How much does a Merry Maids franchise cost?
Opening a Merry Maids franchise takes a total initial investment of $126,875 to $169,325, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median gross sales of $339,352 across 414 outlets.
Merry Maids franchises maid cleaning service businesses using the Merry Maids System and Marks. Category: Business Services.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Merry Maids franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $126,875 to $169,325. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Additional Funds (3 months) ($38,000 to $43,000), Professional Fees ($5,000 to $15,000), and Miscellaneous Opening Costs ($1,400 to $10,000). Together they make up about 40% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $55,000, about 43% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $55,000 | $55,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Travel and Living Expenses During Training2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $2,500 | $7,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Real Estate and Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $2,000 | $4,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Software and Hardware2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $1,775 | $2,775 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Office Equipment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $5,250 | $6,850 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Opening Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $6,500 | $8,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Insurance2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $3,400 | $9,400 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Telephone Answering Service2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $50 | $300 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Opening Marketing2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $6,000 | $8,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $1,400 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Professional Fees2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $5,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Additional Funds (3 months)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $38,000 | $43,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $126,875 | $169,325 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
Source Merry Maids, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 34, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 19
What Merry Maids franchisees actually report earning
Median Gross Sales
$339,352
Merry Maids' 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025 (the “Covered Period”). Basis: Qualified Franchises.
Sample size: 414 outlets. The FDD also reports average gross sales of $439,243. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- This Item 19 does not include data related to company-owned units and Franchised Businesses that were not an Active Franchise operating throughout all of the Covered Period, because such Franchised Businesses opened, closed, were reacquired by us, or were transferred to a new owner during the Covered Period or did not report Gross Sales for all 12 months of the Covered Period.
- These tables do not include 28 Franchised Businesses that did not operate through all 12 months of the Covered Period, 12 Franchised Businesses that were transferred to a new owner in the Covered Period, and 230 Legacy Franchises that were Active Franchises.
- These tables also do not include 103 Franchised Businesses that ceased operating in the Covered Period.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Merry Maids outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Merry Maids, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 64-66, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 20
How many Merry Maids outlets there are, and how many closed
Merry Maids ended 2025 with 684 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets. In that year 23 franchised outlets opened and 103 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Merry Maids opened 47 franchised outlets and 268 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 221, from 905 to 684 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 28 were terminated, 33 were not renewed, and 207 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 11% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 9.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 764 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 684 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 74 |
| 2024 | 845 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 72 | 764 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 74 |
| 2023 | 905 | 16 | 17 | 24 | 0 | 35 | 845 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 74 |
Source Merry Maids, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 70-74, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Compare
How Merry Maids compares with other Business Services franchises
Measured against the 140 Business Services franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Merry Maids' estimated range is $148,100. It costs more to open than 52% of Business Services franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 11% for Merry Maids. That is higher than 70% of the 101 Business Services franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Merry Maids' franchised system shrank 24%. The typical Business Services franchise here grew 4.4%.
- Earnings disclosure. 71 of the 140 Business Services franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Merry Maids is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Business Services franchise side by side.
Alert me when Merry Maids files a new FDD
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