Cleaner Salary in Austria 2026: Construction Cleaning, Hourly Wage and Net Pay

Cleaner salary in Austria depends not only on weekly hours, but above all on the actual task. Regular office or routine cleaning is assessed differently than final construction cleaning after renovations, refurbishments or trade work.

Construction cleaning is often about more than ordinary cleaning. After painting, tiling, flooring, installation or renovation work, dust, construction debris, packaging residue, paint splashes, adhesive residue, window frames, floors, doors, sanitary areas and surfaces need to be thoroughly cleaned. The goal is often to prepare rooms for handover, viewing, move-in or further work.

What Does Construction Cleaning Include?

Construction cleaning covers cleaning work around new builds, conversions, renovations or refurbishments. This can include rough cleaning during the construction phase, interim cleaning after individual trades, and final cleaning before handover.

Typical tasks in construction cleaning can include:

• Removing dust, construction debris and packaging residue
• Cleaning floors, doors, window frames, glass surfaces and other surfaces
• Removing paint residue, adhesive residue, cement haze or light construction residue
• Cleaning sanitary areas, kitchen areas and living spaces after renovations
• Preparing rooms for handover, viewing or move-in
• Using cleaning products, machines and equipment correctly depending on the surface
• Working together with painters, flooring installers, tile setters, installers or other trades

Cleaner Salary in Austria: The Key Figures

Cleaner salary in Austria varies significantly depending on the task, working hours, collective-agreement classification and experience. Routine cleaning is subject to different minimum wages than specialized cleaning, final construction cleaning, or cleaning technicians with a completed apprenticeship exam.

According to the WKO, the 2026 collective-agreement hourly wage for wage group 2 — i.e. specialized cleaning including final construction cleaning — is €13.30 gross per hour. For skilled workers who have passed the apprenticeship exam in the cleaning technology trade, the collective-agreement hourly wage is €15.12 gross per hour.

The monthly and annual figures are calculated approximations based on a 40-hour week and 4.33 weeks per month. The WKO states a weekly standard working time of 40 hours in the collective agreement; holiday pay and Christmas bonus are also regulated in the collective agreement.

These figures are minimum or reference values. Actual cleaner salary can differ depending on employer, above-collective-agreement pay, working hours, part-time arrangements, overtime, night work, Sunday work, work location, site conditions and allowances.

Cleaner Hourly Wage in Austria: Collective Agreement 2026

There is no single hourly wage for all cleaners in the cleaning trade. What matters is the specific task actually performed.

Wage group 2 is particularly relevant for construction cleaning, because the collective agreement lists final construction cleaning after tradespeople, deep cleaning and other specialized cleaning under this group.

How High Is the Cleaning Technician Salary in Austria?

Cleaning technicians are not only responsible for simple cleaning tasks — they also select suitable products, methods, equipment and machines depending on the surface, type of soiling and cleaning task.

AMS (the Austrian employment service) describes cleaning technicians as skilled workers who, among other things, assess surfaces, select cleaning and care products, operate machines, support work planning, coordinate teams and follow safety regulations. This also covers interior and exterior areas of buildings as well as commercial and industrial cleaning.

Under the 2026 collective agreement, a cleaning technician with a completed apprenticeship exam falls under wage group 1. The collective-agreement hourly wage for this is €15.12 gross per hour, which works out to approximately €2,619 gross per month or €36,663 gross per year at 14 payments.

Calculated reference based on 40 hours per week.

Cleaning Lady Salary in Austria: Why There Is No Single Figure

A cleaner working in a private household can be paid differently than a cleaner working for a commercial cleaning company, a facility management provider, or in final construction cleaning.

One example: someone who regularly cleans in a private household often works under a different legal and organizational framework than a cleaner deployed after renovations, refurbishments or construction work. Construction cleaning often involves construction debris, dust, paint residue, adhesive residue, window frames, floors, sanitary areas and handover cleaning. Different wage groups, requirements and allowances can apply for that.

That's why there is no single reliable figure for cleaning lady salary in Austria that applies to every case. For a professional salary page, terms like cleaner, building cleaner, specialized cleaner or cleaning technician are more precise. What matters is always whether it concerns private household cleaning, routine cleaning, specialized cleaning or final construction cleaning.

