Verified on Sep 12, 2026
You clear leaves and dirt out of gutters on homes up to two stories. You find your own customers. A job is priced by the length of gutter or by the size of the home. Heavy debris and gutter guards add to the price. You need a tall ladder and a way to carry it.
You clear leaves, twigs, and grit out of gutters and downspouts. A downspout is the pipe that carries water from the gutter down to the ground.
Customers hire you directly. No app or company sits between you.
This gig covers homes up to two stories tall. It skips roof work, gutter repair, new gutter installs, and fitting gutter guards. Those are separate jobs.
Self-employed means you work for yourself. No boss sets your price.
Some jobs are priced by the linear foot, the length of gutter measured in feet. Others are priced as a flat rate, based on the home’s size and number of stories.
You bring your own gear. That means a tall ladder, a scoop for pulling out debris, and something to haul it away in.
This page has no price range. Nobody publishes what a self-employed gutter cleaner takes home.
We checked federal wage data and four gutter-cleaning companies’ own price pages. None of them print that number.
The government tracks pay for a catch-all cleaning job. It has no listed title for gutter cleaning. It pays a mean $22.32 an hour, or $46,420 a year, in 2025 data. That wage goes to an employee who cleans buildings for a company. It is not what a self-employed worker takes home.
A second federal number covers landscaping and groundskeeping work, a broader outdoor job. It pays a mean $20.33 an hour, or $42,290 a year. That is also an employee’s wage at a landscaping company. It is not a self-employed gutter cleaner’s take-home pay.
Real pricing works differently. Some companies charge by the linear foot. Others charge a flat rate, based on home size and stories. A taller home costs more either way. Every extra story means a taller, slower ladder job.
How much debris has built up changes the price too. Heavy, packed leaves cost more to clear than light, recent buildup. A blocked downspout that needs extra clearing can raise the cost as well.
Gutter guards change the job. They cut down on how often gutters need cleaning. They do not remove the need for cleaning. Removing a guard and putting it back is real added work. Companies price that step on its own.
Setting your own price does not mean you keep it all. Gross pay is what you charge. Take-home pay is what is left after costs. Self-employed people pay self-employment tax on top of income tax. That tax is 15.3% of net earnings. Nobody withholds it for you ahead of time. You buy your own ladder, scoop, gloves, and bucket. You are not paid for driving between houses, or for climbing back up for a forgotten tool.
How you get paid is between you and the homeowner. It can be cash in hand on the day, a check, or a payment app. Cash is a normal way to be paid for this work. No source we found sets one payment rule for the whole trade.
The IRS says you must file a tax return. This applies once your net self-employment earnings reach $400 in a year. Net earnings means income after costs. It is filed on Schedule C and Schedule SE, tax forms for someone self-employed. A tax preparer can tell you which forms fit your situation.
Core tools add up to a few hundred dollars, mostly the ladder. One ladder maker’s own store lists its multi-position ladder at $252.99 to $557.99. Check that any ladder you buy reaches the gutters on the homes you will work on. A gutter scoop, a tool for pulling debris out of the trough, costs $6.17. A pair of work gloves costs $23.99. A 5-gallon bucket for hauling debris costs $5.89. Each price comes from one seller. Adding them up is our own math, not a published figure.
General liability insurance pays for a customer’s property if you damage it by accident. Washington makes the contractors it covers carry it. We could not tell if gutter cleaning counts there. One insurer’s own price for a landscaping business, the closest match it publishes, starts around $50 a month.
This fits you if you don’t mind heights and ladders.
It fits people who want to price their own jobs. Gutter length or home size can be your guide.
It fits people who own a vehicle with room for a tall ladder. Hauling one without a car, truck, or van is hard.
No state license was found for this trade in California, Texas, or Florida. Washington’s own rule is unclear. Call before you start work there.
You also have to find your own customers. No platform does that for you.
See more local, hands-on gigs like this one, including power washing driveways and cleaning houses.
Skip this if heights and ladders scare you. This job means climbing up and down all day.
Skip this if you do not have a vehicle that can carry a tall ladder.
Skip this if you are not willing to call your state first. Washington’s own rule for this trade is unclear.
Skip this if you need a steady paycheck. Your income depends on how many jobs you book.
