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Janitorial bonds for cleaning companies
A janitorial bond, which bonding companies also sell as a business service bond, can repay your client up to the bond amount when one of your employees steals from them on the job. The contract sets the amount, which runs from a few thousand dollars to $50,000 or more on public bids, and the premium is usually priced by that amount and how many people you employ.
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How a janitorial bond works for a cleaning company
A janitorial bond is a promise, backed by a bonding company (the surety), that your client can recover money if someone on your payroll steals from them while working in their space. You buy it, but the client is the one it's written to protect. One surety's own history notes that its business services bond was typically called a "janitorial services bond" when it first came out in the late 1970s, because janitorial companies requested it more than any other kind of business.
Many janitorial bonds are written on a blanket basis. That means the bond follows your employees as a group, so you don't file a new name every time a night cleaner starts or quits. Bonding companies still price it by headcount, so the count you give them matters.
Business service bond vs. license bond
A license bond is something a government agency demands before it issues you a license. It guarantees you'll follow that agency's rules. A business service bond is different: a client asks for it in an RFP or a service agreement, and it answers for theft by your staff. If a bid packet says "fidelity bond" or "janitorial bond," it usually means the second kind.
Owners are a separate question
Many janitorial bonds cover employees but not the people who own the company. If you or a partner still run a route, ask whether the form needs an owner or officer rider. One surety's application asks the question outright: "Are owners to be covered?"
| What a janitorial bond may pay | What it usually won't pay |
|---|---|
| A client's money or property taken by your employee during your service | Theft from your own company, such as supplies, fuel cards or payroll schemes |
| Theft by any employee on a blanket bond, full-time or part-time | Theft by an owner, unless the bond adds an owner or officer rider |
| The client's loss up to the bond amount, minus any small deductible | Accidental damage, injuries or complaints about the quality of the work |
| A claim that meets the bond's conditions, such as a conviction where the form requires one | Any part of a loss above the bond amount |
What a bond claim can look like
These examples are made up, but each one turns on a detail that's printed in real bond forms.
Example scenario: no arrest, no bond payment
A veterinary clinic leaves Saturday's cash bag in an unlocked front-desk drawer. It's gone after the 10 p.m. clean. Police interview your two-person crew but can't tie the loss to either of them, and no charges are filed. If your bond has a conviction clause, the clinic may have no claim on it at all. Your liability policy usually won't step in either, since theft isn't an accident.
Example scenario: a loss bigger than the bond
During a spring-break deep clean at a private school, eleven tablets disappear from a charging cart. Camera footage points to a new hire, who pleads guilty four months later. The school's loss is $11,200, but its contract only asked for a $10,000 bond. The surety's payment, if the claim qualifies, stops at the bond amount, less any deductible. The school may look to your company for the rest.
Example scenario: an RFP that asks for $500,000
A 30-person company bids a county office complex whose insurance exhibit calls for a $500,000 fidelity bond. That's far above the bond menus most sureties publish. During the Q&A window, the owner asks whether a crime policy with clients' property coverage will meet the requirement. The county agrees in writing, and the company carries a small bond for its other accounts.
Janitorial bond amounts and cost
Your client picks the amount, not the bonding company. Sureties publish janitorial bonds from $2,500 up to $250,000, and the everyday menu runs about $5,000 to $50,000. Public contracts can go much higher. One Texas college's 2026 janitorial RFP asked for a $500,000 employee dishonesty or fidelity bond. A large amount like that is often easier to meet with a crime policy that includes clients' property coverage than with a small business service bond.
Price follows two numbers on published rate sheets: the bond amount and how many full- and part-time employees you have. Add ten cleaners for a new contract, and expect the premium to rise. One surety says it periodically asks for an updated count and sets the renewal premium from it. Some sureties also offer a three-year prepaid term at a discount.
| Bond amount | Surety A, 5 or fewer employees (2021) | Surety A, 25 employees (2021) | Surety B, under 5 employees (2022) | Surety B, 10 employees (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $100 a year | $221 a year | $100 minimum ($73 in California) | $101 a year |
| $10,000 | $111 a year | $304 a year | $100 a year | $139 a year |
| $25,000 | $165 a year | $440 a year | $183 a year | $255 a year |
| $50,000 | $227 a year | $584 a year | $266 a year | $369 a year |
These come from two sureties' published rate sheets from 2021 and 2022. They're examples, not quotes, and rates may have changed since. A janitorial bond's price usually depends on the bond amount and how many employees it covers, and some bonding companies also weigh your credit or time in business.
Getting bonded without slowing down a bid
The application for a small bond is short. Have these ready and the process usually moves faster than an insurance quote, though timing depends on the bonding company:
- the bond amount and the client's legal name, copied from the contract
- your total full- and part-time employee count
- whether owners need to be covered
- any past bond claims
Send the bond line from the RFP when you request a janitorial bond quote, and we'll check it against your general liability and crime limits at the same time.
Who needs a janitorial bond most
Any company whose crews work unsupervised after hours, with keys or access cards, will see bond requests. They come up most in a few places:
- Multi-tenant offices, where property managers answer to every tenant. See office cleaning insurance.
- Schools and colleges, where public bids name the amount. See school cleaning insurance.
- Clinics and medical offices, with cash at the front desk and equipment in exam rooms. See medical facility cleaning insurance.
- Franchise owners, whose franchise agreement or clients may list a bond. See cleaning franchise insurance.
State notes on janitorial bonds
We found no state among the 28 we serve that makes a cleaning company carry a janitorial bond just to do business. The demand comes from contracts, so check each RFP, and check your city and county too, since local rules vary. Public buyers in several states show how it plays out:
- Georgia: the state purchasing office's insurance and bonding guidelines name after-hours janitorial service first among the jobs where fidelity bonds are typically required. See Georgia commercial cleaning insurance.
- Florida: one regional water district's janitorial contract stacked a $1,000,000 janitorial bond on top of $100,000 in employee dishonesty coverage. See Florida commercial cleaning insurance.
- Kentucky: a 2024 city cleaning RFP wanted proof of a janitorial bond with the proposal, and a 2025 library RFP asked for the bidder's bond company rating. See Kentucky commercial cleaning insurance.
- Texas: the $500,000 college requirement above was set "because Contractor personnel may have access" to buildings during and after hours. See Texas commercial cleaning insurance.
Related coverage and guides
Janitorial bond questions
How much is a $10,000 janitorial bond for a small cleaning company?
What bond amount do I need for a commercial cleaning contract?
Can a client claim on my bond if nobody was arrested?
Does my janitorial bond cover subcontracted cleaners?
Do I have to tell the bonding company when I hire more cleaners?
Is a business service bond the same thing as a janitorial bond?
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