DoorDash / Food Delivery Driver Earnings Calculator
Calculate true net hourly earnings as a DoorDash, Grubhub, or Uber Eats driver after fuel, mileage deduction, self-employment tax, and vehicle wear costs.
The gross-vs-net trap of food delivery
DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub all display gross pay — what they paid out before any expenses you incurred. New drivers see “$25/hour” on the app and assume that’s the take-home. It’s not. Once you subtract fuel, vehicle wear, equipment, and self-employment tax, real net earnings on most markets fall between $8 and $15/hour.
Expense math
fuel cost = (miles ÷ MPG) × gas price per gallon vehicle wear = miles × $0.08 (maintenance + depreciation; conservative) total weekly expenses = fuel + vehicle wear + equipment net weekly = gross weekly − total expenses net hourly = net weekly ÷ active hours
A driver earning $400 gross over 25 active hours, driving 300 miles in a 30-mpg car at $3.50/gallon, with $2/week of equipment:
- Fuel: 10 gallons × $3.50 = $35
- Vehicle wear: 300 × $0.08 = $24
- Equipment: $2
- Total expenses: $61
- Net weekly: $339, or $13.56/hour net
That’s before tax. Apply roughly 24% combined (15.3% SE tax + ~9% effective income tax after deductions) and you net around $10.30/hour. Half of what the app implied.
The $0.08/mile vehicle wear is conservative
The standard AAA per-mile cost of car ownership runs about $0.20 to $0.30/mile when you factor depreciation, insurance, tires, brakes, and routine maintenance. The $0.08 used here covers only maintenance and incremental depreciation beyond your normal driving — assuming you’d own a car anyway. Drivers who buy a car specifically for delivery should use $0.20+ per mile, which dramatically changes the math.
A car with 200,000+ miles on it (often) loses tens of thousands in resale value compared to the same car at 100,000 miles. Tires last 25k miles instead of 50k. Brakes wear at delivery-specific rates.
The IRS mileage deduction — the only thing keeping the math positive
For 2024, the IRS Standard Mileage Rate is $0.67/mile for business use. A driver doing 300 miles/week (15,600/year) can deduct $10,452 from gross income.
That deduction matters because the alternative is paying self-employment tax (15.3%) plus income tax on the full $20,800 gross from delivery. With the deduction, taxable income drops to about $10,348 — saving thousands.
Critical: track every mile, every shift. Apps like Stride (free), MileIQ, or QuickBooks Self-Employed automate this. Without records, an IRS audit will disallow your deductions entirely.
Realistic hourly net by market type
| Market | Typical net hourly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Major urban (NYC, SF, LA, Boston) | $14 to $22 | Higher gross, higher fuel/tolls/parking |
| Mid-size suburban | $10 to $15 | Best balance for most drivers |
| Small town / rural | $7 to $12 | Lower volume, longer drives between orders |
| College town | $12 to $18 | High peak demand (lunch, late-night) |
| Tourist destination | $10 to $20 (seasonal) | Big swings between high and low season |
The “stacking” advantage
The drivers earning at the high end of these ranges run multi-app simultaneously — DoorDash + Uber Eats + Grubhub on the same phone (or two phones). When DoorDash sends a $3 order, they reject it and take the $8 Grubhub order that came in 30 seconds later. Single-app drivers leave 30 to 50% of potential income on the table.
Hidden costs most drivers miss
- Phone plan upgrade for unlimited data and faster connectivity ($20 to $50/month over what you’d otherwise pay)
- Phone replacement every 12 to 18 months (heavy use destroys batteries)
- Insurance — Standard personal auto insurance usually doesn’t cover delivery driving. Some insurers cancel policies if they find out. Either get a rideshare/delivery rider ($20 to $60/month) or risk a denied claim.
- Parking tickets in cities where you double-park to make deliveries — easily $50 to $200/month
- Tolls and bridge fees rarely reimbursed
- Health insurance — gig workers get nothing from platforms. Marketplace plans cost $400 to $800/month for a healthy adult.
The mental cost
Most experienced drivers report two real psychological costs: the gamification (orders constantly arriving with countdown timers) and the loneliness (rarely talking to customers; brief interactions with restaurant staff). Burn-out is high. Most drivers do not last more than 12 to 24 months in the role.
When delivery makes sense
- Filling extra hours around another job (best use)
- Short-term income while looking for full-time work (3 to 6 months)
- Living in a high-tip / dense market where stacking apps works
When it doesn’t:
- As a primary income in a low-density market
- With a car you bought specifically for delivery (depreciation eats most earnings)
- Without rigorous mileage tracking (you’re paying tax on income that isn’t taxable)