Merry Maids Franchise Cost, Revenue and Closure Rate (2026 FDD)
Merry Maids is one of the franchises we compare in our residential cleaning guide. Here is what it costs to open, what it charges every month, what its franchisees report taking in, and how many outlets closed in a year.
Where these numbers come from
The figures come from Merry Maids's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), the document every franchisor must give buyers before they sign. Revenue figures are sales as the brand reports them, before royalties and costs. They are not profit, and not a promise of what you would earn.
Preview: figures awaiting verification
Some numbers on this page haven't been checked against their sources yet.
What it costs
- Initial investment (FDD Item 7, includes the franchise fee)
- $126,875 – $169,325Pending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026
- Franchise fee
- $55,000Pending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026Fees collected in 2025 ranged from $27,500 to $49,500 after discounts (Item 5).
- Royalty
- 7% of revenuePending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026May drop to 6% or 5% based on yearly sales.
- Marketing fund
- 1.3% of revenuePending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026Ad fund. You must also spend 0.7% of sales on local marketing, plus $6,000 around opening.
- Fixed monthly fees
- $499 a monthPending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026Technology fee. It can rise up to 10% a year, or to as much as $1,000 a month if the software changes.
Compared with starting your own
- Merry Maids initial investment
- $126,875 – $169,325Pending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026
- Independent residential cleaning startup cost
- $740 – $4,294*Pending verificationSourcesConnecteam — how to start a small cleaning business(opens in a new tab)Tier 3 · Guide or blog · Accessed October 30, 2026California Secretary of State — LLC forms and fees(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Insureon — house cleaning business insurance cost (updated September 1, 2026)(opens in a new tab)Tier 2 · Industry report · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026Computed from 5 startup budget line items: lean plan low to professional plan high. Some lines are not sourced yet and are excluded.
The independent figure is our startup budget from the guide, lean plan low to professional plan high, with no franchise fee and no royalties afterwards. * Some startup lines aren't sourced yet and are left out, so the real figure is higher.
What franchisees report taking in (FDD Item 19)
The 2026 FDD reports 2025 gross sales for 414 Qualified Franchises (the territory type sold today) and for franchise ownership groups; it leaves out 103 businesses that closed during 2025.
- Average 2025 gross sales, 414 Qualified Franchises open all of 2025$439,243 a yearPending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026FDD Item 19, Table 1. Gross sales (all billings, before expenses), not profit. Leaves out 28 businesses not open all year, 12 that changed owners, 230 older Legacy Franchises and 103 that closed in 2025. 152 of 414 (36.7%) reached the average. Your results may differ.
- Median 2025 gross sales, same 414 franchises$339,352 a yearPending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026FDD Item 19, Table 1. Gross sales (all billings, before expenses), not profit. Leaves out 28 businesses not open all year, 12 that changed owners, 230 older Legacy Franchises and 103 that closed in 2025. 152 of 414 (36.7%) reached the average. Your results may differ.
- Average 2025 gross sales, top quarter (104 franchises)$914,092 a yearPending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026FDD Item 19, Table 1. Gross sales (all billings, before expenses), not profit. Leaves out 28 businesses not open all year, 12 that changed owners, 230 older Legacy Franchises and 103 that closed in 2025. 152 of 414 (36.7%) reached the average. Your results may differ.
- Average 2025 gross sales, bottom quarter (104 franchises)$130,847 a yearPending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026FDD Item 19, Table 1. Gross sales (all billings, before expenses), not profit. Leaves out 28 businesses not open all year, 12 that changed owners, 230 older Legacy Franchises and 103 that closed in 2025. 152 of 414 (36.7%) reached the average. Your results may differ.
Copied exactly from the brand's disclosure. These are sales before royalties, wages and other costs, not profit.
Outlets and closures (FDD Item 20)
- Franchised outlets at the start of 2025
- 764Pending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026Closures = terminations + non-renewals + outlets that stopped operating in 2025 (FDD Item 20, Table 3). 2025 closures: 2 terminations, 1 non-renewal and 100 ceased operations.
- Franchised outlets at the end of 2025
- 684Pending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026Closures = terminations + non-renewals + outlets that stopped operating in 2025 (FDD Item 20, Table 3). 2025 closures: 2 terminations, 1 non-renewal and 100 ceased operations.
- Closed during the year (terminated, not renewed, or stopped operating)
- 103Pending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026Closures = terminations + non-renewals + outlets that stopped operating in 2025 (FDD Item 20, Table 3). 2025 closures: 2 terminations, 1 non-renewal and 100 ceased operations.
- Closure rate (our calculation)
- 13.5%Pending verificationSourceMerry Maids 2026 FDD (issued May 21, 2026), Items 5–7 — Minnesota CARDS(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026Our calculation: 103 closures ÷ 764 franchised outlets at the start of 2025. Closures = terminations + non-renewals + outlets that stopped operating in 2025 (FDD Item 20, Table 3). 2025 closures: 2 terminations, 1 non-renewal and 100 ceased operations.
The closure rate is closures divided by franchised outlets at the start of the year. Outlets sold to a new owner aren't counted as closures. Closure rates for every brand.
Risk Meter for residential cleaning
2.7 out of 5 (Moderate risk)
The score covers the kind of business, not this brand alone, from 6 factors with data (1 is the lowest risk). See every factor · How we score risk
What the franchise gives you
- A national brand affiliated with ServiceMaster
- A 10-day initial training program for two people
- Customer management and scheduling software included in the technology fee
- Discounts for veterans and for converting an existing cleaning business
The Residential Cleaning guide · Residential Cleaning franchise vs. independent · All franchise brands