How to Start a Cleaning Service in Hawaii (2026)

Last updated: May 1, 2026

Hawaii has no state cleaning license, but the tax and worker-protection rules here are some of the most demanding in the country and they catch first-time owners off guard. The single most important fact: Hawaii’s General Excise Tax (GET) applies to cleaning labor — not just to product or supply sales. Every dollar you invoice for cleaning is taxed at 4.5% in all four counties (4.0% state plus a 0.5% county surcharge in effect through December 31, 2030 in Honolulu, Hawaii County, Maui, and Kauai). The maximum visible pass-on rate, slightly higher to account for the gross-receipts compounding, is 4.7120%. This is the opposite of how mainland sales tax usually works — most states exempt cleaning service labor and only tax separately billed supplies.

The other Hawaii-specific items that drive cost: the Prepaid Health Care Act (PHCA) forces every Hawaii employer to provide and pay at least 50% of the health insurance premium for any employee working 20 or more hours per week — a mandate that has existed since 1974 and exists nowhere else in the U.S. Workers’ compensation is mandatory from your very first employee under HRS Chapter 386, and Hawaii is one of only five states (with CA, NJ, NY, RI) that also requires state-mandated short-term Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI). Hawaii’s $16.00/hour minimum wage took effect January 1, 2026, scheduled to climb to $18.00 in 2028 under Act 114 of 2022. On the demand side, the vacation-rental cleaning market that drove cleaning revenue on Oʻahu and Maui for the past decade is being reshaped by Honolulu’s Bill 41 (resort-zone-only short-term rentals since 2022) and Maui’s Bill 9 (signed December 15, 2025, phasing out apartment-zoned vacation rentals starting January 1, 2029 in West Maui and January 1, 2031 in the rest of Maui County). This guide covers what’s actually different about starting a cleaning business in Hawaii.

Cleaning Service Requirements in Hawaii at a Glance

Requirement	Agency / Detail	Cost	Timeline
LLC Articles of Organization	DCCA Business Registration Division via Hawaii Business Express	$50 (+ optional $25 expedited)	3-5 business days standard; 1-2 expedited
LLC Annual Report	DCCA BREG (Form C5)	$15/year	Due by end of formation-anniversary quarter
Federal EIN	IRS.gov	Free	Immediate online
GET License (Form BB-1)	Hawaii Tax Online — Department of Taxation	$20 (one-time)	5-7 days online; 4-6 weeks by mail
State cleaning license	None required at state level	N/A	N/A
Workers’ Compensation	DLIR Disability Compensation Division — private carrier	Varies (typically 2-4% of payroll for cleaning)	Required before first employee’s first day; 1+ employee
Prepaid Health Care Act coverage	DLIR DCD; private health plan	Employer pays at least 50% of premium	Within 4 weeks of any employee working 20+ hours/week
Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)	DLIR DCD; private TDI carrier or self-insurance	Up to 0.5% of wages (2026 max $7.50/week per employee)	Required for any employee working 20+ hours/week
Unemployment Insurance Registration	DLIR Unemployment Insurance Division	2.40% new-employer rate on $64,500 wage base (2026, Schedule C)	Within 20 days of first employee hired
New Hire Reporting	Hawaii Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA)	Free	Within 20 days of hire date
General Liability Insurance	Commercial insurer	$500-$2,000/year (solo to small crew)	Before taking first commercial client
Janitorial Bond (commonly required by clients)	Commercial surety	$100-$300/year (for $10,000-$25,000 bond)	Before bidding on commercial or hotel contracts

How to Start a Cleaning Service in Hawaii (Step by Step)

Step 1: Form Your Hawaii LLC

File Articles of Organization online at Hawaii Business Express, the DCCA Business Registration Division’s portal. Cost: $50 (with an optional $25 expedited review for 1-2 day turnaround; standard processing is 3-5 business days). Your LLC name must include “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company” and must be distinguishable from any existing entity in BREG’s records.

Registered agent: required for any Hawaii LLC and must have a physical Hawaii street address (no P.O. boxes). You can serve as your own agent if you live in Hawaii, or hire a commercial service for $49-$150/year — useful if you don’t want your home address in the public record.

