Domestic Cleaner Tax UK 2026/27: Agency vs Self-Employed and a £16,000 Example
Domestic cleaners working through agencies are often employees, while those with their own client list are usually self-employed. Full worked example on £16,000 self-employed turnover.
Agency-placed vs your own client list
Domestic cleaning spans two quite different working arrangements: cleaners with their own client list, setting their own rates and hours, are genuinely self-employed. Cleaners placed through an agency that controls the client relationship, sets rates and provides equipment may be employees, and some agencies do run PAYE for exactly this reason — it's worth checking which structure applies to your specific arrangement rather than assuming self-employment by default.
Self-Employed Tax Calculator
Calculate income tax, Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance for self-employed and sole traders for 2025/26.
Open Self-Employed Tax calculatorWorked example: £16,000 self-employed turnover
Turnover (client fees across the year): £16,000
Deductible expenses:
- Cleaning products and consumables: £700
- Equipment (vacuum, mop, cleaning tools): £300
- Travel between clients (mileage): £600
- Public liability insurance: £180
- Marketing (local ads, referral cards): £150
- Total expenses: £1,930
Taxable profit: £16,000 − £1,930 = £14,070
Income tax: (£14,070 − £12,570) × 20% = £1,500 × 20% = £300
Class 4 NI: (£14,070 − £12,570) × 6% = £1,500 × 6% = £90
Total tax and NI: £390
Take-home: £16,000 − £1,930 − £390 = £13,680
Take-Home Pay Calculator
Calculate your net salary after income tax, National Insurance and student loan deductions.
Open Take-Home Pay calculatorDeductible expenses checklist
- Cleaning products and consumables
- Equipment (vacuum, mop, cleaning tools)
- Travel between clients (mileage)
- Public liability insurance
- Marketing and referral costs
Filing and paying
Register for Self Assessment once income exceeds £1,000, keep a simple log of products bought and mileage between clients, and file online by 31 January following the tax year end.
uk-trading-allowance-self-employed-guide-2026Frequently asked questions
Is a domestic cleaner self-employed or an employee?
It depends on the arrangement. A cleaner who builds their own client list, sets their own rates, chooses their own hours and brings their own cleaning products is genuinely self-employed. A cleaner placed by an agency that sets the client, rate, hours and provides equipment often looks more like an employee, and some cleaning agencies do operate PAYE arrangements rather than treating cleaners as self-employed contractors.
Can a self-employed cleaner claim cleaning products and equipment?
Yes, cleaning products, a vacuum cleaner, mop, and other equipment used for the business are deductible, either as revenue expenses for consumables or via the Annual Investment Allowance for larger equipment.
How much tax does a self-employed cleaner pay on £16,000 turnover?
After typical expenses of around £1,800-£2,200 (products, equipment, travel, insurance), taxable profit lands around £13,800-£14,200, giving combined income tax and Class 4 NI of roughly £330-£420.
Can a self-employed cleaner claim travel between different clients' homes?
Yes, travel between different clients during a working day is a deductible business journey at 45p/mile for the first 10,000 miles, though the first and last journeys of the day (home to the first client, last client back home) are generally treated more like ordinary commuting.
Do domestic cleaners need to register for VAT?
Almost never for an individual working alone — the £90,000 threshold is far above typical turnover for a solo self-employed cleaner, though a cleaner running a small team of employed staff should monitor it.
Try the calculators
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