2026 FDD Issued May 21, 2026 Minnesota Commerce (CARDS) Previous source check Oct 16, 2026
Merry Maids Franchise Cost (2026)
A Merry Maids franchise costs an estimated $126,875 – $169,325 to open, according to Item 7 of the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). That total includes the $55,000 initial franchise fee (Item 5) and covers this format: Standard Franchise. Item 6 lists royalty: 5% – 7% of Gross Sales, subject to the conditions below. This record has unresolved source-review issues.
Read the source-review hold before using these figures.
- Total investment
- $127K – $169KItem 7 source and qualifications
- Franchise fee
- $55KItem 5 source and terms
- Royalty
- 5% – 7% of Gross SalesItem 6 conditions and fee bases apply
- Brand fund
- 1.3% of Gross SalesItem 6 conditions and fee bases apply
What stands out about Merry Maids
Merry Maids separates individual franchised territories from ownership groups in Item 19. A group can contain several franchises, so its sales total does not describe a single territory. The broad per-franchise table reports $391,007 in average gross sales and includes both current-format Qualified Franchises and Legacy Franchises that are no longer offered.
The ownership-group tables also contain a source discrepancy: their overall average is the same, but the number of groups meeting that average and the lowest group sales differ. Those printed statements remain unresolved. They are separate from the per-franchise figures and must not be silently combined into a corrected table.
What are the initial franchise fees and financial requirements for Merry Maids?
Item 5 lists an initial franchise fee of $55,000 for Merry Maids. Check the cited Item 5 for payment timing, discounts and format-specific terms.
This record lists no minimum net worth or liquid-capital requirement for Merry Maids, because no sourced figure has been recorded. Ask the franchisor for its current financial qualifications in writing, and check the cited Item 5 for payment timing.
How much does it cost to open a Merry Maids franchise? (Item 7)
Source: Merry Maids 2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 34.
Item 7 of Merry Maids’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates the total cost to open one standard franchise at $126,875 – $169,325. This total includes the initial franchise fee.
| Expense Category | Low ($) | High ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $55,000 | $55,000 |
| Travel and Living Expenses During Training | $2,500 | $7,000 |
| Real Estate and Improvements | $2,000 | $4,000 |
| Software and Hardware | $1,775 | $2,775 |
| Office Equipment | $5,250 | $6,850 |
| Opening Inventory | $6,500 | $8,000 |
| Insurance | $3,400 | $9,400 |
| Telephone Answering Service | $50 | $300 |
| Opening Marketing | $6,000 | $8,000 |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $1,400 | $10,000 |
| Professional Fees | $5,000 | $15,000 |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $38,000 | $43,000 |
| Total | $126,875 | $169,325 |
For comparison, the median high-end investment among 5 cleaning records without a source-review hold is $203,950.
What ongoing royalties and fees does Merry Maids charge? (Item 6)
Source: Merry Maids 2026 FDD, Item 6, PDF p. 25.
Item 6 of Merry Maids’s 2026 FDD lists the charges below. Recurring charges and charges triggered by a transfer, renewal or other event have different conditions. Read each fee’s basis and notes before comparing rates.
How to read an Item 6 fee table.
