Turnover isn't profit
If you take £600 a week from cleaning, it's tempting to think you earn £600 a week. But fuel, products, insurance and your phone all come out of that before tax. Then tax and National Insurance come out of what's left. This calculator shows what you really keep.
Your real hourly pay
The most useful number here is real hourly pay: your take-home divided by every hour you work, paid and unpaid. It counts the driving, quoting and messaging too. If it's below the National Living Wage, the calculator flags it. That's a sign to look at your prices, your travel or your costs.
Find your least profitable jobs
The jobs table shows each job's pay per hour and what's left after your share of the running costs. Jobs in red don't cover the living wage plus costs. Common reasons are:
- A price that hasn't gone up in years.
- A long drive for a short clean.
- The job always runs over the time you agreed.
Small price rises for your least profitable customers often make a big difference to your year. The price calculator shows what you should be charging.
What about tax?
The calculator sets aside a percentage of your profit for Income Tax and National Insurance, 20% to start with. Your real bill depends on your total income and allowances, so treat this as a guide. Self-employed people get a personal allowance, so lower profits may pay little or no tax.
