Chapter 10 · Money Management
Revenue isn't income.
Every dollar has a job.
Most money trouble in window washing isn't a lack of work. It's money that lands in one account and gets spent as if all of it were yours. This chapter sorts every payment into its buckets, gets you paid faster, and gets you through the slow months.
One residential exterior window cleaning pays
$195
- Materials and supplies
- Share of the monthly bills
- Taxes
- Your pay
- The business keeps
Yours, after everything: $121 (your pay plus what the business keeps)
A customer pays $195.
Still unassigned in the account
$195
–
Materials and supplies
–
Share of the monthly bills
–
Taxes
–
Your pay
–
The business keeps
Example numbers for residential exterior window cleaning. Set your own in Pricing and every tool here uses them.
Revenue is not income
Name every bucket before the money arrives, and you'll never spend the tax money on a new tool by accident.
Revenue
The Gross Inflow
A customer pays $200 for a residential exterior clean. This goes into your dedicated business account.
Consumables
Supplies
$5 for solution, replacement rubber for squeegees, and rags.
Operations
Fuel & Driving
$15 for fuel used to travel between houses and vehicle maintenance.
Fixed Costs
Overhead
$10 for insurance premiums and recurring subscription costs for scheduling software.
Compliance
Taxes
$30 set aside immediately for your future tax liability.
Profit
What You Keep
$140 remains for your labor and business growth to cover equipment replacement.
The one habit that prevents the April panic
Every time a payment lands, move the tax part out the same day, into an account you don't spend from. When the quarterly payment is due, the money is already sitting there.
Move this much of every payment
11%
That's $21 of a $195 job: self-employment tax (14.1% of your pay) plus your income tax estimate.
To the tax account
$21
Stays in the business account
$174
An estimate from your pay and income tax guess, not tax advice. Your accountant or last year's return gives the real rate.
Profitable jobs can still empty the account
The work is done when the money is in the account. Collect at the job, take a deposit before you buy materials on big jobs, and never fund a customer's job with your own savings.
- 1
Collect on site
Use a mobile card reader or tap-to-pay on your phone. Collect payment the moment the window tracks are wiped clean and the job is done.
- 2
Use deposits carefully
Deposits are not standard for small residential window jobs but are common for large multi-day commercial contracts. Check local consumer laws before requiring one.
- 3
Invoice instantly
If you service a commercial site or property manager, send the invoice the moment the work is verified by the manager.
- 4
Late payment chain
Day 1: Friendly invoice delivery. Day 7: Polite follow-up. Day 14: Personal phone call or professional demand letter.
Cash Flow Gap
The cash gap on a bigger job
Started from three of your usual jobs in one. Change the numbers to a real big job of yours.
$0
Deposit collected
$135
Your money in the job
14
Days it's tied up
7
Jobs like this you can carry at once
Every job like this you book ties up $135 for 14 days. A busy month can empty the account even when every job is profitable.
If your collection time is long, you are essentially paying for your own work.
Estimate vs actual
A job that runs over on hours or materials can quietly pay you less than minimum wage. Track estimate against actual on every job for a month; the ones that run over are the ones to reprice.
Job Costing
Are your jobs profitable?
Started from your Pricing numbers. The "really took" numbers are an example overrun: put in a real job.
$44
Profit you expected
$8
Profit you made
$36
Lost to the overrun
11%
Gross margin (after materials and labor)
We don't have a published margin range for this trade yet. Compare this job with your own last ten: the ones well below your average are the ones to reprice.
If your actual hours are consistently higher than your estimates, you are underpricing your work.
Taxes and paying yourself
Nobody takes taxes out of your pay any more. That's your job now, every month, not once in April.
Monthly Profit
Your month, after taxes
Started from your Pricing numbers: jobs a week, price, materials and monthly bills.
$5,950
Revenue / month
$4,446
Profit before tax
$1,124
Set aside for taxes
$3,322
Yours to keep
Set aside 25% of profit: $628 self-employment tax (2026 federal rate) plus $496 income tax at your rate. Your real rate depends on household income and state; last year's return or a tax pro tells you.