Annual Report: Hawaii LLCs must file a $15 annual report (Form C5 for domestic LLCs) during the calendar quarter of the formation anniversary. Miss the window and BREG can ultimately administratively dissolve the LLC. Set a calendar reminder.

Trade name (DBA): Optional, registered separately under HRS Chapter 482. Trade name registration costs $50 and is valid for five years from filing. Useful if you want to operate as “Aloha Sparkle Cleaning” but have your LLC registered under a different legal name.

Get your free federal EIN at IRS.gov immediately — needed for the GET registration, payroll, and any business banking.

Step 2: Register for the General Excise Tax (GET)

Hawaii’s GET is the first thing that throws off mainland operators. There is no Hawaii sales tax — GET is a tax on the gross income of every business doing business in Hawaii, and unlike most state sales taxes, it applies to services, including cleaning labor. There is no exemption for service businesses, and there is no exemption for residential vs. commercial work.

How to register: File Form BB-1 (Basic Business Application) online through Hawaii Tax Online. The one-time license fee is $20. Online processing is 5-7 business days; mail-in applications take 4-6 weeks.

The 2026 GET rate for cleaning services:

• 4.0% state rate on gross receipts (the “all others” services rate)
• + 0.5% county surcharge in all four counties, effective through December 31, 2030 (Honolulu’s surcharge runs longer, but every county currently imposes 0.5%)
• = 4.5% combined on cleaning revenue performed in any Hawaii county

The pass-on rate question: You may itemize and pass GET on to your customer, but the visible pass-on rate is slightly higher than 4.5% because GET is calculated on gross including the GET itself. The Department of Taxation publishes the maximum visible pass-on rate at 4.7120% in counties with the surcharge. Practically: a $200 residential cleaning invoice has $9.42 of GET passed on at 4.7120%, for a total of $209.42.

Filing frequency: The Department of Taxation will assign monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual filing based on your gross income. Most new cleaning businesses start on a quarterly schedule and shift to monthly as revenue grows past $4,000/month in tax owed. Returns are filed on Form G-45 (periodic) and reconciled annually with Form G-49.

Mainland-style supply markups still apply: If you separately invoice clients for cleaning supplies (paper towels, soap, chemicals), those line items are also subject to GET at the same 4.5% rate. There is no relief for “consumables” the way Colorado treats them — Hawaii taxes the entire transaction.

Step 3: Workers’ Comp, Prepaid Health Care, and TDI Before Hiring

Hawaii layers three separate worker-protection mandates on every employer, and all three kick in essentially the moment you hire. None of these have analogues in most mainland states.

Workers’ Compensation (HRS Chapter 386)

Required for any employer with one or more employees — full-time, part-time, or seasonal. There is no payroll-size or employee-count exemption. Coverage must be in force before the employee’s first day of work. Hawaii’s workers’ comp market is competitive (not monopolistic) — multiple private carriers underwrite Hawaii risks, with Hawaii Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company (HEMIC) being the largest. Cleaning businesses typically pay 2-4% of gross payroll based on NCCI Class 9014 (commercial cleaning), 9015 (hotel/hospitality cleaning), or 0917 (residential domestic services) — confirm the class code your carrier assigns.

Operating without workers’ comp when required exposes you to personal liability for the full cost of any injury claim plus DLIR enforcement action. Cleaning is a moderate-injury-rate industry (chemical exposure, repetitive motion, ladder use, slip-and-fall) — this is not insurance you skip.

Prepaid Health Care Act (HRS Chapter 393)

This is Hawaii’s defining employer mandate and exists in no other U.S. state. Any employer must provide a PHCA-compliant health plan to every employee who works 20 or more hours per week for four consecutive weeks and earns at least 86.67 times the current Hawaii minimum wage in a month (in 2026 with the $16/hour minimum, that’s $1,386.72 per month — easily met by any cleaner working 20+ hours).

• Employer share: at least 50% of the monthly premium
• Employee cost cap: the employee may not pay more than 1.5% of monthly wages toward their employee-only premium — substantially more strict than the federal ACA affordability cap (around 9.96% in 2026)
• Waiting period: coverage must begin no later than four weeks after eligibility
• Plan must be approved: the plan must be approved by the DLIR Prepaid Health Care Council; most major Hawaii carriers (HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, UHA Health Insurance, HMAA) sell PHCA-compliant plans

For a small cleaning business with two part-time cleaners working 22 hours per week each, the PHCA obligation is not optional and can run $300-$500 per employee per month for the employer share alone — a real cost to model into your pricing before hiring.

