ServiceMaster Clean franchise unit economics
ServiceMaster Clean franchisees run commercial cleaning businesses that sell contracted recurring janitorial service to commercial and institutional buildings, plus carpet, floor and other periodic cleaning.
ServiceMaster Clean franchise at a glance
ServiceMaster Clean’s Item 19 reports 2025 Gross Service Sales by ownership group, with quartile averages and ranges for 169 owners holding one franchise, and publishes no profit or cost figures.
ServiceMaster Clean owners holding a single franchise averaged $885,376 of Gross Service Sales in 2025, with a median of $392,208, according to Item 19 of ServiceMaster Clean’s 2026 FDD, issued 30 April 2026. The 169 in that group are 91%* of ServiceMaster Clean’s 186 single-franchise ownership groups. Fees paid to ServiceMaster Clean come to about 7.14%* of sales.
- A ServiceMaster Clean franchise costs $111,800 to $187,500 to open, including a $40,000 initial franchise fee, according to the brand’s 2026 FDD.
- ServiceMaster Clean charges a royalty on a sliding monthly scale from 7% down to 4% of contracted recurring sales, and 10% of all other sales.
- ServiceMaster Clean also charges a 0.5% ad fund contribution (at least $25 a month), requires 2% of sales on local advertising, and charges technology and digital platform fees.
- On Averan’s reading, the fees paid to ServiceMaster Clean come to about 7.1%* of sales at the single-franchise average, if all sales are contracted recurring work.
- ServiceMaster Clean had 584 franchised outlets at the end of 2025, down from 611 a year earlier and 647 at the start of 2023.
These figures come from ServiceMaster Clean's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors. The 7.1% fee share is an Averan calculation: the sliding royalty applied to one-twelfth of the $885,376 average, plus the 0.5% ad fund and the fixed technology, business intelligence and digital platform fees. The 2% local advertising commitment is spent locally and is not included.
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Talk to Averan → Averan ServiceMaster Clean Conversion Package →- The single-franchise average is 2.3 times* the median. The 169 single-franchise owners averaged $885,376 and the median was $392,208. 47 of the 169, or 27.8%, reached the average, and the highest reported $14,513,966.
- The top quarter of single-franchise owners averaged $2,527,051 and the bottom quarter $77,001. That is 32.8 times* between the two quartile averages. The lowest single-franchise owner reported $9,052 for the year.
- The minimum sales requirement rises to $52,000 a month from the 49th month. That is $624,000 a year*. Every single-franchise owner in the lower two quartiles reported $385,457 or less in 2025, though some hold older licenses whose terms the FDD does not set out in Item 19.
- The royalty rate depends on the type of work. Work under a written annual contract performed at least twice a month pays a sliding 7% to 4% each month; all other work pays 10%. At the single-franchise average, all-recurring sales would pay 5.5%* in royalty.
- The system went from 647 franchises at the start of 2023 to 584 at the end of 2025. Over the three years 32 franchises opened and 95 left through terminations, non-renewals and ceased operations*. The FDD says some of the non-renewals and closures were existing franchisees consolidating several licenses into one franchise.
Revenue
How much does a ServiceMaster Clean franchise make?
| Group | Groups | Average | Median | Lowest | Highest | At or above average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-franchise ownership groups | 169 | $885,376 | $392,208 | $9,052 | $14,513,966 | 47 / 27.8% |
| All ownership groups with an Active Franchise | 301 | $1,637,115 | $653,563 | $9,052 | $51,414,426 | 74 / 24.6% |
Source: ServiceMaster Clean 2026 FDD, Item 19, Tables 1 and 2 (fiscal year ended December 31, 2025). The 301 groups held 539 Active Franchises.
The average ServiceMaster Clean owner holding one franchise reported $885,376 of Gross Service Sales in 2025, and the median reported $392,208. Those figures cover 169 of the 186 single-franchise ownership groups. Item 19 reports by ownership group, not by franchise; the franchisor says owners of several franchises often book all their sales under one of them.
The 301 ownership groups of every size averaged $1,637,115, with a median of $653,563. Those groups held an average of 1.79 Active Franchises each, so this figure is not the result of one franchise. A new franchisee buying one franchise is a single-franchise ownership group, which is why this page uses the 169-group figures as its headline.
Item 19 excludes groups that opened, transferred or closed during 2025, or that did not report sales in at least six months. For single-franchise owners that left out 15 groups that did not report every month, one that transferred and one that opened in 2025. A further 16 single-franchise groups closed during the year.
Gross Service Sales is revenue, not income. Item 19 publishes no costs, wages or profit. Fees, wages, supplies, vehicles and insurance all come out before an owner is paid.
