The service sector agreement for 2025-2028 sets the framework for pay, pension and working conditions in the cleaning industry until 2028 — and it is the reason the minimum wage at Hilfr is DKK 180.00 per hour. Here is what the agreement contains, and what it means for you as a customer.
It is a good occasion to answer honestly a question we often get: why does proper cleaning cost more than the cheapest ad online?
What a collective agreement actually contains
A collective agreement is far more than an hourly wage. It sets out pension, holiday pay, supplements, sickness benefit, notice periods, working-time rules and much more — everything that turns a job into a real job.
At Hilfr, our collective agreement with 3F means, among other things, a guaranteed minimum wage, a 12.15% pension contribution, 12.5% holiday pay, and sickness and parental-leave supplements. That is not a luxury add-on — it is the standard the rest of the Danish labour market takes for granted.
The maths behind the hourly rate
When you see a professional hourly rate, it never covers only the wage. On top come pension and holiday pay, insurance, administration — and 25% VAT on all of it. That is why a legal hourly rate cannot compete with an undeclared one of DKK 150: the undeclared price has simply stripped out every item except the wage.
So the difference is not that one provider is 'cheaper'. The difference is who pays: with the undeclared option, it is the cleaner (no pension, no security) and society (no tax) who pay for the discount.
"As cheap as possible" is rarely best
Price pressure is a real problem in the service industry — unserious operators can undercut companies with collective agreements precisely because they skip the obligations. But a low price has a downside: higher turnover, poorer quality, and no one to hold accountable when something goes wrong.
Good cleaning is delivered by people who have decent conditions, stay in the job and know their customers. That is not idealism — it is the most down-to-earth quality guarantee there is.
At Hilfr you can see what you are paying for
We have made the maths transparent: before you book, you see the full price, and on our pricing page you can see exactly how it is put together — wages, pension, holiday pay, platform fee and VAT. And with the Danish servicefradrag tax deduction, you get a good share of the labour cost back through your taxes.
So yes — proper cleaning costs what it costs. But you know why, and the money goes to the right place.
Still have questions? Find answers on our FAQ page — or see whether Hilfr covers your area.