Temporary Disability Insurance (HRS Chapter 392)

Hawaii is one of only five states (with California, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) that requires employers to provide statutory short-term disability coverage. TDI replaces wages for non-work-related injuries or illness for up to 26 weeks.

• Eligibility: employees who have worked at least 14 weeks in the prior year for any Hawaii employer and earned at least $400 in the relevant base period
• 2026 employee contribution maximum: 0.5% of weekly wages, capped at $7.50/week per employee (up from $7.21 in 2025)
• Employer can pay all of it or split with employees (the employee never pays more than 0.5% / $7.50/week)
• 2026 maximum weekly benefit: $871/week (up from $837)
• Coverage is purchased through approved private TDI carriers or the employer can self-insure with DLIR approval

Many Hawaii small businesses bundle TDI and group health under a single broker; ask your insurance agent specifically for a “PHCA + TDI + workers’ comp” trio quote — pricing is more competitive when bundled.

Step 4: Hawaii Minimum Wage and Unemployment Insurance

Hawaii’s statewide minimum wage is $16.00/hour effective January 1, 2026, the third step under Act 114 of 2022, with a final $18.00/hour increase scheduled for January 1, 2028. There are no separate city or county minimum wages — Hawaii is one of the cleaner state-only minimum wage jurisdictions in the U.S.

Tipped employees: The 2026 tip credit is $3.25, meaning a tipped cleaner who receives more than $20/month in tips can be paid a cash wage of $12.75/hour as long as wages plus tips meet or exceed $16/hour. Most residential and commercial cleaning operations pay full minimum wage anyway because tip income in cleaning is usually too inconsistent to justify the recordkeeping burden the tip credit requires.

Unemployment Insurance (DLIR): Register at uiclaims.hawaii.gov within 20 days of your first employee hire.

• 2026 taxable wage base: $64,500 per employee (up from $61,800 in 2025)
• 2026 new-employer rate: 2.40% under Schedule C
• Experienced employer rates: range from 0.0% to 5.6% based on benefit-charging history
• Employment and Training (E&T) assessment: additional 0.01% on taxable wages

For a cleaner earning $40,000/year, the new-employer 2026 UI cost is approximately $960 ($40,000 × 2.40%) plus the 0.01% E&T ($4) for a total of about $964.

Step 5: New Hire Reporting and Worker Classification

New hire reporting: Every new or rehired employee must be reported to the Hawaii Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) — a division of the Attorney General’s office, not DLIR — within 20 days of the hire date under HRS 576D-16. Reports include the employee’s name, address, SSN, and start date and your federal EIN. Submit electronically through CSEA’s online portal or by W-4 transmittal.

Independent contractor vs. employee: Hawaii does not use the strict ABC test that Colorado, California, and Massachusetts use. Hawaii applies a common-law right-to-control test that looks at multiple factors: who controls the schedule, who provides the tools and supplies, who decides the methods, whether the worker has other clients, and whether there is a lasting employment relationship. Cleaners who work only for you, follow your schedule, use your supplies, and clean to your specs are employees regardless of what their 1099 says.

Misclassifying workers as independent contractors creates back exposure on UI premiums, workers’ comp premiums, PHCA premiums (potentially the largest exposure), TDI premiums, and unwithheld income tax — plus penalties and interest. Cleaning is a frequently audited industry in Hawaii, especially in vacation rental cleaning where 1099 turnover schemes are common.

Step 6: Insurance and Bonding

General Liability Insurance

Standard policy: $1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate, typically $500-$2,000/year for cleaning businesses. Required by virtually every commercial property manager, hotel chain, condominium association, and HOA in Hawaii before they will sign a contract. Solo residential cleaners can sometimes operate without GL by self-insuring, but you will lose every commercial bid that asks for a Certificate of Insurance.

Janitorial Surety Bond

A janitorial bond is a separate instrument from insurance — it’s a third-party guarantee that pays the client if your employees are found to have stolen property. Typical bond face amount: $10,000-$25,000. Annual premium: $100-$300, depending on your credit score and the bond size. Required by every reputable hotel vendor program, by most condo association vendor approvals (especially Waikīkī, Ko Olina, Wailea), and by many vacation rental management companies. Solo residential cleaners can usually skip the bond unless they’re going after commercial accounts.