Public Market Data: Cleaner and Building Cleaner

In addition to collective-agreement figures, public salary data can serve as market orientation. Kununu lists an average gross annual salary of around €26,800 for cleaners in Austria, based on user-submitted data. For building cleaners, Kununu lists an average gross annual salary of around €27,800. However, these figures should not be equated directly with the calculated full-time collective-agreement values, because user-submitted data can include different working hours, part-time arrangements, employers and employment situations.

This market data is useful as additional orientation, but it does not replace checking the collective-agreement classification, the extent of employment and the actual task.

Cleaner Net Salary in Austria: What's Left of the Gross Amount?

There is no single net amount that applies to all cleaners. Net salary depends on gross wage, social security contributions, income tax, special payments, commuter allowance, family bonus, working-time model and personal factors.

AMS explains the difference between gross and net like this: gross salary still includes taxes and social security contributions, while net salary is the amount actually paid out. Social security and income tax, among other things, are deducted from the gross salary.

For an accurate net estimate, employees should use an Austrian gross-net calculator and enter their own situation.

Allowances, Surcharges and Off-Site Work

In construction cleaning, actual earnings can be higher than the plain collective-agreement hourly wage. This is especially true when assignments take place at changing locations, when work is carried out under difficult conditions, or when additional responsibility is taken on.

The collective agreement provides, for example, surcharges for particularly dangerous or unusual work. Subsistence allowance, separation allowance where an overnight stay is required, or a foreman's/forewoman's surcharge can also be relevant depending on the assignment.

How Does Salary in Construction Cleaning Develop with Experience?

As experience increases in construction cleaning, not only the salary changes but also the type of tasks. At the start, simple cleaning tasks under instruction are often in the foreground. Later, final construction cleaning, specialized cleaning, machine operation, surface assessment, team coordination or foreman/forewoman tasks can be added.

What Can Increase Cleaner Salary in Construction Cleaning?

Several factors can help cleaners in construction cleaning earn more. Particularly important are the actual task, the collective-agreement classification, and the ability to independently take on more demanding cleaning work.

A higher salary is more likely if you have experience with final construction cleaning, deep cleaning, window cleaning, facade cleaning, machine cleaning, carpet cleaning, stone cleaning or other specialized cleaning. Knowledge of surfaces, cleaning products, dosing, machines, workplace safety and construction site procedures can also be important.

In addition, a driver's licence, mobility, availability for changing construction sites, willingness to work evenings, nights, Sundays or holidays, experience with handover cleaning and team responsibility can all affect earning potential.

Comparing Cleaner Salary Correctly

When comparing several cleaner jobs in Austria, you shouldn't only look at the stated hourly wage. What matters is the task actually performed and the conditions attached to the position.

Particularly important:

• Collective-agreement classification and wage group
• Actual hourly wage
• Full-time, part-time or marginal employment
• Specialized cleaning, final construction cleaning or routine cleaning
• Above-collective-agreement pay
• Night, Sunday and holiday surcharges
• Travel time, travel costs and changing construction sites
• Work clothing, protective clothing and cleaning products
• Physical strain and workplace safety
• Team responsibility or foreman/forewoman role
• Development opportunities toward cleaning technician or facility manager

Final Construction Cleaning Cost: Why Customer Prices Are Not the Same as Salary

Many people confuse a cleaner's salary with the price customers pay for final construction cleaning or construction cleaning. The customer price includes not only working time, but also non-wage labour costs, materials, machines, cleaning products, travel, organization, insurance, risk and company profit.

Austrian price overviews often list reference values per square metre or per hour for final construction cleaning. MyHammer lists an average of about €3 to €7 per m² for professional final construction cleaning. Gecheckt.at lists a price range of about €30 to €50 per hour for final construction cleaning.

For employees, this distinction matters: a high invoice amount does not automatically mean the cleaner receives that amount as wages.

Cleaner Jobs and Salary: Find Work with BauBau

If you're looking for cleaner jobs in Austria and have experience in construction cleaning, final construction cleaning, renovation cleaning or specialized cleaning, an up-to-date BauBau profile can help relevant companies notice your skills.