Hiring a cleaner
Hiring your own house cleaner
Paying a cleaner myself, with no company in between, makes me the employer. Two state rules matter most: workers' comp and the minimum wage.
Workers' comp for one household worker
Washington's workers' comp law lists a domestic worker in a private home as outside mandatory coverage when the employer has fewer than two employees who regularly work 40 or more hours a week there. (RCW 51.12.020, read Oct 19, 2026)
So one cleaner who comes in a few hours a week does not put me under the mandatory rule. Two or more people each working 40 hours a week in my home would. (RCW 51.12.020, read Oct 19, 2026)
This rule is about a household that is the employer. When I book through a cleaning company, I ask the company how it covers its own crew.
Minimum wage
- 2026: the state minimum wage is $17.13 an hour in 2026. (L&I, read Oct 19, 2026)
- 2027: $17.73 an hour for most workers, from Jan. 1, 2027. (L&I, read Oct 19, 2026)
Some cities set a higher rate than the state, so I check my city before I agree on pay. (L&I, read Oct 19, 2026)
What I settle before the first visit
- How many hours a week the cleaner works for me.
- How many people work 40 or more hours a week in my home.
- Whether my pay per hour meets the state rate and any higher city rate.
- Whether I am hiring a person or booking a company.
Next
For the interview, use questions to ask a house cleaner. Before that, read how to hire a house cleaner.
Sources
We read each source on October 19, 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the linked page before you rely on a number.
Written by the Puget Sound Residential Cleaners team. We list businesses; we do not employ, bond or insure them. Spot a mistake? Use the claim page to tell us.