Is DoorDash a good side hustle? Yes, it is. How much can you make with DoorDash? Reports say $15–$25 an hour. But that’s before taxes, gas, and other fees. We’ll give you all the numbers to help you decide. DoorDash is huge, and if you don’t know a Dasher personally, you’ll know someone who knows one. It’s like the Kevin Bacon game, but for food delivery. DoorDash is worth it for the competitive base pay, flexible work schedule, and the chance to earn more by working strategically. There’s an easy sign-up process, and because DoorDash operates across all fifty states, anyone in the US can become a Dasher by meeting some basic requirements. We’ll take you through the ins and outs of working for DoorDash before your In-N-Out burger makes it to your door. In this post, you’ll find out:
- How DoorDash works.
- How you can work for DoorDash yourself.
- How much you can make working as a Dasher (and how to boost your earnings).
- The pros and cons of DoorDash for drivers.
What is DoorDash?
DoorDash is an on-demand delivery service, allowing users to order pickups from local restaurants, convenience markets, and grocery stores. Customers can download the DoorDash app to order, and a nearby courier will collect their items and bring it to their door. DoorDash already claims over twenty million active users, served by around two million couriers. It handled nearly $10 billion in orders last year is a part of the gig economy, right alongside Uber.
How Does DoorDash Work?
To start DoorDashing (yes, that’s the actual term) as a quick side hustle, download the Dasher App. Signing up is straightforward. All you need are a few details like location, name, and vehicle type. There’s a quick background check for criminal records or vehicle offenses. Pass that, and you’re ready to rock to the sweet sounds of your favorite driving anthems.
How Does DoorDash Work for Drivers?
DoorDashing is easy. Here’s exactly how you do it. Once you’re logged onto the app:
- Tap “Start Dashing”, then pick your end time.
- View the delivery opportunities available in your area.
- Act fast—there’s a forty-second time limit before orders you view go back into the pool.
- Click to pick one.
When you view orders, you’ll see the items, delivery time, directions, and the minimum amount you’ll make. Don’t worry about declining too many orders, there’s no delivery requirement to keep working for DoorDash. As a Dasher, you’ll get a Red Card, a preloaded credit card you should use when prompted by the app to complete orders for certain merchants. You can only use your Red Card to pay for pick-ups at restaurants. There’s only enough cash on it to cover the customer’s order, so you can’t use it to pay for gas or tolls along the way. You can’t add tips from the Red Card, either. You’ll receive your Red Card in your Activation Kit, along with that iconic hot bag, and setting it up via the app is as easy as that pie you’ll deliver later. Your Red Card will only work in the right restaurant, at the right time, with the right amount. You’ll even get a handy pop-up notification with something along the lines of “Pay With Red Card”. The Red Card isn’t linked to your bank account, and your earnings don’t get deposited on it. It’s strictly used for picking up orders that haven’t been prepaid for by the customer. Once you make a pickup, verify the order details with the restaurant, and whisk it off to a grateful, hungry customer. You’ll get directions to their door, drop-off instructions, and the option to text or call if you need it. Drive, pickup, drop off. That’s the essence of the DoorDash experience. Later you can check how much you’ve made, and even rate the delivery on the app. DoorDash did a great job making the entire experience user-friendly.
How Do You Work for DoorDash?
The basic DoorDash requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You need to have a Social Security Number.
- You will need a smartphone.
In most cities, you’ll need a car, a motorcycle, or a scooter with valid insurance, and a clean driver’s license, too. In others, all you need is a bike. DoorDash will provide you with gear, like a delivery bag and your Red Card after you’ve started. DoorDash is an equal opportunity employer, and you don’t need any previous experience. As long as you can meet the eligibility requirements, fill in the application, and make the deliveries on time, you’re in.
How Much Can You Make With DoorDash?
According to DoorDash, their couriers make up to $25 an hour and keep 100% of their tips. If you’ve worked in a restaurant before, you’ll know how rare that is. With a base pay between $2 and $10 per delivery, it’s a stretch to say that every DoorDasher can earn as much as that. But with twenty million monthly users, two million couriers, and $10 billion in orders, there’s definitely earning potential there. DoorDash calculates base pay depending on the time, distance, and desirability of orders. Deliveries that take longer to complete, are further away, or are more difficult, can earn you more. You can also make more through promotions on the app. This is a big deal in the DoorDash community. Promotions are incentives—basically extra cash to meet the goals set by the company for delivering a certain amount of orders in a given time. Since you can set your hours, you can choose whether to pick up DoorDashing full-time or part-time. Potentially, there’s no limit to what you can earn as a Dasher. Work more, and you’ll take home more pay.
