Home Window Cleaner Salary
Window Cleaner salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a window cleaner is $54,600 per annum, before tax, up $11,300 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on whether you work as an employee or as a sole trader quoting your own jobs. Employees are usually paid under the Cleaning Services Award, which sets penalty rates for early starts and weekend work, while sole traders set their own rates and carry the cost of travel, equipment and insurance. Commercial and high-rise work tends to pay more than domestic rounds because it needs additional licences and gear, and rates vary between cities and regional areas.
Roles that pay more than window cleaner
The largest typical pay rise is $15,600 a year, moving into Restoration Technician.
- Restoration Technician+$15,600/yr
- Gutter Cleaner+$10,400/yr
- Carpet Cleaner+$7,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher window cleaner salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time window cleaner salary is $54,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Cleaning and grounds maintenance and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general window cleaner experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Restoration Technician pays a typical $15,600 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Window Cleaner salary questions
How much do window cleaners earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a window cleaner is $54,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is window cleaner pay rising or falling?
The median window cleaner salary is up $11,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than window cleaner?
Restoration Technician pays a typical $15,600 a year more and draws on similar skills to window cleaner.