Commercial Auto Insurance (if you have employees driving)

Personal auto policies do not cover commercial cleaning operations with employees driving. If your cleaners drive between jobs in a vehicle you own or rent, you need commercial auto coverage — typically $1,000-$2,500/year for a single van. Hawaii’s island geography makes auto exposure modest (no long highway stretches except across Oʻahu), but parking-lot accidents in tight Honolulu and Lahaina-area lots are routine claim drivers.

Step 7: County-Level Realities

Hawaii has only four counties and no incorporated cities. “Honolulu” is the City and County of Honolulu — the city government and county government are the same body. This makes Hawaii’s permit stack simpler than mainland states, but the county-by-county vacation rental rules have become the dominant variable in the cleaning market over the past three years.

City and County of Honolulu (Oʻahu)

No general business license at the county level for cleaning service operators. The most consequential local rule is Bill 41 (Ordinance 22-7, effective October 2022), which restricts whole-home transient vacation rentals (rentals under 90 days) to three resort-zoned districts: Waikīkī, Ko Olina, and Turtle Bay. Outside those zones, short-term rentals were largely shut down on Oʻahu, redirecting demand to legal STR registered with the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) — initial registration $1,000, annual renewal $500, $1M GL required of the operator. The practical effect for cleaning operators: legal STR cleaning on Oʻahu is now concentrated in Waikīkī, Ko Olina, and Turtle Bay; everywhere else, the addressable market shifted to longer-term rentals, condo/HOA cleaning, residential, and commercial.

Maui County (Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi)

The biggest 2025-2026 regulatory shift affecting cleaning in Hawaii: Maui Bill 9 of 2025, signed by Mayor Bissen on December 15, 2025, phases out approximately 7,000 apartment-zoned short-term rental units. The phaseout begins January 1, 2029 in West Maui (Lahaina-Kāʻanapali area) and January 1, 2031 elsewhere in Maui County. Combined with the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires, the Maui vacation-rental cleaning market has already contracted significantly — operators who depended on STR turnover work are pivoting to hotel cleaning, condo cleaning, and post-wildfire remediation. If you’re starting a cleaning business with Maui revenue assumptions, model the 2029-2031 phaseout into your business plan.

Hawaii County (Big Island)

Hawaii County is geographically the largest and demographically the smallest of the four counties. The east side (Hilo) is the government and university hub; the west side (Kona-Kohala) is tourism and resort cleaning. Hawaii County has been considering its own STR restrictions; verify current rules with the County of Hawaii Planning Department if you’re targeting vacation rental cleaning here.

Kauai County

Smallest county by population (~73,000) but high tourism intensity along the south and north shores. Kauai has its own Transient Vacation Rental (TVR) registration program through the County Planning Department; legal STR cleaning is concentrated in Poʻipū, Princeville, Kapaʻa, and Hanalei. Kauai’s local market is small enough that most successful cleaning operators are known by name to the property managers.

Hawaii Cleaning Service Market: Where the Demand Is

Hotel and resort cleaning (Waikīkī, Maui resort corridor, Big Island Kohala, Poʻipū): Hawaii’s tourism economy generates roughly 9-10 million visitors per year and the resort hotel cleaning supply chain runs deep — laundry, public-area, room turn, and specialty (post-event, exhibit installation) cleaning. Hotel vendor programs are demanding (drug testing, background checks, GL minimums of $2-$5M, janitorial bonding, sometimes Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau membership) but rates and volume are predictable. NCCI 9015 hotel cleaning carries a higher workers’ comp rate than commercial office cleaning because slip-and-fall and chemical exposure rates are higher.

Vacation rental cleaning — shifting market: Pre-2022, residential and condo STR turnover cleaning was a high-revenue per-unit segment ($150-$350 per turn for a 1-3 bedroom unit on Oʻahu or Maui). Honolulu’s Bill 41 and Maui’s Bill 9 have compressed this market substantially. Today’s legal STR cleaning is concentrated in Oʻahu’s three resort zones, Maui’s hotel-zoned units (until 2029-2031 phaseout), and Kauai/Big Island registered TVR units. Operators who built their book on STR turnover are diversifying into long-term tenant move-out cleaning (also high revenue, less recurring) and recurring residential.