How Do DoorDashers Get Paid?
DoorDashers can get paid weekly to their bank accounts, or daily through the Dasher Direct program. If you go for the weekly option, DoorDash makes no-fee deposits to your account—but you can take advantage of Fast Pay and access your cash daily for a $1.99 fee. But if you need instant, daily access to your pay, Dasher Direct is a better way to do it. That’s an app that automatically deposits Dasher earnings with no fees, within minutes, to a dedicated Visa debit card. Here’s what you can expect from a Dasher Direct card:
- Get your payments within minutes of completing a Dash.
- Withdraw cash for free from ATMs across the country.
- Pay bills and make transfers with a mobile banking app.
- Make payments from your device with a virtual card.
- Enjoy 2% cash back on gas, wherever you get it.
And if you’re wondering, “Is DoorDash worth it after gas?”, the cash back option can take some sting out of skyrocketing prices. DoorDash raised gas cash back through Dasher Direct to 10% for a few months in 2022, with more pressure from the community to reintroduce a policy like this again soon.
Is DoorDash Worth It After Gas?
Research has shown that, across the country, DoorDash drivers make on average $15.57 an hour. Swap time for distance, and you get a not-so-staggering $1.04 per mile, or $7.97 per trip. If you want those DoorDash dollars, you’ve got to hustle— According to the Dashers on Reddit, you can drive anywhere between 60 and 100 miles in an eight-hour shift. We know from a study by MIT that ride-share drivers (the gig-working cousin to DoorDash) spend between $.05 and $.27 a mile on gas. All this sounds like some math problem straight out of your high school textbook, but the bottom line is this— At 60 miles a day, that could be as little as $3 or as much as $17 on gas, so up to a whole hour of your working day might go towards your fuel costs. What’s helpful is that the IRS has increased the mileage deduction to 62.5 cents per mile in 2022. That means that if you keep track of all the miles you drive for business as a DoorDasher, and multiply that by the deductible rate at the end of the tax period, you’ve got yourself a business expense. For example, driving 2,500 miles in 2022 while Dashing nets you $1,562.50 deductible (2,500 x 0.625 = 1,562.50). The IRS itself is an excellent resource for gig workers who want to understand their taxes, so take a look before diving into Dashing.
Is DoorDash Worth It After Taxes?
As a DoorDasher, you work as a self-employed contractor. It means you’re responsible for your taxes. Think of it as having your business, with all the compliance that entails. You’ll need to keep records, file taxes, and do your expenses. It may sound daunting, but learning how to do your taxes has its perks. You’ll have to pay self-employment tax and income tax on all your profits. We can’t tell you what other state or local taxes you’ll need to pay. That’s something you’ll need to check for your area. And since every Dasher’s earnings are different, taxes will be too.
Make (More) Money With DoorDash
With tax rates hovering around at least 25%, you’ll need some clever techniques to boost how much you can make with DoorDash.
1. Take on peak-time deliveries.
Those align roughly with meal times (11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. according to DoorDash). More demand equals higher prices. To get in early on the dinner rush, you can schedule your Dashes up to five days in advance. Or, if Beyoncé is visiting town and there’s an unexpected flood of midnight orders, hit the Dash Now button to get in on the action.
2. Choose orders strategically.
Taking every order won’t make you as much as you think. The app works with a handy map, so you can view orders that are close together, estimate the time delivery will take, and where you’ll be at the end. Try to balance smaller orders with higher-priced deliveries, too. Adding more of these into every Dash will increase your per-hour pay. That, and they’re the potential big tippers. You can’t avoid the no-tippers, but you can complain about them on Reddit.
3. Take bonus offers.
Some newbie Dashers can benefit from the Guaranteed Earnings Incentive program. That’s an agreement with the company that you’ll earn a set amount as long as you complete a certain number of orders. There are also Challenges. These are to do with making a certain number of deliveries in a set time and act as a top-up to your regular pay. You can even earn money by referring others to DoorDash through sign-up offers. As long as they complete a certain number of deliveries, you’ll pocket a nice fee (anywhere between $100 to $1000, depending on location).
4. Earn Top Dasher status.
To become a Top Dasher you’ll need to accept 70% of all orders and maintain a high customer rating. The status lasts a month and comes with some rewards: you can earn more by scheduling time whenever you like (as opposed to waiting for an opening during peak times), in any area, and get priority when competing for high-value orders.
DoorDash Pros and Cons
Like with any job, there are pros and cons of working for DoorDash. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect. Pros:
- You can sign up quickly and easily with your smartphone.
