Short answer
Price window cleaning from time: panes × minutes per pane, plus setup and drive time, gives hours. Cost the hours at a loaded labour rate, add solution and an overhead share, then divide by (1 − margin). Example: 30 panes at 5 minutes each plus 30 minutes setup is 3 hours, which prices at $185.22.
- Minutes per pane is the number that sets your per-pane price. Time it on real jobs.
- A $21 wage with 28% burden costs $26.88 an hour.
- At an assumed 5 minutes per pane, a pane prices at $5.27 plus a $27.02 setup charge per job.
- Price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin). A 35% markup keeps only 25.93%.
- Every job needs a minimum charge that covers the drive, not just the glass.
On this page
- How to calculate window cleaning cost
- Window cleaning pricing calculator
- Window cleaning price per pane: a derived price sheet
- Worked example: a 30-pane house
- How to count windows for cleaning
- How much should you charge per hour for window cleaning?
- Minimum charge and the markup mistake
- Excel formulas for a window cleaning price sheet
- Calculator, app or spreadsheet for window cleaning quotes?
- What to put in your window cleaning price sheet
- Step-by-step
- FAQ
How to calculate window cleaning cost
Window cleaning cost is time plus consumables plus overhead. Count the panes, multiply by your minutes per pane, add setup and drive time, then price the hours.
- Hours = (panes × minutes per pane + setup and drive minutes) ÷ 60.
- Labour = hours × workers × loaded rate (wage × (1 + burden %)).
- Overhead share = hours × workers × (yearly overhead ÷ sellable hours).
- Break-even = labour + solution and consumables + overhead share.
- Price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin).
The pages ranking for this query mostly quote per-pane and per-hour ranges from someone else's market. Ranges tell you where others sit, not what a pane costs you. This page derives the price from your own time and costs, and every number shows its working so you can check it.
Window cleaning pricing calculator
Enter the hours from your pane count, your wage and your costs to see break-even and the price to quote. It starts with the 30-pane example below.
The same calculator lives on its own page as the free window cleaning pricing calculator, with no signup and nothing to download.
Window cleaning price per pane: a derived price sheet
Per-pane price = (minutes ÷ 60 × (loaded rate + overhead per hour) + consumables per pane) ÷ (1 − margin). Setup and drive time go on a separate per-job charge so the per-pane figure stays honest.
Assumptions (replace with yours): $21 wage, 28% burden = $26.88 loaded; $14,520 of yearly overhead over 1 person × 220 days × 8 hours = $8.25 per sellable hour; $0.50 of solution, blades and towels per pane; 35% margin. Minutes are per pane, inside and outside together.
| Minutes per pane | Typical situation (your call) | Break-even per pane | Price per pane at 35% margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Small, easy-reach glass | $1.67 | $2.57 |
| 3 | Standard ground-floor pane | $2.26 | $3.47 |
| 4 | Larger pane or screens to remove | $2.84 | $4.37 |
| 5 | Average mix used in the example | $3.43 | $5.27 |
| 6 | Ladder work, tracks and sills | $4.01 | $6.17 |
| 8 | Upper-storey ladder panes | $5.18 | $7.98 |
| 10 | Divided lights, hard water spots | $6.36 | $9.78 |
Per-job setup charge: 30 minutes of setup and drive with no consumables has a break-even of $17.57 and prices at $27.02. Add it once per visit.
The two pieces add back up to the whole job: 30 panes × $5.27 + $27.02 = $185.12, which matches the worked example below to within rounding of the per-pane figure.
The situations in the second column are illustrations, not measured times. The only minutes that count are the ones you time on your own jobs with your own tools.
Worked example: a 30-pane house
A house with 30 panes, cleaned inside and out at an assumed 5 minutes a pane, plus 30 minutes of setup and drive, is 3 hours. With $15 of consumables the break-even is $120.39 and the price is $185.22.