Skip this if carrying a heavy ladder and wet, dirty debris does not work for your body.
Skip this if you expect someone to pay you to start. Real work pays you, not the other way around. Read Scams That Look Like Side Gigs for more warning signs.
Day 1. Call your state about contractor rules. Washington’s own page does not say if gutter cleaning counts as one of its regulated specialties.
Day 2. Buy your ladder, scoop, gloves, and a bucket. Together these run a few hundred dollars, mostly the ladder.
Day 3. Set your prices. Use gutter length or home size as your guide.
Day 4. Tell five people you know that you clean gutters. Ask them to spread the word.
Day 5. Book your first job. Agree on price and how you will get paid.
Day 6. Do the job. Check for blocked downspouts as you go.
Day 7. Get paid. Set part of it aside for taxes.
A multi-position or extension ladder is how you reach the gutters. Check that it is tall enough for the homes you will work on.
A gutter scoop pulls leaves and grit out of the gutter by hand.
Work gloves keep your hands safe. Gutters hold wet leaves, grit, and sharp metal edges.
A bucket or tarp gives you somewhere to put debris as you clear it. That way it does not land back on the lawn.
Read about insurance above, in What it pays.
Gross is not take-home. What you charge is not what you keep. Nobody withholds tax for you. You pay self-employment tax yourself, 15.3% on top of income tax. Driving, quoting, and answering calls are all unpaid. Gear wears out and costs money to replace.
Ladder falls are a real risk. NIOSH is the government’s workplace safety research agency. It lists building cleaning and maintenance among the fields at high risk for falls. A federal rule sets safety standards for ladders on a job. That rule binds employers who have employees. It is not written for someone working alone.
Washington’s own contractor rule is unclear for this trade. We checked only three other states for a license: California, Texas, and Florida. Your state may have its own rule. Call your own state before you start.
There is no steady paycheck. You earn only when a job is booked. A slow month means less money.
No platform steps in if a customer does not pay you.
Do I need a license to clean gutters? We checked the state license lists for California, Texas, and Florida. None of them names gutter cleaning. Washington makes many contractors register, bond, and insure their business. Its own page does not list all 63 specialties it covers. We could not tell if gutter cleaning is one of them. Call Washington’s labor department before you start work there.
How much should I charge? There is no set number. Companies price a job by gutter length, or by home size and stories. Debris level and blocked downspouts change the price too. Guard removal is priced as its own step. One company says government wage data is one factor in its prices. The wage numbers on its page do not match what the government shows today. We could not find out why.
Do I need insurance? Washington makes the contractors it covers carry insurance. We could not tell if gutter cleaning counts there. The California, Texas, and Florida license lists do not name this work at all. One insurer’s own price for a landscaping business, the closest published match, starts around $50 a month. Whether to buy it is your call.
Does the federal ladder rule apply to me? A federal rule sets ladder safety standards for jobs. It binds employers who have employees. It is not written for someone working alone with no employees of their own. Even so, ladder falls are a real risk. NIOSH lists building cleaning and maintenance among the fields at high risk for fall injuries.
Do I have to report what I get paid? The IRS says you must file a return once your net self-employment earnings reach $400 in a year. It is filed on Schedule C and Schedule SE. You also owe self-employment tax, 15.3% of net earnings. A tax preparer can help you sort out your own forms.
Priced per item or hour
You build flat-pack and boxed furniture inside a customer's home, hired straight, with no app in between. A job is priced per item or by the hour, and the type of piece changes the cost. A basic hand tool kit runs under $85 to start.
$10-50 a task
ACE's own per-shop fee is $10 to $50.
You visit stores or restaurants and report on what you saw, acting like a normal customer. ACE pays $10 to $50 a shop, and Secret Shopper starts near $15 for basic shops. Some shops ask you to buy something first and wait to be paid back. You need a phone, computer, or tablet to send in your report.
Priced by the square foot
You scrub built-up grime out of tile grout for homeowners, sometimes sealing it afterward. You set your own price. The companies we checked charge by the square foot. Nobody publishes what a self-employed grout cleaner takes home. You need strong knees for hours of kneeling and scrubbing, plus care with strong cleaning chemicals.