How to read a cleaning quote in Singapore

A fair cleaning quote in Singapore shows the price you will actually pay. If the company is registered for GST, the figure must already include GST, and any fee you cannot avoid, such as a weekend surcharge or a booking fee, should be part of the headline price rather than added at checkout. Before you compare two quotes, check what is included, what could be added, and what happens if you cancel.

This guide explains the two official rules that protect you, the questions worth asking, and how to compare quotes that are written in different ways.

GST should already be in the price

IRAS, Singapore's tax authority, is clear on this. A GST-registered business must display and quote prices that include GST to the public, and that covers price tags, advertisements, websites, and written or verbal quotes. The current GST rate is 9%, and it should already sit inside the number you are shown.

So a quote written as a figure "plus GST", or a price list that says prices are "subject to GST" or "before GST" without showing the GST-inclusive figure, is not an acceptable way to quote you. IRAS allows one exception, for hotels and food and beverage outlets that charge a service charge, and it does not cover a cleaning company.

Three more points from IRAS are worth knowing:

• Only GST-registered businesses are allowed to charge GST. If a small operator adds GST to your bill, you can check whether they are registered using IRAS's online search.
• If a business shows both a GST-inclusive and a GST-exclusive price, the inclusive one must be at least as prominent.
• If you think a business is breaking the price display rules, IRAS has a form for reporting wrong GST practices.

Drip pricing: when the price grows as you book

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore publishes Guidelines on Price Transparency, in effect since 1 November 2020, which explain which pricing practices could breach the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. One of the four practices they cover is drip pricing: advertising a lower headline price than the final price, with extra fees revealed during the booking or payment steps.

The Commission's position is that unavoidable or mandatory charges, such as taxes, surcharges and service fees, should be included in the total headline price. Where a charge genuinely cannot be worked out in advance, its existence should be disclosed clearly and prominently next to the headline price. For optional extras, it encourages an opt-in approach, where you tick the box yourself, rather than a box that is already ticked for you.

In a cleaning booking, drip pricing tends to look like this:

• A low hourly rate in an advert, then a booking, platform or service fee at the payment step
• A weekend or public holiday surcharge that only appears once you pick a Saturday
• A card or payment processing fee added at the very end
• An add-on, such as supplies, already ticked when you reach checkout

The same guidelines cover discounts and the word "free". A time-limited discount should state its time period clearly, and any conditions attached to a "free" offer should be shown clearly and prominently beside it. So if a quote leans on an introductory rate or a free first session, ask when it ends and what you pay after that.

The questions to ask before you book

Most surprises on a cleaning bill come from something nobody asked about. These questions cover them:

Ask for the answers in writing, in the same chat or email as the quote, so you can compare them side by side later.

Compare what you will pay, not the hourly rate

Two quotes are only comparable when they describe the same visit: the same number of hours, on the same kind of day, at the same frequency, with the same arrangement for supplies.

Start with the hours. A low rate with a high minimum, or a company that suggests more hours for your home than another does, can cost more overall. Our guide to how many cleaning hours an HDB flat needs gives starting points by home type, so you can sense-check a suggestion.

Then check the frequency. Some companies charge less per hour for a regular weekly or fortnightly slot than for a one-off visit, and some offer prepaid packs. With a pack, ask what happens to sessions you have paid for but not used, and whether they can be refunded.

Finally, check how you pay and who you pay. A legitimate business takes payment through its own payment page or a proper business account, never a transfer to someone's personal bank account. Our guide to spotting cleaning service scams covers the warning signs.

Red flags in a quote

• A price shown "plus GST" or "before GST"
• Fees that appear only at the last step of booking
• An optional add-on that is already ticked for you
• A deposit to be paid into a personal bank account
• No written cancellation terms, or terms that change depending on who you ask
• A promotional rate with no end date and no normal rate shown beside it

None of these proves a company is dishonest, but each one is a reason to ask more questions before you pay.

How HomeMaster prices a clean

We price home cleaning by the hour, and a visit is 2, 3 or 4 hours with one cleaner. A one-off 2-hour clean is $27/hour, and a one-off 3 to 4 hour clean is $25/hour. A weekly or fortnightly 3 to 4 hour slot is $20/hour, and a prepaid pack of three eligible 3 to 4 hour sessions brings it to $18/hour.

All rates include GST. There is no surcharge on any day, so weekends and public holidays cost the same as a weekday, and nothing extra for card or PayNow. There is no booking fee and no travel fee. For home cleaning you provide a working vacuum cleaner and mop, and your cleaner brings the cloths, brushes, a scrub pad, bin bags and a multi-purpose cleaner, included in the rate.

Our cancellation terms are written down, not negotiated: one free cancellation or reschedule per calendar month when made at least 48 hours before the session, and otherwise a fee of 50% of the session price. A session cannot be cancelled within 2 hours of its start. Any fee is paid by a payment link, never charged silently to a saved card.

Helen, our AI assistant on WhatsApp, shows the exact price for your booking before you confirm, and payment always happens on our own payment page, by the link we send. The full breakdown is in our cleaning price guide, and our cleaning services page sets out what we do and do not offer.