ZenMaid gives you flexibility in how you pay your cleaners, whether it’s per job, per day, or per appointment. Understanding the difference between Fixed Flat Rate and Variable Flat Rate is key to setting up payroll correctly for your team.

A Variable Flat Rate means the cleaner’s pay can change from one appointment to the next. This method is useful if certain jobs pay more, such as deep cleans or move-in/move-out cleans.

The rate is set manually per appointment in Payroll.

Example:

1. A cleaner earns $60 for a deep clean.

2. The next day, they earn $40 for a standard clean.

3. Each appointment has its own rate, which you assign individually.

You can also apply a daily rate with a variable flat rate system.

For example, if a cleaner is guaranteed $100 per day regardless of whether they do one job or three, you’ll divide that daily rate across the appointments worked that day.

A Fixed Flat Rate means the cleaner is paid the same amount for every appointment they complete, no matter how big or small.

The set amount is automatically applied to each appointment in Payroll.

Although Fixed Flat Rates are automatic, you can still adjust them per appointment if needed.

This makes Fixed Flat Rate a good option if your cleaners typically average the same pay per job, but you still want flexibility to edit rates occasionally.

Use Variable Flat Rate if:

1. Job types vary significantly in effort, time, or size.

2. You need flexibility to set custom rates for specific jobs.

3. You pay daily rates and split them across multiple appointments.

Use Fixed Flat Rate if:

1. Your cleaners usually earn the same per appointment.

2. You want payroll to calculate automatically.

3. You only occasionally adjust rates.

Once you’ve set up your pay rates, you can run payroll to see totals for each cleaner. For details, see:

The steps to set up pay rates are the same for owners, office managers, and independent contractors (1099 contractors): edit the team member’s profile, go to Pay Rate and Job Estimation, enter the pay details (fixed flat rate, variable flat rate, hourly, or custom), then save.