Sales tax
Not at the state level, by inference. A 2012 non-binding Department of Revenue letter says Colorado generally doesn't tax services, and that general rule is the basis for treating residential and commercial cleaning as not taxable. No source names house or janitorial cleaning, and home-rule city taxes weren't checked.
Colorado's answer for cleaning comes from a general rule, not a specific one. The Department of Revenue said in a 2012 general information letter that the state generally doesn't tax services, and that letter is non-binding. This page covers residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, the limits of that answer, and what they mean for your books.
House cleaning appears not to be taxable at the state level. That's inferred from GIL-12-014, the Department's 2012 non-binding letter stating that Colorado generally doesn't tax services. No source names house cleaning, and home-rule city taxes weren't checked.
Janitorial and office cleaning get the same inferred answer from the same general services rule. No source names janitorial cleaning either, so this one rests on the 2012 letter as well, with home-rule city taxes unchecked.
Source: Colorado Department of Revenue, General Information Letter GIL-17-012 (non-binding)
With cleaning apparently outside the state-level sales tax, the books carry no collected sales tax for that work, and service income sits on its own line. Any answer I can't verify, I test, and the weak point in this one is home-rule city taxes, which weren't checked for this page. I note the city on each invoice for that reason, so the detail is already in the books if your CPA needs it. The minimum wage, local wages included, and payroll registration are on my Colorado page.
I'm a bookkeeper, not a CPA or an Enrolled Agent. I keep the service income and the invoice detail recorded. Whether your cleaning is taxable at the state or city level, and how anything is reported, is a question for your CPA.
Rules checked against the sources above as of October 20, 2026. Rates and rules change; confirm current figures with the agency or your CPA.
About Figure Eight Financial
Figure Eight Financial is Dave Gordon’s bookkeeping practice for residential and commercial cleaning companies. I work with owners in Colorado and across the country, and I’m a Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor.
Before bookkeeping I studied computer science at Penn State and spent a career at IBM as an engineer, so I build the books as a system: data comes in once, lands in the right place, and ties back to a statement. I’m a bookkeeper, not a CPA or Enrolled Agent. I keep the books your CPA works from, and the tax decisions stay with your CPA.
Credentials and memberships reported by Figure Eight Financial.
More about DaveHow I Help
With the state-level answer resting on a general services rule, service income goes on its own line with no collected sales tax attached, and each invoice carries its city because home-rule city taxes are the open question. That way the detail is already in the books if your CPA asks for it. Book a short call below and we'll go over your Colorado invoices.
The core service. Transactions recorded and categorized, every account reconciled so the books and the bank agree, and monthly reports that arrive explained, split by residential and commercial and sliceable per contract.
The full picture of how this works for a cleaning companyFor the months where nothing got entered at all. I fill in the missing periods from the ground up, pulling bank feeds, statements, and receipts until every month has a complete set of records.
How catch-up bookkeeping worksFor books that exist but can’t be trusted. I audit what’s there, fix the unreconciled accounts, duplicate transactions, and wrong categories, and tie every balance back to a statement.
How cleanup bookkeeping worksYour crews paid on time, every pay period, with each payroll run recorded in the books so labor shows up against the jobs it belongs to.
How payroll worksRecurring invoices that match your contracts, an aging report you can trust, and follow-up on slow payers handled by a process instead of your evenings. Built for net-60 commercial accounts.
How invoicing and receivables workA file built right for a cleaning company from day one, or rebuilt after the DIY version drifts, and then I teach you to run it. I’m a Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor, and this is honestly my favorite part of the job.
How a proper setup worksWe start with a short call about your business and where the books stand. The first conversation doesn’t cost anything.
I take a look at what you’ve got, your QuickBooks file, your spreadsheet, whatever exists.
You get a written proposal with the price, so the decision is yours with the number in hand.
Let's Connect
If your Colorado invoices don't show where each job was done, tell me how you bill today. We'll sort it together, and the first conversation doesn't cost anything.