Condominium and HOA cleaning: Hawaii has one of the highest per-capita rates of condominium living in the U.S. — the AOAO (Association of Apartment Owners) governance structure under HRS 514B drives a huge ongoing cleaning market for common areas (lobbies, pools, hallways, stairwells, parking garages). AOAO cleaning is typically multi-year contracted, lower margin than STR, but high stability. Bidding is competitive and most building managers know the local cleaning operators by name.

Residential cleaning — tight labor market: Hawaii’s $16 minimum wage plus the Prepaid Health Care Act make residential cleaning a labor-cost-heavy business. Standard pricing for a 2-3 bedroom recurring residential clean ranges $150-$250 per visit on Oʻahu, slightly less on neighbor islands. Median household income in Hawaii (around $97,000) supports the price points but the labor pool is extremely tight — cleaning is one of many tourism-linked sectors competing for the same hourly workforce.

Commercial office cleaning: Downtown Honolulu, Kakaʻako, and Kapolei have meaningful Class A and B office inventory, but Hawaii’s hybrid-work shift mirrored the mainland — frequency dropped from 5-day to 3-day in many buildings, but per-clean rates rose. Corporate cleaning is the lowest-margin of these segments but provides predictable recurring revenue.

Post-Lahaina remediation and rebuild cleaning (Maui): The August 2023 Lahaina wildfires destroyed much of the historic town, and the rebuild is producing demand for construction cleanup, post-construction final cleans, and ash/debris remediation — specialized work that requires HazWoper-style training and PPE. Margins are higher than standard cleaning but require certification and insurance riders most cleaning policies exclude by default.

Cost to Start a Cleaning Service in Hawaii

Solo Operator (Home-Based, No Employees)

Item	Cost	Notes
LLC formation (DCCA BREG)	$50	Hawaii Business Express; 3-5 day standard
LLC Annual Report (year 1)	$15	Anniversary-quarter window
Trade name registration (optional)	$50	Five-year registration under HRS Ch. 482
Federal EIN	Free	IRS.gov
GET license (Form BB-1)	$20	One-time; Hawaii Tax Online
Registered agent service (optional)	$0-$150/year	Free if you serve as your own with HI address
General liability insurance	$500-$1,000/year	$1M/$2M; required by most clients
Cleaning supplies and equipment	$500-$1,500	Vacuum, mops, chemicals, microfiber, caddy
Personal vehicle (no commercial coverage needed solo)	$0	Personal auto policy usually covers solo use; track mileage
Estimated total: $1,135-$2,785

Small Operation (1-4 Employees, Vehicle, PHCA Stack)

Item	Cost	Notes
LLC + first-year annual report	$65	$50 + $15
GET license	$20	One-time
General liability insurance	$1,000-$2,000/year	Higher limit for crews
Workers’ compensation insurance	$2,000-$5,000/year	NCCI 9014/9015/0917 at 2-4% of payroll
Prepaid Health Care Act premiums (employer share)	$3,600-$6,000/year per FT-equivalent worker	50% of premium for any 20+ hr/wk employee
TDI coverage	$200-$600/year	Often bundled with PHCA broker
UI tax (new employer)	$960/year per $40K payroll	2.40% on $64,500 wage base, 2026 Schedule C
Janitorial bond ($25,000)	$200-$300/year	Required for hotel and AOAO contracts
Commercial auto insurance (1 vehicle)	$1,200-$2,500/year	Required when employees drive company vehicles
Used work van or truck	$8,000-$18,000	Hawaii used vehicle prices run higher than mainland due to shipping
Equipment for crew (2 commercial vacs, multiple caddies, supplies)	$2,000-$5,000	Initial equipment investment
Payroll software / bookkeeping	$500-$1,000/year	Gusto and similar handle GET, UI, TDI, PHCA tracking
Estimated year-one total: $19,745-$41,395 (PHCA and vehicle dominate)

The PHCA cost is what most mainland operators miss. A small Hawaii cleaning business with two employees each working 25 hours/week is responsible for at least 50% of two PHCA-compliant health premiums — easily $300-$500 per employee per month. Build this into your hourly billing rate from day one.