Worked example: Residential job: 30 panes inside and out, 5 minutes a pane + 30 minutes setup and drive (assumed inputs)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 1 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $21.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 28% |
| Materials (input) | $15.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $14,520.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 1 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 5 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 3 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $26.88 |
| Crew-hours | 3 |
| Labour cost | $80.64 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $8.25 |
| Overhead share | $24.75 |
| Break-even cost | $120.39 |
| Price to quote | $185.22 |
| Profit on the job | $64.83 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $162.53 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $22.69 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $5,899.11 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
Check it: 30 × 5 = 150 minutes, plus 30 = 180 minutes = 3 hours. Labour: 3 × $26.88 = $80.64. Overhead: 3 × $8.25 = $24.75. Break-even: $80.64 + $15 + $24.75 = $120.39. Price: $120.39 ÷ 0.65 = $185.22.
Outside only? Time how long exterior-only takes per pane, drop the minutes in the sheet above and use that row. Do not simply halve the price, because setup and drive do not halve.
Try it with your numbers — free
The free calculator does this whole method in about a minute: loaded labour, overhead share, break-even and the price to quote at your margin. No signup, nothing to download, and your numbers stay in your browser.
Open the free calculator →Get the free spreadsheetWant it built around your own rates, services and branding? Done-for-you custom calculator ($497).
How to count windows for cleaning
Count panes, meaning separate pieces of glass, not window frames. Then note anything that makes a pane slower: height, screens, divided lights, hard water or paint.
- Double-hung and sliding windows: each sash or slider is a pane.
- Divided-light (French) windows: either count each small light as a pane, or count the window as one pane at a higher minutes-per-pane row. Pick one method and use it every time.
- Glass doors: one pane per glass panel.
- Skylights and upper-storey glass: count separately, at the ladder or pole row.
- Screens and tracks: add minutes per pane if you clean them, or list them as an add-on.
Counting from the street or a listing photo is fine for a first quote. Confirm on arrival and adjust before starting, not after.
How much should you charge per hour for window cleaning?
Before consumables, the hourly price is (loaded rate + overhead per hour) ÷ (1 − margin). On these assumptions that is ($26.88 + $8.25) ÷ 0.65 = $54.05 an hour.
Hourly pricing suits storefront routes and jobs you cannot count in advance. For houses, customers usually want one number up front, so convert: hourly price ÷ 60 × minutes per pane gives the per-pane labour price, which is exactly what the price sheet above does.
If you pay a helper, the loaded rate matters more than the wage. A $21 wage priced as $21 leaves $5.88 unbilled every hour. The labour burden guide shows how to work out your own burden percentage.
Minimum charge and the markup mistake
Your minimum charge is the full price of the shortest visit you would make. With a 1-hour door-to-door visit and $5 of consumables, it is $61.74.
Worked example: Minimum charge: a 1-hour visit door to door (assumed inputs)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 1 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $21.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 28% |
| Materials (input) | $5.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $14,520.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 1 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 5 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 1 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $26.88 |
| Crew-hours | 1 |
| Labour cost | $26.88 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $8.25 |
| Overhead share | $8.25 |
| Break-even cost | $40.13 |
| Price to quote | $61.74 |
| Profit on the job | $21.61 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $54.18 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $7.56 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $1,966.37 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
Quote the higher of the per-pane total and the minimum. Six panes at the 5-minute row would come to less than the minimum, because the drive and setup do not shrink with the job.
The second common error is markup. Adding 35% to the 30-pane job's cost bills $162.53 and keeps 25.93% margin, not 35%. That is $22.69 short per job and $5,899.11 a year at five jobs a week. See the markup vs margin guide.
Excel formulas for a window cleaning price sheet
Layout: B2 = panes, B3 = minutes per pane, B4 = setup and drive minutes, B5 = workers, B6 = wage, B7 = burden %, B8 = consumables, B9 = yearly overhead, B10 = people in the field, B11 = billable days, B12 = margin %, B13 = minimum charge.
Hours on the job
=(B2*B3+B4)/60B2 = panes, B3 = minutes per pane, B4 = setup and drive minutes.
Price to quote
=MAX(((B2*B3+B4)/60*B5*(B6*(1+B7)+B9/(B10*B11*8))+B8)/(1-B12),B13)Loaded labour and overhead per hour × crew-hours, plus consumables, ÷ (1 − margin), never below the minimum in B13.
Price per pane (excluding setup)
=ROUND((B3/60*(B6*(1+B7)+B9/(B10*B11*8))+B8/B2)/(1-B12),2)One worker assumed. Build a row per minutes-per-pane value to make your price sheet.
Calculator, app or spreadsheet for window cleaning quotes?
