A cleaning business is a scheduling business. Crews move through houses, offices, and buildings all day, and the margin lives in whether the hours billed match the hours worked. ClockOut puts the schedule and the time clock in one app, so the plan for the day and the proof of the day are the same record.
Where cleaning businesses lose margin
- Site-time you cannot verify. Without GPS, the difference between a 3-hour clean and a 2-hour clean plus a long lunch is invisible until the client complains.
- Hours with no job attached. If time is not split by client, billing runs on guesswork and the unprofitable accounts hide.
- The morning text thread. Schedules sent by text get lost, and a missed change means a crew at the wrong building.
- Payroll from memory.Paper timesheets filled in on Friday reliably favor the cleaner’s memory over the clock.
What ClockOut does for cleaning companies
GPS clock-in at the client’s address
Cleaners clock in from their phone at the door. ClockOut records the GPS position and resolved address with every punch on every plan, and Starter’s geofencing can require punches to happen inside the site boundary you set per client.
Hours by client with job codes
On Starter and Pro, cleaners pick the job at clock-in, so hours land against the right account. Exports break time down by job code, which is how billing disputes end and unprofitable accounts surface.
Crew schedules on every phone
Build the week once, publish it, and every cleaner sees their shifts in the same app they clock in with. Weekly accounts run on recurring schedules; call-outs are covered by posting an open shift or approving a swap. Availability and time off from the PTO tracker stay visible while you build.
Auto clock-out and offline sync for real field conditions
If a cleaner leaves the geofence without clocking out, ClockOut can close the shift after a grace period and log an exception. In basements and buildings with no signal, punches save on the phone and sync with their original tap time when signal returns, flagged for review.
Payroll without the Friday reconstruction
Overtime-approaching alerts fire from real worked hours, the exception inbox collects late arrivals and missed clock-outs, and approved timesheets export to CSV on every plan. Pro adds payroll runs and files formatted for ADP, Gusto, and QuickBooks, plus a straight-line mileage estimate between consecutive jobs for reimbursement.
ClockOut vs the usual setup
| ClockOut | Paper + texts | Generic time clock app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS-verified site clock-in | ✓ | ✗ | Sometimes |
| Hours split by client / job | Starter | Manual | Rarely |
| Published crew schedule | ✓ | Text thread | ✗ |
| Geofence and auto clock-out | Starter | ✗ | Sometimes |
| Offline punch sync | ✓ | ✗ | Varies |
| Payroll export (ADP / Gusto / QB) | Pro | Manual | Sometimes |
| Cost for a 10-cleaner company | $30 / mo | $0 + admin hours | Varies |
Move the company off paper in an afternoon
- 01
Create the company
Sign up at useclockout.com, free for up to 2 employees, no card needed.
- 02
Add cleaners and client sites
Invite the crew, add each client address as a work location, and set a job code per account so hours land in the right bucket.
- 03
Publish the week
Set up recurring schedules for weekly accounts and publish. Every cleaner sees their week on their phone.
- 04
Approve and export
Review exceptions, approve timesheets, and export hours by job for payroll and billing.
FAQ
Can I see that a cleaner actually arrived at the client's house?
Yes. Every clock-in records the GPS position and resolved address on every plan. On Starter, geofencing can require the punch to happen inside the boundary you set around the client’s address, and auto clock-out closes the shift if someone leaves without punching out.
Can hours be split by client for billing?
On Starter and Pro, job codes let cleaners pick the account at clock-in, and exports report hours by job code. One job code per client is the usual setup for maid services and janitorial contracts.
What happens in buildings with no cell signal?
Punches save on the phone and sync with their original tap time when signal returns. Synced punches are flagged, a punch that could not be checked against the geofence is recorded and flagged for review rather than blocked, and punches older than 48 hours are not accepted.
Do cleaners need to download an app?
No. ClockOut runs in any modern phone browser and can be added to the home screen. Teams that share a device at an office or large building can use PIN-based kiosk mode on Starter and Pro.
Does ClockOut send invoices to my clients?
No. ClockOut tracks scheduling and hours, and exports them by job as CSV. Invoicing stays in your accounting tool; the export gives it verified hours to bill from.