Payroll and Crew Management Software for Cleaning Companies

Paying cleaners looks simple until you do it every two weeks. One cleaner is paid per home, another by the hour, and a third gets a percentage of the job. Somebody drove 40 minutes between two clients. A customer left a $20 tip in the app and another left cash on the counter. A commercial crew clocked in at the wrong building. Cleaning company payroll software is mostly about getting those numbers right before anyone gets paid.

This guide explains how the pieces fit, with prices and features from each vendor’s official website as of October 27, 2026. It’s not tax or legal advice: classification, overtime, travel time and tips depend on your situation and your state, so talk to an accountant.

Two pieces: the cleaning app and the payroll provider

Most cleaning companies end up with two systems that hand data to each other:

1. A cleaning or crew app (ZenMaid, Jobber, Launch27, Swept, or a team app like Connecteam or Homebase). It knows the schedule, who cleaned which home or site, when they clocked in and out, and what the job was worth. It works out what each cleaner earned.
2. A payroll provider (Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll or Contractor Payments, ADP RUN). It moves the money, withholds and files taxes for employees and files 1099s for contractors.

The cleaning apps in this guide calculate pay and export or sync hours. None of the cleaning apps in this guide (ZenMaid, Jobber, Launch27, Swept) says it withholds or files payroll taxes. That’s the payroll provider’s job (Homebase sells its own payroll as an add-on). So ask two questions: does my cleaning app work out pay the way I pay people, and does it send the result to my payroll provider without retyping?

For the accounting side (QuickBooks, Wave, Xero, FreshBooks) see our accounting software guide for cleaning businesses.

Decide first: employees or contractors

Cleaners may be W-2 employees (you run payroll, withhold taxes and pay employer taxes) or 1099 independent contractors (you pay them in full and report payments on Form 1099-NEC). The IRS says it depends on how much control you have over the work, looking at behavioral control, financial control and the relationship. Its worker classification page explains the test.

This choice decides which software you need:

• Contractors only: a contractor payment tool (QuickBooks Contractor Payments or a contractor-only Gusto plan) is usually enough.
• Employees, or a mix: you need full payroll with tax filing.

Don’t pick based on which software is cheaper. Misclassification can mean back taxes and penalties. Ask an accountant or employment lawyer before you decide, and again if the way you run your crews changes.

How cleaners get paid, and what the software has to handle

Per job, per hour or a percentage

Cleaning companies typically pay in one of three ways:

• Hourly: simple and fair when a home takes longer than planned. The software needs reliable clock-in and clock-out.
• Flat rate per job: predictable labor cost per clean and a reward for efficient cleaners. The software needs a pay amount per job or per service.
• Percentage (revenue share or commission): the cleaner earns a share of the job price. The software has to know what to include in the price (discounts, add-ons, taxes, tips).

ZenMaid handles all three: its help center describes hourly, revenue share, fixed flat rate and variable flat rate pay. For hourly cleaners, payroll uses clocked times when they clock in and out, and scheduled times when they don’t. Launch27 includes a payroll manager with revenue split and commission reports on its Base plan ($75/month), and adds time-tracking payroll reports on Pro ($150/month).

If your cleaners are employees and you pay per job or by percentage, the US Department of Labor says overtime must be based on the average hourly rate for the week: total pay divided by total hours worked. That rate can’t be lower than the minimum wage, and hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at time and a half (Fact Sheet #56A). So even per-job pay needs accurate hours. Your accountant can check the math for your state.

Drive time between homes

For employees, the Department of Labor says that travel from job site to job site during the workday is work time and must be counted as hours worked, while the ordinary commute from home to work is not (Fact Sheet #22).

An example: a cleaner does three homes in a day, 2.5 hours each, with 30 minutes of driving between each pair of homes. That’s 7.5 hours of cleaning plus 1 hour of driving, so 8.5 hours worked. If you pay $45 per home, the day pays $135, which is about $15.88 per hour worked, not the $18 it looks like if you count only cleaning time. Over a 5-day week, that’s 42.5 hours, so overtime applies too. The software has to capture the driving, or you’ll be guessing.