Taxes come out of profit, not revenue. Put in your own income tax rate if you know it; last year’s return shows it.
Tax Basics
Taxes and paying yourself
As a self-employed business owner, you pay both employer and employee portions of Social Security and Medicare. Keep this money separate so it is ready when due.
- •Keep tax money in its own bank account
- •Never treat tax funds as operating cash
- •Always save more than you think you need
Not tax advice
I am an educator, not a tax pro. Tax laws change and vary by state. If your revenue is growing or you have questions about LLCs, hire a local professional. It is the best investment for your long-term success.
How many slow months does your year have?
This trade's usual pattern. Change it to yours. Then scroll through the year.
Busy months bring in more than the bills.
Reserve
Save before, not during
In most trades the money comes in waves. The busy season has to pay for the quiet one, and the time to save is while the work is coming in.
The Reserve
Surviving the slow season
Bills and pay started from your Pricing numbers. Slow-season numbers are this trade's typical pattern; change them to yours.
$3,188
Short each slow month
$6,626
Reserve to have ready
4
Slow weeks you can cover now
$363
Save per week until then
Steady work is easier if you offer interior window maintenance contracts.
Thirty minutes a week
Small and often beats a scary shoebox of receipts in April. Same day, same time, every week.
This week
0 of 4
Monthly Metrics
The essential monthly numbers
Revenue per Hour
Target: RisingTotal Revenue / Total Hours Worked
Helps you see if you are becoming more efficient or just working longer for less.
Average Job Size
Target: RisingTotal Revenue / Number of Jobs
Shows if your upsells (like screen or track cleaning) are working.
Gross Margin per Job
Target: Steady or rising(Job price − supplies − fuel) ÷ job price
Ensures costs aren't eating your profit.
Reserve in Months
Target: Covers your slow seasonCash in Reserve / Monthly Fixed Costs
Ensures the business survives the winter or quiet periods.
Commercial Work
Working with businesses
Businesses often operate on Net-30 payment terms. Factor this delay into your cash flow planning.
Mastering the Trade
Video training
Watch how pros handle their business finances.
Beginner
Setting up window washing books
ZenMaid · 23 min · Bookkeeping for your Cleaning Business
Prevents the common mistake of mixing personal and business money.
Gear used in this video
We may earn a commission from some links. It never changes what we recommend, and we'll tell you when the free option is enough. As an Amazon Associate, BeProEx earns from qualifying purchases.
Is my business healthy?
Get a professional analysis of your business numbers.
Common Mistakes
What people get wrong
Avoid these traps to stay profitable.
1Mixing business money with personal cash.
It makes taxes a nightmare and hides your actual profit.
Instead: Use a dedicated bank account only for the business.
2Ignoring fuel and vehicle costs.
Driving between homes is a major cost you can't ignore.
Instead: Log your miles and track fuel receipts every week.
3Underestimating 'setup' time.
You only charge for cleaning, but setup adds 30 minutes to every job.
Instead: Include setup/teardown in your 'hours worked' when calculating your hourly rate.
Recommendations
Bookkeeping tools
Keep it simple until you are earning enough to pay for help.
Accounting and Invoicing
You need to track your profit to pay taxes and manage your business.
Free way: Wave Accounting for basic income/expense tracking.
When it's worth paying: When you have more than 10 jobs a month or have hired staff.
The industry standard for tax reporting and professional invoices. Not the right fit if Beginners only washing 1–2 windows a month.
We may earn a commission from some links. It never changes what we recommend, and we'll tell you when the free option is enough. As an Amazon Associate, BeProEx earns from qualifying purchases.
Action Checklist
Finish this chapter
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Your business plan, money
Every dollar has a job
- Tax account: not yet
- Getting paid: not yet
- Job costing: not yet
- Slow-season reserve: not yet
- Money hour: not yet
Question 1 of 3
What is the primary purpose of tracking your 'Reserve in Months'?
Next · Chapter 11
Customer Service
The money side is under control. Next: the part customers remember long after the job.
Chapter 10 · Money Management
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