Quartiles
Revenue by quartile, single-franchise owners, 2025
| Quartile | Groups | Average | At or above quartile average | Median | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top quartile | 43 | $2,527,051 | 14 / 32.5% | $1,891,122 | $947,815 | $14,513,966 |
| 2nd quartile | 42 | $633,307 | 18 / 42.9% | $624,849 | $392,208 | $926,270 |
| 3rd quartile | 42 | $265,056 | 23 / 54.8% | $270,505 | $148,587 | $385,457 |
| Bottom quartile | 42 | $77,001 | 21 / 50.0% | $82,229 | $9,052 | $147,218 |
| All | 169 | $885,376 | 47 / 27.8% | $392,208 | $9,052 | $14,513,966 |
Source: ServiceMaster Clean 2026 FDD, Item 19, Table 1. The 169 groups include 127 Cleaning Services franchises and 42 franchises on older license types.
The top quartile of single-franchise owners averaged $2,527,051 and the bottom quartile averaged $77,001. The gap between the two averages is 32.8 times*. The top quartile alone runs from $947,815 to $14,513,966.
The second-quartile median of $624,849 sits close to the $624,000 a year* that the current agreement requires from the 49th month. The requirement is $52,000 a month in Item 12, and the franchisor may terminate an agreement that misses it three times in nine months. Every owner in the third and bottom quartiles, 84 groups, reported $385,457 or less.
The minimum royalty from the 49th month is $2,982 a month, or $35,784 a year*. At the bottom-quartile average of $77,001 that would be 46.5%* of sales. Item 19 does not say how many of these owners are on the current agreement; Item 6 sets a $250 monthly minimum for legacy renewal franchises.
All owners
Revenue by quartile, all ownership groups, 2025
| Quartile | Groups | Active franchises | Average franchises | Average | Median | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top quartile | 76 | 184 | 2.42 | $4,961,391 | $2,890,336 | $1,570,056 | $51,414,426 |
| 2nd quartile | 75 | 135 | 1.80 | $1,019,194 | $947,815 | $653,563 | $1,536,757 |
| 3rd quartile | 75 | 127 | 1.69 | $417,476 | $418,153 | $235,415 | $641,897 |
| Bottom quartile | 75 | 93 | 1.24 | $106,077 | $98,228 | $9,052 | $232,409 |
| All | 301 | 539 | 1.79 | $1,637,115 | $653,563 | $9,052 | $51,414,426 |
Source: ServiceMaster Clean 2026 FDD, Item 19, Table 2. Figures are per ownership group, not per franchise.
Ownership groups in the top quartile held an average of 2.42 Active Franchises; those in the bottom quartile held 1.24. Of the 301 groups, 169 owned one franchise, 103 owned two or three, 19 owned four or five and 10 owned six to ten.
The franchisor says it cannot report sales by franchise for multi-franchise owners. Item 19 states that these owners often consolidate sales under one franchise and that territories can overlap, so per-franchise figures would be unreliable. The table above is therefore per owner, and its figures should not be compared directly with the single-franchise table.
Brand charges
Brand charges
| Charge | Rate in the FDD | At $885,376* | Share of sales* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty, contracted recurring services | Sliding monthly scale: 7% to $11,140.99, 6% to $27,053.99, 5% to $90,177.99, 4% above | $48,852 | 5.52% |
| Royalty, other services | 10% of those sales | Not computed | – |
| Ad fund contribution | Greater of 0.5% of monthly sales or $25 | $4,427 | 0.50% |
| Local advertising commitment | 2% of monthly sales, spent locally | $17,708 | 2.00% |
| Technology fee (management software) | $360 to $750 a month by prior-year sales; $430 at $750,001 to $2,000,000 | $5,160 | 0.58% |
| Business intelligence software | $450 a quarter | $1,800 | 0.20% |
| Digital platform fee | $250 a month per office | $3,000 | 0.34% |
| Paid to the brand, excluding local advertising | $63,239 | 7.14% |
Source: ServiceMaster Clean 2026 FDD, Item 6. Averan columns assume every dollar is contracted recurring work spread evenly over 12 months; work billed at the 10% rate raises the royalty.
The royalty is the greater of a minimum monthly royalty or a split charge on two kinds of work. Work under a written annual contract that is performed at least twice a month pays the sliding 7% to 4% scale on that month’s sales. One-time work, work done less often than twice a month and work without an annual contract pays 10%. The scale’s sales bands rise each May 1 by the Consumer Price Index or 3%, whichever is greater.
At the $392,208 median, the charges paid to the brand come to about 9.0%* of sales. The sliding royalty averages 6.17%* at that level and the fixed fees take 2.33%*, against 1.13%* at the average.
The minimum monthly royalty rises from $0 in the first four months to $250, $455, $892, $1,671 and then $2,982 a month from the 49th month. The minimum monthly sales requirement in Item 12 is $0 for the first 12 months, then $6,500, $13,000, $26,000 and $52,000 a month from the 49th month.
The initial franchise fee is $40,000, plus a $4,750 online marketing fund deposit paid at signing. Item 5 lists discounts of 20% for honorably discharged veterans and 15% for affiliate and conversion buyers. Initial franchise fees collected in 2025 ranged from $16,250 to $32,500. Item 6 also lists a renewal fee of 6% of the then-current franchise fee, a transfer fee of 10% of it, and an annual convention fee of $1,000 per attendee.