- You just need to pass a background check, have a Social Security Number, and a vehicle.
- You’ll work when you want, for how long you want.
- You can make more than the minimum wage, and get paid daily.
- You’re free to accept or reject deliveries to suit your strategy and needs.
Cons:
- You’ll work as a self-employed contractor without any of the usual employee benefits.
- You can never be sure that you’ll work at peak times—it’ll depend on how high the competition is.
- You might not earn the same from week to week or even from day to day—and the base pay is relatively low.
- You’ll need to cover any vehicle-related costs, from gas to maintenance.
- You’ll have to do your own taxes.
Is It Worth It to Work for DoorDash?
We’re not changing our mind on this one. Is working for DoorDash easy? Not really, especially if you want to make the most of your DoorDash income. You need to take the average wage of $25 an hour with a pinch of salt. Gas is pricey, paycheck will vary, and there’s a lot of competition from other Dashers. But you can still earn a good wage, part-time or full-time. Use tactics to boost your pay and take advantage of the incentives DoorDash offers. Sitting at home on a Saturday night with nothing to do? Whip out your cell phone and start making cash.
FAQs
Is DoorDash Worth It? How to Make Money With DoorDash? ›
DoorDash drivers can make a decent income provided they work to take higher-paying jobs, work during peak hours, and minimize expenses. New Dashers may find that the per-hour earnings are low. For that reason, giving excellent service to help maximize the potential for tips is essential.
Is DoorDash actually a good way to make money? ›Should You Become a Dasher? Driving for DoorDash is a decent way to earn some cash on the side. It's nice that you can use some business savvy to boost your bottom line (unlike some of the other gig economy apps). If you're looking for a part time job that you can do on your own schedule, DoorDash fits the bill.
How much do you have to DoorDash to make it worth it? ›Follow the $2 (or more) per mile rule for base pay. Dashers say if you're getting a base pay of at least $2 per mile for a delivery gig, you're earning a good wage. So let's say a potential delivery pops up in your DoorDash app. If the drive is four miles and the base pay is $8, it's worth accepting the drive.
How much can you make with DoorDash in 3 hours? ›The average income for most DoorDash drivers ranges between $15 and $25 per hour. You may also earn more than this if you get plenty of additional income from tips for your orders.
Does DoorDash pay for gas? ›The short answer is no, DoorDash does not pay for gas for its delivery drivers. In fact, none of the top delivery services (think: Uber Eats, Instacart, Grubhub, or Shipt) cover gas for their delivery drivers.
Does DoorDash pay daily? ›When do I get paid? Drivers delivering with DoorDash are paid weekly via a secured direct deposit to their personal bank account — or via no-fee daily deposits with DasherDirect (U.S. Only). Dashers in the U.S. and Canada can withdraw their earnings once daily with Fast Pay ($1.99 per transfer).
Who pays more DoorDash or Uber eats? ›The combination of Uber Eats' base pay and tips comes in 25% to 33% lower than DoorDash. However, if DoorDash drivers are making more deliveries per hour than Grubhub and Uber Eats drivers, one might think they would receive more tips.
Does DoorDash take out taxes? ›One of the most common questions Dashers have is, “Does DoorDash take taxes out of my paycheck?” The answer is no. As an independent contractor, the responsibility to pay your taxes falls on your shoulders. Don't let that stress you out— over the years H&R Block has helped hundreds of thousands of gig workers like you.
How much do Dashers make per order? ›Base pay from DoorDash to Dashers ranges from $2-$10+ per delivery depending on the estimated duration, distance, and desirability of the order. Deliveries that are expected to take more time, that require Dashers to travel a longer distance, and that are less popular with Dashers have higher base pay.
Is it better to dash by order or time? ›Q: Why did DoorDash launch this? A: Earn by Time mode provides Dashers an even more reliable way to earn while dashing. Dashers who choose to earn this way get the most out of their time on the road, while customers in their city receive their orders faster, improving the experience for all.
What is the highest tip on DoorDash? ›
A DoorDash spokesman said its app's tip limit is $30, or 200% of the order's subtotal, whichever is higher. “It's purely a way to protect our community from fraudulent behavior,” he said.
How much can you make doing DoorDash 40 hours a week? ›DoorDash reports that average drivers make $25 an hour. This means if you work 40 hours a week, which is considered full-time, you would earn $1,000 before tax.
How long would it take to make $1,500 on DoorDash? ›“Earn at least $1500 in total earnings for your first 150 deliveries as a new Dasher if you complete those 150 deliveries in your first 30 days.” In this example, if you complete 150 deliveries in your first 30 days as an active Dasher, you will earn at least $1500.