What the tools say about it:

• Jobber’s cleaning page says its time tracking shows how time is spent across jobs, breaks and drive time.
• ZenMaid shows scheduled versus clocked hours. Its help center doesn’t describe a drive-time pay line; its payroll has an “Extras” field for items like tips, supplies and gas.
• Swept, Connecteam and Homebase record clock-in and clock-out, so drive time ends up on the clock if cleaners stay clocked in between sites.

Drive time is also a pricing problem. If your price per clean doesn’t cover the paid hours between homes, you lose money on every route. The hourly rate calculator helps you work out a rate that covers unbilled time. Tighter routes help too; see scheduling software for cleaning businesses.

Tips

Tips come in through the booking app, the card terminal and in cash. For employees, the IRS says employees must report cash tips of $20 or more in a month to the employer, and the employer withholds income tax and the employee’s share of Social Security and Medicare on tips (Tip recordkeeping and reporting). Ask your accountant how tips should flow through payroll for contractors and for employees.

In the software: ZenMaid lists tips in payroll but doesn’t add them automatically, so you add them as an extra. Homebase’s integrations page says its ADP RUN sync includes tips. Whatever you use, record each tip against the job and the cleaner so payroll and your books match.

GPS clock-in

GPS clock-in proves a cleaner was at the client’s address and makes hours easier to trust. It’s also sensitive: tell your team clearly what is tracked and when.

• ZenMaid Pro includes GPS-tracked clock in and out; Starter doesn’t include cleaner GPS tracking.
• Swept includes GPS check-ins and mobile clock in/out on every plan.
• Connecteam includes GPS clock in and out from its Basic plan, and geofences (up to 10 sites) on Advanced.
• Homebase lists location-based clock-in with its mobile time clock.

The options compared

ZenMaid: pay calculation for small maid services

As of October 27, 2026, ZenMaid’s Starter is $19/month plus $4 per cleaner or office manager and Pro $39/month plus $14, so Pro is $95 for a team of four and $179 for ten. Payroll is on Pro, along with the cleaner GPS app and a QuickBooks integration; Starter is limited to 40 appointments a month. ZenMaid says you can “pay hourly, by job, or by percentage.” It also offers year-end income reports for contractors. Payroll exports to CSV, a PDF per cleaner, or email. It calculates pay, but you still pay people through your payroll provider or bank. There’s a 14-day trial.

Jobber with Gusto: one app for the whole job

Jobber isn’t cleaning-specific, but its cleaning page lists GPS, time tracking that covers drive time, checklists, and a Gusto integration that syncs timesheets and reimbursable expenses. As of October 27, 2026, regular monthly prices are Connect $139/month for 1 user or $199 for 5, which includes time and expense tracking, and Grow from $199/month, which adds automatic time tracking. Extra users are $29/month. The pricing page doesn’t say which plans include the Gusto sync, so check it during the 14-day trial. Gusto is billed separately.

Swept: payroll audit for commercial crews

Swept is built for janitorial and commercial cleaning. Optimize is $150/month and Scale $225/month (20% off billed annually), with unlimited employees and subcontractors. Every plan includes payroll audit and approval, GPS check-ins, mobile clock in/out and exportable time entries. On Scale, the QuickBooks Online payroll integration sends manager-approved hours to QuickBooks as time entries. Swept says it doesn’t run payroll or set pay rates or overtime: you run payroll in QuickBooks, and the integration doesn’t work with QuickBooks Desktop.

QuickBooks Payroll and Contractor Payments

If your cleaners are contractors, QuickBooks Contractor Payments is $25/month (regular price) for 20 contractors, plus $2 per additional contractor, with unlimited 1099 e-filing. It’s $50/month bundled with Simple Start. Next-day direct deposit for contractors costs an extra fee that the page doesn’t state.