Cost to open
Cost to open
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40,000 | $40,000 |
| Equipment and supplies | $10,000 | $40,000 |
| Vehicles | $8,000 | $12,500 |
| Technology system | $1,800 | $3,000 |
| Travel and other expenses during training | $4,000 | $7,000 |
| Insurance | $3,750 | $6,500 |
| Local advertising | $500 | $1,500 |
| Online marketing fund deposit | $4,750 | $4,750 |
| Miscellaneous opening and real estate expenses | $4,000 | $7,000 |
| Professional fees | $5,000 | $15,000 |
| Additional funds, first 3 months | $30,000 | $50,000 |
| Total | $111,800 | $187,500 |
Source: ServiceMaster Clean 2026 FDD, Item 7. The total includes $44,750 paid to the franchisor or its affiliates.
A ServiceMaster Clean franchise costs $111,800 to $187,500 to open. The franchise fee and the online marketing deposit, $44,750 together, are the same at both ends of the range. Equipment and supplies is the line with the widest range, $10,000 to $40,000.
The vehicle line covers a down payment, the first payment and signage on one truck, not its full price. Item 7 puts the truck itself at about $30,000 to $70,000, with financed payments of $1,000 to $1,500 a month over four to six years.
The additional funds line assumes three employees in the first three months. A home office is allowed; the estimate includes deposits for a small office. Item 11 says a new franchise typically opens 60 to 120 days after signing and must open within six months.
Locations
Locations, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Not renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 647 | 4 | 27 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 606 | 22 |
| 2024 | 606 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 611 | 17 |
| 2025 | 611 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 13 | 584 | 4 |
| 2023–2025* | 647 | 32 | 33 | 38 | 0 | 24 | 584 | 43 |
Source: ServiceMaster Clean 2026 FDD, Item 20, Tables 1 to 3. There were no company-owned outlets. The three-year row is Averan’s sum of the yearly rows.
ServiceMaster Clean had 584 franchised outlets at the end of 2025, down 27 in the year. At December 31, 2025 those were 419 Cleaning Services Licenses and 165 older licenses, held by 319 ownership groups.
The FDD says part of the decline reflects license consolidation, not closed businesses. Some non-renewals and closures in 2023 and 2024, and some closures in 2025, were existing franchisees merging several licenses into one franchise while continuing to serve the same territory.
One franchise agreement was signed but not open at the end of 2025, and the franchisor projects 11 new franchised outlets in 2026. Territories are not exclusive, and Item 12 says the franchisor and its affiliates may operate or license ServiceMaster businesses inside a franchisee’s territory.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask
How much does it cost to open a ServiceMaster Clean franchise?
The 2026 FDD estimates $111,800 to $187,500, including the $40,000 initial franchise fee and a $4,750 online marketing fund deposit. The largest lines are three months of additional funds ($30,000 to $50,000) and equipment and supplies ($10,000 to $40,000).
What royalty does ServiceMaster Clean charge?
Contracted recurring work pays a sliding monthly scale from 7% down to 4%, and all other work pays 10%, subject to a minimum monthly royalty that reaches $2,982 from the 49th month. On top of that are a 0.5% ad fund contribution, a 2% local advertising commitment, and technology, business intelligence and digital platform fees.
How much does a ServiceMaster Clean franchise make?
Owners holding a single franchise averaged $885,376 of Gross Service Sales in 2025, with a median of $392,208, across 169 groups. The top quartile averaged $2,527,051 and the bottom quartile $77,001. These are sales figures; the FDD publishes no profit figure.
How many ServiceMaster Clean locations are there?
There were 584 franchised outlets at the end of 2025, held by 319 ownership groups, down from 611 at the end of 2024. There were no company-owned outlets.
Is there a minimum sales requirement?
Yes. Item 12 sets a minimum of $0 for the first 12 months, rising to $6,500, $13,000, $26,000 and then $52,000 a month from the 49th month. Missing it three times in any nine-month period allows the franchisor to terminate the agreement.
Does a ServiceMaster Clean franchisee get an exclusive territory?
No. Item 12 says the franchisee will not receive an exclusive territory, and the franchisor and its affiliates may operate or license other ServiceMaster businesses inside it.
Questions worth putting to ServiceMaster Clean
These are questions the filing leaves open. An owner or a buyer can put them to the franchisor directly.
- Is the revenue in Item 19 gross sales or collected revenue, and how many locations sit below the average?
- Which factors does ServiceMaster Clean see in its highest-selling locations, such as territory, years open and staffing?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many ServiceMaster Clean locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It also checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Reporting for a ServiceMaster Clean owner
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Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- What does this location earn on the money I put into it?It works out the payback period and cash-on-cash return for one unit.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?It explains what an Item 19 financial performance representation tells you and what it leaves out.
Where these figures come from
Every figure here comes from ServiceMaster Clean/Restore SPE LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear. The figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. ServiceMaster Clean is a trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: ServiceMaster Clean/Restore SPE LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 30 April 2026.