To start a cleaning business in Georgia, you form a legal entity with the Secretary of State, get a federal EIN and register with the Georgia Department of Revenue, pick up a local occupational tax certificate from your city or county, and line up the insurance your workers and clients will require. There’s no special state license for general cleaning work, so the whole setup usually runs a few weeks and under $300 in government fees.
Pick a Structure and Clear the Name
Most cleaning businesses form as a limited liability company. An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts without the governance overhead of a corporation, which matters the first time a cleaner damages a client’s property or gets hurt on a job. A sole proprietorship is the cheapest path but gives you no liability protection at all.
Before you file, search the Georgia Secretary of State’s business database to make sure your name isn’t already taken. An LLC name has to include “LLC” or “Limited Liability Company.” If you’re not ready to file yet, you can reserve the name through the Secretary of State’s office.
Every LLC and corporation needs a registered agent with a physical Georgia street address to receive legal documents and government mail. You can be your own agent, but you have to be reachable at that address during business hours. Registered agent services typically run $50 to $150 a year.
File With the Georgia Secretary of State
Filings go through the eCorp online portal on the Secretary of State’s site. For an online LLC filing, the system generates your Articles of Organization from the details you enter (principal office, organizers, registered agent, email), so you don’t need to draft them separately.1Georgia Secretary of State. How to Guide: Register a Domestic Entity
The LLC filing fee is $110 total ($100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge), whether you file online or by mail.1Georgia Secretary of State. How to Guide: Register a Domestic Entity Standard processing runs about 7 business days online and up to 15 business days by mail. If you need it faster, expedited add-ons are available:
- Two business days: additional $120 for LLCs
- Same business day (submitted before noon): additional $275 for LLCs
- One hour (mail and in-person only): additional $1,000
Once approved, you’ll get a Certificate of Organization confirming your LLC exists as a legal entity in Georgia.1Georgia Secretary of State. How to Guide: Register a Domestic Entity
Put an Operating Agreement in Writing
Georgia doesn’t require you to file an operating agreement with the state, but you should have one even as a solo owner. It spells out how the company is run, how profits are distributed, and what happens if a member leaves or the business dissolves. Without one, Georgia’s default LLC rules fill in those answers for you, and they rarely match what an owner would choose.
Georgia recognizes both written and oral operating agreements, and a single-member LLC can create a valid written agreement by signing a document stating it’s intended as the operating agreement.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 14-11-101 – Definitions Always put it on paper. Banks often want a copy when you open a business account, and an oral agreement is nearly impossible to enforce when partners disagree.
Register for Federal and State Taxes
Once the state approves your entity, apply for a federal Employer Identification Number from the IRS. The EIN is free, takes minutes online, and you’ll need it to open a business bank account, hire, and file taxes.3Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
With the EIN, register with the Georgia Department of Revenue through the Georgia Tax Center. If you’ll have employees, set up a State Withholding Tax account for payroll deductions.4Department of Revenue. Register a New Business in Georgia
Unemployment insurance runs through a different agency: the Georgia Department of Labor. Use its online employer tax registration tool to check whether your business is liable for unemployment insurance taxes and set up the account if so. You’ll need your EIN, entity type, and payroll details.5Georgia.gov. Register a Business with Georgia Department of Labor
Sales Tax on Cleaning Services
Good news on the sales tax front: Georgia generally does not tax services. The 4% state sales tax plus local surcharges applies to tangible personal property and a short list of specific services like lodging, transportation, and admissions. Standard residential and commercial cleaning isn’t in that list.6Department of Revenue. What is Subject to Sales and Use Tax If you sell cleaning products or rent equipment as a separate transaction, those pieces can be taxable. Cleaning labor itself is not.
Get Your Local Occupational Tax Certificate
Every business in Georgia needs an occupational tax certificate from the city or county where it operates. This is what most people mean by “business license.” You apply through your local government office, usually with your state formation documents, your EIN, and ID. Fees vary widely and are often tied to employee count or projected gross revenue.
Operating without a current certificate can bring fines, and some jurisdictions treat it as a misdemeanor. If you work across multiple cities or counties where you have a presence, you may need a separate certificate for each.
Working From Home
Plenty of cleaning businesses launch from a home office, which is legal but usually triggers a zoning review before the local certificate is issued. Common restrictions cap the share of the home used for business (often no more than 25% or 500 square feet), forbid storing commercial equipment or supplies on the property, and require no exterior sign of the business. A company that just dispatches workers from home tends to pass without issue. Storing large amounts of chemicals or commercial gear at a residential address can create a conflict.
Line Up Insurance and Bonding
Georgia law requires workers’ compensation insurance for any business with three or more employees, with no exemption for part-timers. Two full-time cleaners plus a weekend helper puts you over the line.7Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-2 – Applicability of Chapter to Certain Employments, Employers, and Employees Coverage comes from private insurers, and premiums depend on payroll and the risk class of the work. Cleaning is a moderate risk because of slips, falls, and chemical exposure.
General liability insurance isn’t required by state law, but going without it is reckless. One broken antique or slip-and-fall at a client’s office can generate a claim that dwarfs a year’s revenue. Most commercial clients won’t sign a contract without proof of GL coverage, typically at least $1 million per occurrence. Small cleaning operations generally pay $500 to $1,500 a year.
A fidelity bond (sometimes called a janitorial service bond) protects clients financially if an employee steals or commits a similar dishonest act. Property managers and residential clients often expect bonding before handing over keys. Bond amounts commonly run $10,000 to $50,000, with modest premiums for a small crew, and being bonded is often the tiebreaker against an unbonded competitor.
Hiring Employees
Once you start hiring, a few Georgia rules kick in beyond the tax accounts above.
Report every new hire and rehire to the Georgia New Hire Reporting Center within 10 days of the start date. The program supports child support enforcement and benefit fraud detection, and reports go in online, by fax, or by mail.
Businesses with more than 10 employees that apply for an occupational tax certificate must register with and use the federal E-Verify system to confirm each employee’s work authorization. If you have 10 or fewer, you’re exempt but must sign an affidavit to that effect when applying for your local license. Watch this threshold as you grow: hiring employee number 11 turns E-Verify on.
When someone leaves, whether fired or resigning, Georgia law requires you to hand them a completed Separation Notice (Form DOL-800) on their last day. If they aren’t there, mail it to their last known address within three days. Former employees need this form to file for unemployment, and failing to provide it creates problems with the Department of Labor.8Cornell Law Institute. Georgia Comp. R. and Regs. R. 300-2-7-.06 – Notices Required From Employers Furnishing Separation Information
Keep Up With Annual Renewals
Forming the entity is not a one-time task. Every Georgia LLC, corporation, and limited partnership has to file an annual registration with the Secretary of State. The window opens January 1 and closes April 1 each year. The fee is $60 for LLCs and for-profit corporations, and a late filing adds a $25 penalty.9Georgia Secretary of State. How to Guide: File Annual Registration
Skip the annual registration entirely and the Secretary of State can administratively dissolve your LLC or revoke your corporation’s authority to do business. Reinstatement is possible, but during the dissolved period you lose the liability protection you formed the entity to get. You can file up to three years in advance if you’d rather handle it in one sitting.
Your local occupational tax certificate also renews annually, on a schedule set by your city or county. Put both dates on your calendar. Missing either one can bring penalties or a gap in your legal right to operate.