Delivery Driver Earnings & Pay Rate Estimator

Maximize your gig driving income by understanding your actual take-home pay with this detailed earnings estimator designed for delivery drivers.

If you work for services like DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub, it can be challenging to know what you're truly earning. Many drivers focus on gross pay, but forget to factor in key costs like mileage, wear and tear, and self-employment taxes. That’s where the Delivery Driver Earnings & Pay Rate Estimator comes in—it offers a more accurate picture of your hourly income by calculating your earnings with all these elements in mind.

This tool is particularly useful for part-time gig workers trying to hit a specific financial goal, full-time drivers tracking performance across different weeks, or anyone comparing the profitability of delivery apps. It combines your reported hours, earnings, and tips with standardized mileage estimates (or your own) to provide an estimated hourly pay rate after expenses and taxes.

The calculator uses the IRS mileage rate to estimate the cost of driving and incorporates a standard payroll tax rate for self-employed workers (typically around 15%). You can even adjust the assumed mileage per hour if your driving conditions differ—rural drivers may travel more per hour than city-based ones, for example.

Whether you're new to gig work or a seasoned driver tracking weekly trends, this tool helps you make smarter decisions, like whether to accept certain shifts, which platform is more profitable, or how your driving habits affect your bottom line.

Inputs:

• Hours worked for the week: Total time you were actively delivering or waiting for orders.

• Delivery earnings for the week: Your base pay from delivery platforms.

• Customer tips for the week: Total tips earned (entered separately to be added on top of base pay).

• Additional earnings for the week: Bonuses or incentives received from the delivery app.

• Mileage calculation method: Choose between using a default mileage estimate (10 miles per hour) or enter your actual miles.

• Estimated hours driven for the week: Used if you want to override the default mileage calculation.

Behind the Scenes:

• Mileage costs are calculated using the IRS standard mileage rate ($0.65 per mile).

• Taxes are calculated based on a standard self-employment payroll tax rate (15%).

• Adjusted earnings before and after taxes are computed.

• Your effective hourly pay rate (net) is calculated after deducting estimated mileage and taxes.

Outputs:

• Total weekly earnings

• Total mileage cost

• Estimated total earnings including tips

• Estimated equivalent pay rate (per hour)

These results give a clear view of how much you really made, accounting for the hidden costs of gig driving.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please report them using the form below.