Keep cleaning-job costs and invoice payments separate

Five records worth keeping

1. Job scope: date, service type, rooms or areas, agreed frequency, and any scope change.
2. Working time: travel, setup, cleaning, return visits, and any paid helpers.
3. Cash expenses: supplies, replacement equipment, transport, wages, and allocated overhead; add applicable taxes separately.
4. Invoice terms: issue date, due date, amount requested, deposit agreed and reminders sent.
5. Cash actually collected: payment receipt date, amount, any refunds, and the balance still unpaid.

Fictional example: a CA$180 quote with CA$92 labour, CA$19 supplies, CA$18 travel and CA$16 overhead leaves CA$35 before omitted expenses or applicable taxes. If the customer has not paid, CA$35 is an estimate, not cash received.

Why payment timing matters

Intuit QuickBooks reported in July 2026 that 59% of surveyed US small businesses had invoices overdue by at least 30 days. This is a broad US survey—not a measurement of Canadian cleaning businesses or Project 29 customers. Read the original 2026 report.

The simple response is to maintain a separate record of the amount billed and the amount received. A spreadsheet does not automatically collect outstanding payments.