Plenty of homes in Jupiter run better with help. Some families want a full-time housekeeper who’s there every weekday. Others want a cleaning team that comes on a set schedule.
Both can work. But hiring someone directly comes with paperwork and tax rules most people don’t hear about until tax season. This guide walks through what changes when you become a household employer, and how that compares to hiring a cleaning company.
This post is general information, not tax or legal advice. Talk to a CPA or tax professional about your own situation.
When Does a Housekeeper Count as Your Employee?
The IRS has a simple test. If you control not only what work gets done but how it gets done, the worker is your employee.
It doesn’t matter if the job is full time or part time. It doesn’t matter if you pay by the hour, the day or the week. It doesn’t even matter if you found the person through an agency’s list. If you direct the work, you’re the employer.
The IRS lists housekeepers, maids and house cleaning workers as examples of household workers. So if you hire a housekeeper in Jupiter, set their schedule and tell them how you want things done, you’re very likely a household employer.
There’s one big exception. If an agency provides the worker and controls what work is done and how, the worker isn’t your employee. That’s how a cleaning company works.
What Household Employers Owe in 2026
Here’s what the IRS and the State of Florida expect once you’re a household employer. Numbers below are from IRS Publication 926 for 2026 and the Florida Department of Revenue.
Social Security and Medicare
If you pay one household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages this year, Social Security and Medicare taxes apply to all of those wages.
Your share is 7.65% of wages.
Your employee’s share is also 7.65%. You withhold it from their pay, or you can choose to pay it yourself.
Federal unemployment tax
If you pay $1,000 or more in total cash wages to household employees in any calendar quarter, you also owe federal unemployment tax.
Florida reemployment tax
Florida has its own version. If you’re a domestic employer with a cash payroll of $1,000 or more in a calendar quarter, you’re liable for Florida reemployment tax.
Forms and deadlines
Form I-9. You must check that your employee can legally work in the United States.
Form W-2. For this year’s wages, the W-2 goes to your employee and the Social Security Administration by February 1, 2027.
Schedule H. You report household employment taxes with this year’s federal tax return, due April 15, 2027.
An EIN. You need an employer identification number for these forms. It’s not the same as your Social Security number.
Florida minimum wage
Florida’s minimum wage rose to $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026. That floor applies to household employees too.
What a Full-Time Housekeeper Does Well
To be fair, a full-time employee can do things a cleaning team usually doesn’t.
They’re there every day. Laundry, dishes and pickup happen as life happens.
They can take on extras. Some run errands, wait for deliveries or help with meals.
They learn your home well. Over time, nothing needs explaining.
If you need someone in the house five days a week, a household employee may be the right call. Just go in knowing the rules above.
What Changes With a Cleaning Company
When you hire a cleaning company, the company is the employer. That shifts the paperwork, payroll and insurance off your plate.
At Neat and Repeat Cleaning, here’s how that works:
Every technician is a W-2 employee of ours. We handle payroll and taxes. You don’t file a Schedule H for us.
We carry workers’ comp on every technician. They’re also background-checked, bonded and insured.
They’re trained before they start. Each one finishes the ISSA Certified Professional Housekeeper course and our own training.
You get backup. We try our best to send the same two technicians every visit. When one is out, someone who knows your home still comes, and you hear from our office first.
The tradeoff is that we come on a schedule, not every day. You can choose weekly, every-other-week or monthly visits through our recurring house cleaning service.
A Side-by-Side Look
| Question | Full-time housekeeper | Cleaning company |
|---|---|---|
| Who’s the employer? | You | The company |
| Payroll taxes and W-2 | You handle them | The company handles them |
| Florida reemployment tax | You may owe it | The company handles its own |
| Backup when someone is sick | You find it | The company sends it |
| Daily help and errands | Often | Not usually |
| Schedule | The days you set | Weekly, every other week or monthly |
What Jupiter Homeowners Usually Need
Many of our recurring clients live in gated communities around Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter. A lot of them come to us after losing a housekeeper they had for years. If you don’t need someone in the house every day, a recurring schedule may cover what you need. The house gets kept right, by people who know it, without you managing an employee. Most of our recurring clients start around $225 a cleaning, and the price goes up from there based on the home.
Not sure which way to go? Two of our other guides can help:
Replacing a longtime housekeeper in Palm Beach Gardens covers how to hand off what your old housekeeper knew.
Independent house cleaner vs. cleaning company covers hiring a self-employed cleaner instead.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Hire
Do I need help every day, or would a weekly or every-other-week visit cover it?
Am I ready to run payroll, file a W-2 and file Schedule H?
Who covers the house when that person is sick or on vacation?
If someone gets hurt working in my home, what coverage is in place?
Your answers will usually point you in the right direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a housekeeper I find through an agency still my employee?
It depends on who controls the work. The IRS says a worker found through an agency’s list can still be your employee. If the agency provides the worker and controls the work, the worker isn’t yours.
Do I owe taxes if I pay household help less than $3,000 a year?
Social Security and Medicare taxes don’t apply below $3,000 a year in cash wages, using this year’s threshold. Other rules, like federal or Florida unemployment tax, have their own thresholds. Ask a tax professional.
Do you clean homes in Jupiter gated communities?
Yes. Tell us your community when you call so we can handle the vendor list and gate access.
House Cleaning in Jupiter From a Local Team
Our Palm Beach Gardens office serves Jupiter, Jupiter Island, Tequesta and the rest of north Palm Beach County. If you live in a gated community, tell us before you book so we can get on your approved vendor list.
Learn more about our house cleaning in Jupiter, or call Neat and Repeat Cleaning at (561) 245-3839. A real person will answer, and we’ll help you figure out the right fit.