| Fee Type | Amount / Rate | Payment Frequency | Notes & Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 5% – 7% of Gross Sales | Every period | Current 7% through $400,000 calendar-year sales; 6% on next sales through $500,000; 5% above. Threshold excludes National Accounts; incentive may change or end. Untimely renewal can add 2.5%. See page 33. (Item 6, PDF p. 25) |
| Ad Fund Contribution | 1.3% of Gross Sales | Every period | Current weekly rate; may rise to 2%, with combined local/ad obligation capped at 3%. (Item 6, PDF p. 25) |
| Local Marketing Obligations | Varies | Every period | Current eligible local spend 0.7% weekly sales; ad plus local may not exceed 3%. Initial $6,000 marketing over 60 days before/after opening. Any spending deficiency payable to Ad Fund. (Item 6, PDF p. 25) |
| Technology Fee | $499 per month | Every period | Per business after opening. Annual cap and carryforward provisions apply; specified software change can raise fee to $1,000 monthly. Market Hub waiver possible. (Item 6, PDF p. 26) |
| Initial Training for Additional Persons, Sessions or Replacement Trainees | Varies | When it applies | Current $1,000 per person; two people in same program included in new franchise or transfer fee. Expenses and increase provisions continue page 27. (Item 6, PDF p. 26) |
| Ongoing Training Programs | Varies | When it applies | Current virtual up to $500 per person per program; in-person $250 per trainee daily at office or $750 per trainer daily at business plus trainer expenses. Change provisions apply. (Item 6, PDF p. 27) |
| Meeting Registration Fee | Varies | When it applies | Then-current fee up to $1,500 per person. Required conference nonattendance for two consecutive years without valid reason can cost 150% of current fee. (Item 6, PDF p. 27) |
| Market Hub Fee | Varies | When it applies | Current $150 monthly per approved Market Hub Office, may rise to $200. Not every business operates a Market Hub. (Item 6, PDF p. 27) |
| National Accounts Processing Fee | $20 | When it applies | Per job if participating in National Accounts. (Item 6, PDF p. 28) |
| Supplier/Product Review Fee | Varies | When it applies | $500 per item plus actual expenses; additional $500 plus travel/living expenses if representatives travel. (Item 6, PDF p. 28) |
| Renewal Fee | Varies | When it applies | Current franchise-fee percentage by operating age: up to five years 10%; 5.01-10 years 8%; 10.01-15 years 5%; over 15 years no fee. Conditions apply. (Item 6, PDF p. 28) |
| Lead Fee | $10,000 | When it applies | If referred buyer purchases within 18 months. (Item 6, PDF p. 28) |
| Transfer Fee | Varies | When it applies | 25% of current initial fee for one business; 20% each for two; 15% each for three; 10% each for four or more simultaneously. Family/entity/manager/death exceptions and costs apply; 25% application payment credited. (Item 6, PDF p. 29) |
| Change Fee | Varies | When it applies | Current $500 per change per agreement, cap $750; $1,500 per consolidated agreement. Controlling transfer fee replaces applicable change fee. (Item 6, PDF p. 30) |
| Audit | Varies | When it applies | Audit cost plus underpayment/interest/late fees and lesser of $5,000 or underpayment if understatement is at least 5% in a month. (Item 6, PDF p. 30) |
| Interest and Late Fees | Varies | When it applies | Lesser of 2% monthly compounded daily or lawful maximum; $200 weekly late fee for first four weeks then $500 weekly plus other incurred costs. (Item 6, PDF p. 30) |
| Insurance Procurement Fee | Varies | When it applies | Up to 150% of costs and expenses if required coverage not maintained. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Customer Complaint Management Fee | Varies | When it applies | Current $500 plus costs/expenses if franchisor intervenes; fixed fee may rise but not above $750. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Performance After Default | Varies | When it applies | Up to 120% of costs and expenses of performing a defaulted obligation. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Enforcement Expenses | Varies | When it applies | Qualifying enforcement and prevailing defense costs under the table’s exceptions. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Tax Reimbursement Fees | Varies | When it applies | Applicable taxes on goods, services and licenses provided. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Indemnification | Varies | When it applies | Covered operating claims and defense costs. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Liquidated Damages | Varies | When it applies | Average monthly royalties and ad contributions over preceding twelve months or shorter operating period times lesser of 24 months or remaining term, on qualifying termination. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Appraiser’s Fee | Varies | When it applies | 50% of first appraisal and 100% of second/third if franchisor elects asset purchase and price is not agreed. (Item 6, PDF p. 32) |
Explore annual fees and payback assumptions
This fee schedule cannot be reduced to the calculator’s simple sales-based formula. Enter your own assumptions and check them against the Item 6 terms.
Merry Maids startup investment and modeled fees over 10 years
A source check placed this record on review hold. Automatic fee estimates are withheld until the outstanding issues are resolved. The earlier source-check date does not clear this hold. Item 6 royalty incentives apply progressively to annual sales excluding national-account sales from threshold eligibility. Marketing credits, office format, technology changes and conditional program fees add further inputs. Ownership-group revenue is not per-franchise revenue, and no combined fee illustration is supplied. See the fee amounts and definitions in Item 6 above. Open the calculator with your own assumptions.
Item 20: Merry Maids franchised outlet history
Source: Merry Maids 2026 FDD, Item 20, PDF p. 74.