What is the best time to DoorDash on Sunday? ›5 PM - 9 PM. Here's when restaurants and food delivery services are the busiest — especially on Saturdays and Sundays. This extended dinner rush will give you a solid four hours to rack up orders.
Why is DoorDash base pay so low? ›DoorDash's base pay is so low, in part, to cover its overhead costs and simply because it can get away with it. There is no shortage of people who are interested in working for Doordash as a means to earn extra cash.
How much can you make from 5 hours of DoorDash? ›Average DoorDash pay is in the range of $15-$25/hour.
If you worked 4 hours, you could make $60-$100/day. That would be as if DoorDash was a part-time job. If you worked it like a full-time job, working 8 hours a day, you could make around $120-$200/day.
That flexibility makes Dashing a great side gig to earn extra money. Depending on the market, it could even replace a regular part-time or full-time job. This quick guide will break down how much you can earn as a DoorDash driver, the factors that determine your pay and how to maximize your earnings.
How do you get high pay orders on DoorDash? ›A: Currently, Dashers must have a customer rating of at least 4.5 and an acceptance rate of 50% or higher to unlock priority access to higher paying orders. Dashers who have an acceptance rate of 70% or higher will receive even more priority for high paying orders.
Do you have to file a 1099 for DoorDash? ›A 1099-NEC form summarizes Dashers' earnings as independent contractors in the US. It's provided to you and the IRS, as well as some US states, if you earn $600 or more in 2022. If you're a Dasher, you'll need this form to file your taxes.
How much do Dashers make after gas? ›Dashers who qualify for both rewards could receive anywhere between $1.65 and $2.00 per gallon. Weekly Gas Bonus for Those Who Dash Most. Each week, Dashers who accept and complete orders totaling 100 miles in a motor vehicle will earn an extra $5 – and those extra earnings will increase the more they deliver.
How many hours a day should I DoorDash? ›
Need to take an uninterrupted 6-hour break if you dash for more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period.
Does DoorDash pay you if you get no orders? ›Do I still get paid on DoorDash if I don't get an order? Typically, the answer is no. You are only paid an order that is completed to delivery. You may receive partial payment if the delivery couldn't be completed.
Does DoorDash pay you for waiting? ›No. Doordash does not pay wait time. If it is an extraordinary wait, a dasher can contact dasher support and ask them for extra pay and they may add a few dollars. Again though, it would have to be a very long wait for them to consider paying you anything extra.
What happens if you schedule a dash and don't do it? ›What happens if you schedule a dash but don't end up doing it? DoorDash will cancel a shift if you don't log in within 30 minutes of the scheduled start time.
Can you do Uber Eats and DoorDash at the same time? ›Uber doesn't ban you from doing both. Why would you do it? Because it opens up more possibilities than simply driving for a food app (like DoorDash, Grubhub, or Postmates). That said, you do have to meet some minimum requirements to drive for the Uber driver app, or the Uber Eats app.
Where does DoorDash pay the most? ›Some of the highest paying DoorDash cities include San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. This is because the Prop 22 initiative in California helps guarantee DoorDash driver pay. In fact, DoorDash drivers in California earn $34 per hour on average as of 2021, including tips.
Can I write off gas for DoorDash? ›DoorDash drivers can write off expenses such as gasoline only if they take actual expenses as a deduction. Federal mileage reimbursement of 56 cents per mile includes the cost of gas as well as maintenance and other transportation costs. An independent contractor can't deduct mileage and gasoline at the same time.
Can I write off a car purchase for DoorDash? ›You can either deduct the standard mileage rate—currently, $0.585 cents per mile for 2022 and $0.655 cents per mile in 2023 —or you can itemize and deduct all of your car expenses.
Do you get a w2 from DoorDash? ›A 1099-NEC form summarizes Dashers' earnings as independent contractors in the US. It's provided to you and the IRS, as well as some US states, if you earn $600 or more in 2022. If you're a Dasher, you'll need this form to file your taxes.
How much do Doordashers make without tips? ›Base pay is DoorDash's base contribution for each order. This will range from $2-10+ when a Dasher chooses to earn per order, depending on the estimated time, distance, and desirability of the order.
What days are busiest for DoorDash? ›
Weekends are naturally busier for DoorDash drivers than weekdays because more people order out on the weekends. Like the best times to DoorDash, it's best to focus your time during lunch or dinner to make the most money, but there's one exception. You might make great money delivery late on Friday or Saturday nights.
