in taxable sales in a quarter or over four consecutive quarters doesn't have to register or charge HST. HST-registered buyers can generally recover it through input tax credits for their commercial activities, but not on purchases used to make HST-exempt sales.
Should cleaning supplies be included in the quote?
Either can work, but the quote should say which. Paper towel, toilet tissue, hand soap and bin liners are consumables, and some offices buy their own. Some contractors bill items such as hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes separately each month, based on usage. Ask every company to price supplies on the same basis before you compare totals.
More on this service: after-hours office and commercial cleaning.