Item 20 Table 3 reports 684 franchised outlets at the end of 2025. The company-owned table reports a further 0 outlets.
| Year | Franchised at Start | Opened | Reported Exits | At End | Franchise Exit Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 905 | 16 | 76 | 845 | — |
| 2024 | 845 | 8 | 89 | 764 | — |
| 2025 | 764 | 23 | 103 | 684 | — |
Calculated outlet totals, net growth and exit rates are withheld because this record has not cleared the current Item 20 source checks. The table retains the outlet counts printed in Item 20. Read the unresolved source issues.
Reported exits include terminations, non-renewals, franchisor reacquisitions and other cessations. A reacquired outlet may continue operating. How we calculate the exit rate. How to read the Item 20 outlet tables.
12 units changed owners in 2025.
How much do Merry Maids franchise owners make? (Item 19)
Source: Merry Maids 2026 FDD, Item 19, PDF p. 66.
Item 19 of the 2026 FDD reports average Gross Sales per Active Franchise (Table 3) of $391,007 (2025, 644 Active Franchises, including Qualified and Legacy Franchises, open and reporting all 12 months under the same ownership). Merry Maids’s Item 19 reports sales but no profit, costs or owner pay. Rent, payroll, supplies, loan payments and Item 6 fees come out of sales before an owner is paid, so these figures cannot show what an owner earns.
Read the source-review hold before using this figure.
See every Merry Maids Item 19 figure, with its period and sample.
Payback calculator (enter your own assumptions) Check any inputs against this record’s Item 7 startup costs and Item 6 fee rules.
How to interpret Merry Maids’s Item 19 figures and sample limits.
How long is the Merry Maids franchise agreement term?
Source: Merry Maids 2026 FDD, Item 17, PDF p. 59.
The standard Merry Maids franchise agreement runs 5 years, with renewal terms of 5 years.
Item 17 (PDF page 59) lists a five-year initial term and two additional consecutive five-year renewal terms, subject to the stated renewal conditions.
How long does it take to open a Merry Maids franchise? (Item 11)
Source: Merry Maids 2026 FDD, Item 11, PDF p. 45.
Item 11 of the 2026 FDD states the time from signing the franchise agreement to opening: typically within 90 days.
Franchises with a similar investment range
These published records are selected by proximity to Merry Maids’s $126,875 low-end Item 7 investment, starting with Cleaning. Formats, fees and source qualifications differ; the figures are not interchangeable budgets:
Compare other cleaning franchises
Frequently Asked Questions about Merry Maids
This record has unresolved source-review issues. Read the specific issues before using these answers.
- Can the ongoing fees for Merry Maids be modeled as one flat percentage?
- Item 6 royalty incentives apply progressively to annual sales excluding national-account sales from threshold eligibility. Marketing credits, office format, technology changes and conditional program fees add further inputs. Ownership-group revenue is not per-franchise revenue, and no combined fee illustration is supplied.
Sources
Merry Maids SPE LLC Franchise Disclosure Document, issued May 21, 2026, as filed with the Minnesota Commerce (CARDS). Read the source FDD PDF. How to get this FDD yourself.
- Item 5: cited PDF p. 23
- Item 6: cited PDF p. 25
- Item 7: cited PDF p. 34
- Item 19: cited PDF p. 63
- Item 20: cited PDF p. 74
- Agreement term (Item 17): cited PDF p. 59
Page references for Merry Maids use the PDF viewer's digital page count, not printed page headers. Some viewers download the document instead of opening the referenced page.
If the state document viewer does not open, use Minnesota Commerce's public filing instructions to look up the filing by franchisor name and document date.
Document & verification changelog
- October 29, 2026: Record updated.
- October 23, 2026: Source review hold recorded. Unresolved corrections are listed in this source section.
- October 19, 2026: Source review hold recorded: Item 19 has an unresolved printed conflict: ownership-group Table 2 (PDF page 65) reports 92 groups at or above average and minimum sales $57,274; Table 3 (PDF page 66) reports 95 groups and $57,275. Both are retained. October 19 corrections distinguish ownership-group from per-franchise sales and replace the Item 6 transcription. These targeted corrections do not establish a new complete source verification.
- October 16, 2026: Previous source check recorded. The later source review hold below supersedes its clearance.
- October 16, 2026: Initial cost profile published from the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (issued May 21, 2026).