Cleaning business insurance requirements: workers' comp and client rules

Two things decide what insurance a cleaning business has to carry. The first is state law, which for a cleaner mostly means workers' comp once you hire help. The second is the client: the condo building, property manager, office or platform that won't let you start without paperwork. The second is usually stricter than the first.

Below is the state workers' comp table we could confirm on official pages, then what clients ask for. Where we couldn't confirm a state's rule from an official source, we say so.

Licenses and registrations are on their own page

A license is a separate question from insurance. No agency page we read names a license for house cleaning; you register the business, register for tax where it applies, and get a city or county license. California's janitorial registration skips cleaners who only clean homes, and Washington requires a state license once gross income reaches $12,000 a year. The state-by-state table is on the cleaning business license page.

Workers' comp rules by state

For a cleaning business, workers' comp is the policy most states require once you have employees. The Hartford says that if your cleaning business has employees, most states require workers' compensation. Insureon adds that house cleaning insurance usually isn't required by law, with workers' comp for employees and commercial auto for business vehicles as the exceptions.

Each state sets its own threshold, and some have separate rules for a housekeeper employed by one household. From each state's own agency page (Arizona from its statute):

State	When coverage is required	Domestic worker or owner note	Source
California	Even one employee	Care.com says California homeowners policies include some workers' comp for household employees (Care.com's statement, not the state's)	Division of Workers' Compensation
Texas	Optional for most private employers; employers without coverage lose protection from injury lawsuits and must file notices		Texas Department of Insurance
Florida	Four or more employees (non-construction); corporate officers and LLC members count	Sole proprietors aren't counted unless they elect coverage	Division of Workers' Compensation
New York	Virtually all employers	A household must cover a domestic worker, including maids and housekeepers, employed 40 or more hours a week; a homeowner's workers' comp rider doesn't cover them	Workers' Compensation Board
Pennsylvania	At least one employee	Domestic workers are excluded unless they elect coverage	Department of Labor and Industry
Illinois	One employee, even part-time		Workers' Compensation Commission
Ohio	One or more full or part-time employees; coverage comes through the state's BWC	Certain domestic household employers must apply	Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Georgia	Three or more regular employees, part-time included; exempted officers still count	Sole proprietors and partners aren't employees unless they elect	State Board of Workers' Compensation
North Carolina	Three or more employees on a regular basis; corporate officers count		Industrial Commission
Michigan	Three or more employees at one time (part-time included), or one employee working 35 or more hours a week for 13 weeks or longer	Same 35-hour, 13-week test for a household's domestic worker; a sole proprietor is never an employee	Workers' Disability Compensation Agency
New Jersey	All employers not covered by federal programs	A sole proprietor needs coverage once anyone other than the owner works for pay	Department of Labor
Virginia	More than two regular employees; part-time, seasonal and temporary workers count, and so do subcontractors' employees		Workers' Compensation Commission
Tennessee	Five or more employees (non-construction); owners of sole proprietorships, LLCs and partnerships aren't counted	Domestic servants are exempt	Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Massachusetts	All employers, regardless of hours or headcount	Only exception: domestic employees working under 16 hours a week	Department of Industrial Accidents
Washington	Coverage through L&I (or self-insurance); private workers' comp isn't allowed		Labor and Industries
Arizona	Every person who employs workers regularly employed in the same business; the statute sets no headcount threshold	Domestic servants are excepted; their employers may come under the law by complying	Arizona Revised Statutes § 23-902

We checked these pages on September 29, 2026. A state missing from the table means we couldn't confirm its rule from an official source. It doesn't mean the state has no rule.

What the table means for a cleaning crew

Part-time help counts in more states than most cleaners assume. Illinois covers one employee "even a part-time employee," Georgia and Michigan include part-time staff in their headcounts, and Virginia counts seasonal and temporary workers. The Saturday helper you bring to move-out cleans may already put you over the line.

You, as the owner, usually don't count. Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee all leave sole proprietors out, so buying coverage for yourself there is optional. The workers' comp guide covers that choice.

Hiring subcontractors won't get you out of it in Virginia, which adds your subcontractors' employees to your total. In Texas, skipping coverage is legal for most private employers, but the employer gives up protection from injury lawsuits.

If you clean for one family rather than running your own route, check the domestic worker column: in New York, Massachusetts and Michigan, the household can be your employer for workers' comp.

Your car's policy probably skips the work drive

Your car already has a policy. The question is whether it covers work. According to The Hartford, most personal auto policies leave out property damage and bodily injury from an accident on a work drive in your own vehicle. Insureon says a cleaner's personal policy is unlikely to cover a work-related accident, such as driving to a client's home or hauling supplies between jobs. The solo cleaner guide covers the fix.

What condo HOAs, property managers and offices require

State law sets the floor, but the building sets the bar you have to clear, and it doesn't care that the condo owner hired you, not the HOA. From the organizations' own published documents:

Organization	What it requires	Worth knowing
Evo HOA and Action Property Management, Los Angeles HOA	Certificate of insurance from all vendors working in residential units; general liability including hired and non-owned auto, at least $1,000,000, primary and non-contributory; statutory workers' comp	Also asks, if reasonably available, for an employee dishonesty bond covering property of others; HOA and manager as additional insureds; waiver of subrogation for both
FirstService Residential, Virginia	Additional insured wording on the certificate; top tier names "FirstService Residential and any of its managed Associations"	Credentialing through BCS at $95 a year; the lower tier needs a separate endorsement for each community. Specific limits sit behind registration and aren't confirmed
Bryant University (commercial example)	General liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate; auto $1,000,000 combined single limit; statutory workers' comp; $1,000,000 employers' liability; $1,000,000 umbrella	University named as additional insured

The Evo list is what a house cleaner runs into when a condo owner books a deep clean in a managed tower. It asks for more than most residential clients ever will, and your insurer has to change the policy for each item before the certificate can say so. The certificate of insurance guide walks through every item on it and what to ask your insurer.

Carriers and brokers report the same thing. biBERK says many commercial clients require proof of insurance before signing a contract. Insureon says some property owners, such as Airbnb hosts, will only hire cleaners who are bonded and insured. NerdWallet's own guide says that if you clean commercial properties, your contract will likely require a bond. What a bond does, and doesn't, pay is on the bonded and insured page.

A quick self-check

• Do you have employees, including part-time or weekend help, above your state's workers' comp threshold?
• If you clean for one household, does your state make that household your employer?
• Does the policy on your car cover driving to clients with your supplies?
• What does each building, property manager or office require, in writing?
• Is your business registered where you live, under the name you actually use? The license page covers that.

If an answer surprises you, the coverage page shows which policy fills each gap, and the cost page shows what each one runs.