What is the difference between margin and markup?

Margin is profit as a percentage of revenue (selling price). Markup is profit as a percentage of cost. For example, if you charge £100 and your costs are £75, your margin is 25% but your markup is 33.3%. Margin is always lower than markup for the same job.

What profit margin should a cleaning business aim for?

A healthy net profit margin for a cleaning business is 10-20%. Gross margins (before overheads) are typically 40-60%. Start-ups may have lower margins initially due to marketing and setup costs. Solo operators can achieve higher margins because they have fewer overheads.

How do I improve my profit margin?

Increase efficiency (clean faster without cutting quality), reduce product waste, optimise travel routes, negotiate better supply prices, raise prices to match the market, and focus on higher-value services like deep cleans or specialist work.

CleanCalcs

Profit Margin Calculator

Work out your profit margin from revenue and costs, or find the price needed for a target margin.

Calculation Mode

Revenue (Selling Price)

What you charge the client

Total Costs

All costs for the job

How We Calculate This

This calculator works in two modes:

Mode 1: From revenue and costs

Profit = revenue - costs

Margin = (profit / revenue) × 100

Markup = (profit / costs) × 100

Mode 2: Find price for target margin

Required price = costs / (1 - target margin / 100)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Calculators

Hourly Rate Calculator

Calculate the hourly rate you need to charge to cover costs and make a profit.

Quote Builder Calculator

Build a detailed cleaning quote with line items, labour, materials and markup.

Job Cost Calculator

Calculate the total cost of a cleaning job including labour, materials, travel and overheads.

Staff Cost Calculator

Calculate the true cost of employing cleaning staff including NI, pension and holiday.

Equipment ROI Calculator

Calculate the return on investment and payback period for cleaning equipment purchases.

Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify quantities and timings for your specific situation.