For W-2 employees, the regular prices of QuickBooks’ Workforce bundles are Payroll + Simple Start $88/month + $6.50 per employee, Payroll + Essentials $125/month + $6.50 per employee, and Premium + Plus $203/month + $10 per employee. All include full-service payroll; time tracking with the workforce app is included in Premium and Elite. Ignore the 50%-off introductory prices when you compare: they last three months.

Gusto

Gusto is a common destination for timesheets from cleaning and crew apps. Jobber, Connecteam and Homebase all list a Gusto sync. Its plans start at Simple, $49/month + $6 per person, which includes unlimited payrolls and tax filings; Plus, $80/month + $12 per person, adds time tracking and scheduling. US contractors are billed at the per-person price of the plan you choose. Confirm current plans on Gusto’s pricing page before you sign up.

ADP RUN

ADP RUN doesn’t publish prices: each package (Essential, Enhanced, Complete, HR Pro) has a “Get pricing” button. Connecteam and Homebase both list ADP RUN connections, so it can still be the payroll end of the same setup if your accountant prefers ADP.

Connecteam and Homebase: crew apps that sit beside your booking tool

If your booking app is fine but your staff scheduling and time tracking isn’t, a team app can fill the gap.

Connecteam is free for up to 10 users (its Small Business plan). The Operations hub Basic plan costs $29 a month for the first 30 users when billed yearly (Connecteam says yearly billing saves 18%), with GPS clock in/out, scheduling and payroll integration. Its help center lists integrations with QuickBooks Online, Gusto, ADP RUN and Paychex Flex, plus export templates for QuickBooks Desktop.

Homebase is free for 1 location and up to 10 employees. Paid plans are Essentials $30, Plus $70 and All-in-One $120 per location per month with monthly billing (annual billing saves 20%, according to Homebase). Its own payroll is an add-on at $49/month + $6 per employee paid (regular price). Its integrations page lists syncs with Gusto, QuickBooks Online Plus and ADP RUN.

The trade-off: neither app books clients or invoices, so cleaners use one app for jobs and another for the clock.

Which setup fits your business

Your business	A setup to start with
Solo cleaner adding the first helpers as contractors	QuickBooks Contractor Payments ($25/mo); confirm classification first
Residential maid service, 3–10 cleaners, paid per job or percentage	ZenMaid Pro, export payroll to your payroll provider
Residential team that quotes and invoices a lot, W-2 cleaners	Jobber + Gusto
Commercial or janitorial company, many sites	Swept Scale + QuickBooks Online Payroll
Booking app is fine, need a GPS time clock and shift schedule	Connecteam or Homebase, synced to your payroll provider

A payroll routine for each pay period

1. Close out the schedule. Make sure every completed clean is marked done and every skip or cancellation is removed.
2. Review hours. Compare clocked with scheduled hours and fix missed clock-outs before they reach payroll. Swept builds this step in as payroll approval.
3. Check drive time and overtime for employees, especially on long route days.
4. Add tips, bonuses and reimbursements to the right cleaner and job.
5. Send hours or pay to the payroll provider with the sync or export, then spot-check two or three paychecks.
6. Keep records. Save the payroll report per pay period; at year-end, your contractor totals feed the 1099-NECs.

Who this guide is for (and who it isn’t)

For: owners of residential and commercial cleaning businesses choosing how to track hours, calculate pay and run payroll for their cleaners.

Not for: anyone looking for tax or legal advice. Classification, overtime, travel time, tips and state rules depend on your situation. Ask a qualified accountant or employment lawyer.

The bottom line

Choose the cleaning app first, based on how you pay: ZenMaid Pro for small maid services paying per job or by percentage, Jobber with Gusto for teams that run everything in one app, Swept for commercial crews that need approved hours, and Connecteam or Homebase if you only need a GPS clock and schedule. Then connect a payroll provider: QuickBooks Contractor Payments for contractors, and QuickBooks Payroll, Gusto or ADP RUN for employees. Prices come from official pages on October 27, 2026; check them again before you buy.