Use anything that makes you enter minutes per pane and overhead before it shows a price. For one quote, the free calculator is enough; for a saved price sheet, a spreadsheet.
| Option | Cost | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor per-pane price list | Free | A market sanity check |
| Free window cleaning calculator | Free, no signup | One quote at a time |
| Free Job Pricing Starter spreadsheet | Free | Loaded labour, overhead, break-even and margin on one sheet |
| Field-service app (Jobber-type) | Monthly subscription | Scheduling, routes and invoicing |
| Done-for-you custom build | $497 one-time | Your own per-pane rows, add-ons and a branded quote page |
There is no ready-made window cleaning template in the store yet, which is why the free starter and the custom build are the options here. The same method for neighbouring trades: pressure washing and commercial cleaning.
What to put in your window cleaning price sheet
One row per pane type with its minutes, a per-job setup charge, add-ons, and a minimum. Everything else is calculated.
- Pane types and your timed minutes per pane for each (ground floor, ladder, divided light, skylight).
- Consumables per pane.
- Loaded labour rate and overhead per sellable hour.
- Target margin, applied by division.
- Setup and drive charge per visit.
- Add-ons: screens, tracks, hard water removal, each in minutes.
- Minimum charge, calculated from the shortest visit.
Reprice whenever your wage, fuel or insurance moves. With the formulas below each row updates on its own.
Step-by-step: How to Price Window Cleaning Jobs: Derive Your Own Price Per Pane
- Count the panes. Count separate pieces of glass by type: ground floor, ladder, divided light, skylight. Note screens and tracks.
- Convert panes to hours. Panes × minutes per pane for each type, plus setup and drive minutes, divided by 60.
- Cost the hours. Hours × workers × loaded rate, plus consumables, plus hours × overhead per sellable hour. That is break-even.
- Apply your margin. Divide break-even by (1 − margin). For 35%, divide by 0.65; do not multiply by 1.35.
- Check the minimum. Quote the higher of the calculated price and your minimum charge.
Run your own numbers — free
The free calculator does this whole method in about a minute: loaded labour, overhead share, break-even and the price to quote at your margin. No signup, nothing to download, and your numbers stay in your browser.
Open the free calculator →Get the free spreadsheetWant it built around your own rates, services and branding? Done-for-you custom calculator ($497).
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate window cleaning cost?
Multiply panes by minutes per pane, add setup and drive time, and convert to hours. Cost the hours at your loaded labour rate, add consumables and an overhead share, then divide by one minus your margin. A 30-pane house at 5 minutes a pane prices at $185.22 on this page's assumptions.
What is a reasonable price for a window cleaner?
A reasonable price covers the cleaner's loaded labour, consumables, overhead and a sustainable margin. On this page's assumptions that is $54.05 per working hour before consumables. Local prices vary, so calculate your own break-even and then compare it with local quotes.
How much should I charge per window?
Time your panes and use the per-pane formula. At an assumed 5 minutes a pane, inside and out, the price is $5.27 a pane plus a $27.02 setup charge per visit. Slower panes, such as ladder or divided-light glass, move to a higher row.
How do you count windows for cleaning?
Count panes, meaning separate pieces of glass. Each sash of a double-hung window is a pane, each glass door panel is a pane, and divided-light windows are either counted light by light or priced at a slower per-pane rate. Use one method consistently.
Why is window cleaning so expensive?
Because most of the cost is not the glass. Drive time, setup, ladders, insurance and the loaded cost of labour are all in the price. On this page's assumptions, 30 minutes of setup and drive alone prices at $27.02 before a single pane is cleaned.
How much should I pay my window cleaner?
If you employ one, the wage is your decision, but price every job at the loaded cost, not the wage. A $21 wage with 28% burden costs $26.88 an hour. As a customer, compare quotes on the same scope: pane count, inside and out, screens and tracks.
Is there a free window cleaning pricing calculator?
Yes. The free window cleaning calculator on this site shows loaded labour, break-even and the price to quote at your margin in your browser, with no signup. The free Job Pricing Starter gives you the same math as a spreadsheet.
I'm not a contractor, landlord or accountant. I build the pricing maths, and every number on this page shows its working so you can check it instead of trusting it. Watch the breakdowns on YouTube →