What the state adds to the price, and what it lets you verify
Federal rules for cleaning contractors are thin; the expensive differences are state-level. What Texas charges in sales tax, whether it licenses cleaning companies at all, and what its wage floor does to Holliday labor cost are below with official sources.
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account.
Texas charges sales tax on commercial cleaning services, so every Holliday cleaning invoice carries tax on top of the contract price - Janitorial, custodial and building/grounds cleaning are taxable real property services, residential and commercial alike; tax is due on the full billed charge. State rate 6.25% plus local up to 2% (8.25% max)..
Texas does not license commercial cleaning companies, so there is no state registry for Holliday buyers to check - verification falls to insurance certificates, written scope and references, which is exactly why those three matter here.
Texas janitors and cleaners earn a median of $15.87 an hour per federal wage data, which is the labor floor under every Holliday cleaning quote - labor is roughly the whole cost structure in this trade.
Most states do not license commercial cleaning companies, which surprises buyers who assume there is a board to check. What Texas does or does not require - and what that means for verifying a Holliday contractor - is set out below, with the state's own source next to it.
Cleaning is labor, and labor is priced locally. What Texas sets as its wage floor, and what janitors in the state actually earn at the median, explain more of the spread between Holliday quotes than any vendor's sales pitch does.
Put a compliance check out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
What Texas adds to a cleaning contract
| Question | Texas answer |
|---|---|
| Sales tax on commercial cleaning | Yes - taxable - Janitorial, custodial and building/grounds cleaning are taxable real property services, residential and commercial alike; tax is due on the full billed charge. State rate 6.25% plus local up to 2% (8.25% max). Providers also pay tax on their own soap, chemicals, supplies and equipment. (Tex. Tax Code Sec. 151.0101 (taxable real property services); 34 Tex. Admin. Code Sec.) |
| Licence or registration required | No state licence for cleaning companies - No cleaning-specific license. Texas Economic Development states a general business license is not required in Texas; a Comptroller sales tax permit is needed because janitorial services are taxable. |
| Median janitor wage (federal data) | $15.87 per hour |
| State minimum wage | $7.25 |
Texas is one of the few states that taxes commercial janitorial work outright - sales tax applies to the whole cleaning invoice, and the cleaner still pays tax on its own supplies and equipment.
This page is independent research, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Sales-tax treatment, licensing rules, wage floors and contract law vary by state and change - verify current requirements with your state's revenue and labor agencies, and have significant contracts reviewed by your own counsel or broker before signing.
Why Texas rules move Holliday quotes
Two of the three state variables land directly on your invoice. Sales tax, where a state charges it on cleaning services, is added to every monthly bill - on a mid-size contract that is real money over a year. The wage floor sets the labor cost every bid is built on, which is why identical buildings in different states get materially different quotes. Licensing is the third and it works differently: it does not change the price, it changes what a Holliday buyer can verify before signing.
What this means in Holliday
A certificate of insurance proves someone had coverage on the day it printed. It confers no rights on you, it does not obligate the insurer to notify you if the policy lapses, and the limits shown may already be partly consumed. Ask for the certificate from the broker, name your entity as additional insured, and re-request it at renewal.
This page is independent research, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Sales-tax treatment, licensing rules, wage floors and contract law vary by state and change - verify current requirements with your state's revenue and labor agencies, and have significant contracts reviewed by your own counsel or broker before signing.
Put a compliance check out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
Common questions
Is a certificate of insurance enough proof?
It is a starting point, not proof. The standard certificate states in its own header that it confers no rights upon the certificate holder - it is a snapshot of what was in force the day it was issued, with limits that may already be partly consumed by other claims. Ask the broker to send it directly, have your entity named as additional insured, and re-request it at renewal.
How long are commercial cleaning contracts?
Twelve months is the private-sector norm, and automatic renewal is close to universal. The common evergreen wording continues the agreement for successive twelve-month periods without an 'unless you give notice' qualifier, so the exit depends entirely on a separate notice clause - commonly 30 days before the term ends. Calendar that date the day you sign.
What does floor stripping and waxing cost?
Strip and refinish runs about $0.30-$0.80 per square foot in 2026 pricing, and scrub-and-recoat - the lighter maintenance version - about $0.20-$0.40. Most vendors apply a minimum service fee of roughly $250-$500, which makes small jobs disproportionately expensive per square foot.
How much does office cleaning cost per month?
For a small office cleaned three times a week, published ranges start around $100-$250 a month at the smallest sizes and run to $250-$800 for a few thousand square feet, with larger spaces at $350-$1200 and up. Restroom count, floor type and whether consumables are included move these more than most buyers expect.
Do I have to pay sales tax on cleaning services?
That depends entirely on your state - most states do not tax cleaning services, but a minority do, and in those states it is a real line on a real invoice: at typical rates it adds several percent to every monthly bill. This site publishes the treatment state by state with the revenue department's own source; check your state's page.
Put a compliance check out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
Prices in nearby cities
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