A plain-English guide for cleaners working through my cleanerHUB. This isn’t tax advice - it’s a map of what you need to sort out and where to go for the official, accurate answers.
Important: my cleanerHUB can’t give you tax or legal advice - every cleaner’s situation is different. This page points you to the right official resources so you can get it right, or know when to ask an accountant.
When you take on jobs through my cleanerHUB, you’re working as an independent, self-employed cleaner - not an employee of my cleanerHUB or of your clients. That means:
You’re in charge of your own schedule and how you do the work.
You’re responsible for declaring your income to HMRC and paying any tax and National Insurance due on it.
You don’t get holiday pay, sick pay, or a pension contribution from us - because legally, you’re running your own small business.
You can claim allowable business expenses (things like cleaning products, mileage, equipment) against your income - an accountant or HMRC’s own guidance can confirm what counts.
It sounds like a lot, but most cleaners find the admin side takes a few hours a year once it’s set up.
If you’ve earned more than £1,000 in a tax year (6 April to 5 April) from self-employed work - including cleaning jobs - you generally need to register for Self Assessment with HMRC.
If you earned under £1,000, you may be covered by the trading allowance and might not need to register at all - HMRC’s tool below confirms this in a couple of minutes.
Not sure if you need to register? Use HMRC’s free checker: 🔗 Check if you need to send a Self Assessment tax return – gov.uk
Do this as soon as you start earning through cleaning - you don’t have to wait until year-end. 🔗 Register for Self Assessment (self-employed) – gov.uk
This sets you up with a Government Gateway account and, in time, a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) - you’ll need both every year.
Deadline: you must register by 5 October following the end of the tax year in which you started. Example: if you started cleaning jobs any time between 6 April 2025 and 5 April 2026, you need to register by 5 October 2026.
You don’t need fancy software to start - a spreadsheet or notebook logging income and expenses is fine. Log: - What you earned, and when - Business expenses (products, kit, mileage/travel, phone use for work, etc.)
Doing this weekly or monthly is far easier than reconstructing a year of jobs in January.
Once registered, you’ll file a return each year covering the previous tax year. 🔗 Self Assessment tax returns – gov.uk
Deadlines: - 31 October - paper returns - 31 January - online returns (most people file online) - 31 January is also when any tax owed is due
HMRC will tell you what you owe once you’ve filed. Some people also make “payments on account” twice a year toward the following year’s bill - HMRC’s guidance explains when this applies. 🔗 Pay your Self Assessment tax bill – gov.uk
As a self-employed person, you may need to pay Class 2 and/or Class 4 National Insurance depending on your profit level. This is usually calculated as part of your Self Assessment return. 🔗 Self-employed National Insurance rates – gov.uk
HMRC is phasing in Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which will eventually require some self-employed people to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates instead of one annual return. It’s being rolled out gradually based on income level. 🔗 Making Tax Digital for Income Tax – gov.uk
If this might apply to you, it’s worth a quick check on the link above so there are no surprises.
We can point you to the door, but for anything specific to your numbers:
HMRC helpline - free, direct from the source: 0300 200 3310
MoneyHelper (free, government-backed guidance) - 🔗 moneyhelper.org.uk
A local accountant or bookkeeper - worth it even for an hour once a year if your situation feels complicated (multiple income sources, expenses you’re unsure about, etc.)
Earned over £1,000 cleaning this tax year? → Register with HMRC by 5 October after the tax year ends.
Keep a simple running log of income and expenses.
File online by 31 January, pay what’s owed by the same date.
When in doubt, use HMRC’s free tools or call them directly - better a quick call now than a penalty later.
This guidance is general and for information only. It isn’t a substitute for advice tailored to your circumstances.