Hiring an Independent Cleaner versus a Professional Cleaning Service.... What's the difference?

When most people consider hiring a cleaning service for their home, the most common questions they have include; What price am I willing to pay for the service? What areas of my home do I want cleaned? and How often do I want service? 

What most people are not aware of are the differences between hiring an Independent Cleaner and a Professional Cleaning Service. This is one of the more complicated, and possibly dangerous, things to consider. There are numerous laws, both state and federal, surrounding employment, worker's compensation, taxes, and payroll that you would have to research and follow if you didn't have Clean Right Company as your home cleaning service.

Below are three legal facts you should know before hiring an independent cleaning service.

FACT 1. If you pay more than $1700 per year to an independent housecleaner, you must sign up for an Employer ID Number with the IRS. You are required to pay Social Security and Medicare (also known as FICA) and Federal Unemployment Tax. You may also be liable for Federal Income Tax withholding, state taxes and disability taxes. These taxes become part of your personal tax liability and must be reported on your Form 1040. Penalties for non-payment include interest penalties and fines.
(For the entire list of forms to be completed, see this page on the IRS website .)

FACT 2. You must verify that the person is legally allowed to work in the United States by having them complete the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form. Penalties for hiring illegal aliens range from $250 to $10,000. You should keep a signed W-4 form on file for each employee; you may also want to keep a photocopy of each employee's Social Security card. (For the entire list of forms to be completed, see this page on the IRS website .

FACT 3. Make sure that your homeowners' insurance includes a liability clause in case your employee gets injured at your home. At least $300,000 in liability protection is recommended, but up to $1 million in an umbrella or excess liability policy may be needed to protect you. You also may be liable for workers' compensation payments that would not be covered by your homeowner's insurance. See this page for workers compensation laws in your state.

If you hire a professional home cleaning service, like Clean Right Company, all of these concerns will be taken care of for you. We are the employer, so you don't have to worry about filing with the IRS for an employer ID number. We also verify that each employee is legally allowed to work in the U.S. and we have all of the insurance that covers any accident that happens in your home. Not only that but Clean Right Company diligently screen each of our staff members to ensure we are hiring honest, dependable and hard working individuals. Once hired, each of our team members are put through a rigorous training program teaching them Clean Right Company's unique cleaning system which has been developed to provide a thorough, quality clean each and every time.