Related Hawaii Business Guides

• Starting a Business in Hawaii: Complete Guide
• How to Start a Food Truck in Hawaii
• How to Start a Landscaping Business in Hawaii
• How to Start an HVAC Business in Hawaii

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Hawaii’s General Excise Tax apply to cleaning service labor?

Yes — and this is one of the most common surprises for cleaning operators moving to Hawaii from the mainland. Unlike most state sales taxes, Hawaii’s GET applies to all gross receipts of a business, including cleaning labor and service fees. Cleaning services are taxed at the standard 4.0% state rate plus a 0.5% county surcharge in all four Hawaii counties through December 31, 2030 — a combined 4.5%. You may pass the GET on to your customer as a separate line item; the maximum visible pass-on rate is 4.7120% per the Hawaii Department of Taxation. There is no exemption for residential cleaning, no exemption for service-only work without supplies, and no small-business GET exemption.

Do I have to provide health insurance to my Hawaii cleaners?

Yes, if any cleaner works 20 or more hours per week for four consecutive weeks. Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act (HRS Chapter 393) requires every employer — regardless of size — to provide a state-approved health insurance plan to qualifying employees and to pay at least 50% of the monthly premium. The employee may not pay more than 1.5% of monthly wages toward their employee-only premium. PHCA exists in no other U.S. state and is the single biggest cost shock to mainland cleaning operators expanding to Hawaii. Plan to budget $300-$500/month per qualifying employee for the employer share of PHCA-compliant coverage.

Does Hawaii require workers’ compensation if I only have one part-time cleaner?

Yes. Hawaii’s workers’ compensation requirement under HRS Chapter 386 applies to any employer with one or more employees — full-time, part-time, or seasonal. There is no minimum hours or payroll threshold. Coverage must be in place before the employee’s first day of work. Hawaii has a competitive workers’ comp market (it is not monopolistic), with HEMIC, First Insurance Company of Hawaii, and other private carriers underwriting Hawaii risks. Cleaning rates typically run 2-4% of gross payroll depending on the work classification (residential, commercial, hotel/hospitality).

What is Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and do I have to provide it?

Hawaii is one of only five U.S. states (with California, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) that requires employers to carry statutory short-term disability coverage for non-work-related injury or illness. Under HRS Chapter 392, you must provide TDI coverage for any employee who has worked at least 14 weeks in the prior year and earned at least $400 in the relevant base period. The 2026 employee contribution is capped at 0.5% of weekly wages or $7.50/week, whichever is less; you can pay the full premium yourself or split with employees up to that cap. The 2026 maximum weekly TDI benefit is $871. Most Hawaii brokers bundle TDI with PHCA and workers’ comp into a single quote.

Can Honolulu, Maui, or Big Island residents still rely on vacation rental cleaning as a primary revenue source?

It depends on the county and the unit. On Oʻahu, Honolulu Bill 41 (Ord. 22-7, effective October 2022) restricts whole-home short-term rentals (under 90 days) to three resort-zoned areas: Waikīkī, Ko Olina, and Turtle Bay. Legal STR cleaning is concentrated in those zones. On Maui, Bill 9 of 2025 (signed December 15, 2025) phases out approximately 7,000 apartment-zoned vacation rentals starting January 1, 2029 in West Maui and January 1, 2031 in the rest of Maui County. Cleaning operators dependent on Maui apartment-zoned STR turnover should plan a market diversification strategy now. Hawaii County and Kauai have less restrictive but still notable TVR programs through their county planning departments. Hotel cleaning, condo/AOAO cleaning, and recurring residential remain unaffected by these laws.

How much does it cost to start a cleaning service in Hawaii?

A solo operator can launch for $1,135-$2,785, covering LLC formation ($50), GET license ($20), annual report ($15), general liability insurance ($500-$1,000/year), and startup supplies ($500-$1,500). A small operation with 1-4 employees and a work vehicle runs $19,745-$41,395 in year one — driven primarily by Prepaid Health Care Act employer-share premiums ($3,600-$6,000/year per qualifying employee), workers’ compensation ($2,000-$5,000/year), and a used work van ($8,000-$18,000, since used vehicles in Hawaii price higher than mainland due to shipping). Mainland operators consistently underestimate the PHCA cost when modeling — make sure it’s in your pricing spreadsheet before you hire.