Can I dash in any state? ›Yes! As long as DoorDash is available in a city, you can dash there. Since DoorDash serves thousands of cities, your ability to earn money is not restricted to a small geographic area. Many Dashers enjoy dashing and making money as they travel all over their country!
What are the best hours to dash for DoorDash? ›Peak times tend to align with meal times, so lunch (11:00 AM to 2:00 PM) and dinner (4:30 PM to 8:00 PM) are often the busiest times to dash -- which should mean more money! To snag a spot during the lunch or dinner rush, you can schedule a dash up to 5 days in advance.
Is it good to accept every order on DoorDash? ›You can increase your completion rate by making sure every order you accept is delivered to the customer. If you unassign in the middle of a delivery you accepted, that could impact your completion rate. For example, a Dasher has completed 500 deliveries and has a completion rate of 90%.
How do you tell if there are Dashers in my area? ›To see if DoorDash is available in your neighborhood, visit http://www.doordash.com/food-delivery/ and enter your delivery address in the search bar and select find restaurants.
Do Dashers keep 100% of tips? ›Yes! Dashers receive 100% of all customer tips that DoorDash receives, including those earned on DoorDash Drive orders. Many customers tip as they place an order during order checkout, and you will see these tips listed immediately in your earnings.
Is it rude to not tip DoorDash? ›Without your tips, your courier's payout may be just a few dollars — even if they spent half an hour or more to get your food safely to your door. Another point to make is that you should tip your driver if you're using a DoorDash promo code.
How do you become a successful DoorDash? ›- Arrive on-time. Arrive to the store at or slightly before the quoted pickup time. ...
- Verify you are picking up the correct order. ...
- Check off each item in your Dasher app. ...
- Grab some freebies. ...
- Communicate with your customer. ...
- Follow delivery instructions.
Yes, DoorDash can be a full-time job.
This means you can work for DoorDash full-time, part-time, or even for just a few hours a week if you choose. If treated like a full-time job with a work week of 40 hours or more, a DoorDash driver may earn an annual salary of around $55,000.
Payments are transferred directly to your bank account through Direct Deposit and usually take 2-3 days to show up in your bank account, so payments will appear by Wednesday night. Fast Pay allows Dashers to cash out their earnings daily for a small fee of $1.99.
How much can you make with DoorDash before you have to pay taxes? ›
If you made more than $600 working for DoorDash in 2020, you have to pay taxes. This isn't exclusive to only DoorDash employees, either. If you took on some side jobs to make up for lost income, that money you made will be taxed.
How do I quit DoorDash? ›And, if you don't plan on running deliveries for DoorDash anymore, the steps to quit DoorDash are straightforward. As a driver, all you have to do is cancel your current and future work. Once you've done that, you can contact DoorDash and let them know to deactivate your account and delete your personal information.
Does DoorDash give Christmas bonuses? ›Here's the thing you have to understand about incentives from delivery companies: Doordash will never give you a Christmas bonus.
What are the incentives for new Doordash drivers? ›DoorDash does provide bonuses for lifetime deliveries. The most active Dashers can get a cash reward ranging between $300 and $20,000 according to the number of lifetime deliveries they completed.
What is the slowest day for Dashers? ›The tail-end of the week from Friday to Sunday, or sometimes Thursday to Sunday, are the best days for DoorDash. Even if Monday and Tuesday are considered the “slowest” days, Wednesdays sometimes can have that same feeling.
Should I dash when it's not busy? ›If it is not very busy or there are already enough Dashers on the road, you will see a Schedule button instead, and you may click on that to schedule a Dash at a busier time or location in the future. Top Dashers may Dash Now at any time. For more information on how to qualify for that program, please see this page.
Does DoorDash pay more at night? ›Many people order food late at night and during early morning hours. Thus, you can make good money working during these wee hours – one of my favorites when thinking about the best times to DoorDash. You can get a lot of high-paying orders during night hours.
How to make $500 a week with DoorDash? ›According to DoorDash, drivers earn $23 per hour on average across the United States. This means to make $500 a week with DoorDash, the average driver needs to deliver almost 22 hours per week. If you Dash a bit seven days a week, this works out to just over three hours of DoorDash per day.
Can I make 40k a year with DoorDash? ›Take your hourly income, double it, and that's how many thousand dollars you'll make annually (or a rough estimate for fulltime at least). Doordash averages between $10 and $20 dollars per hour, that's between $20,000 and $40,000 a year.
What are DoorDash peak hours? ›Learn how here. Peak times tend to align with meal times, so lunch (11:00 AM to 2:00 PM) and dinner (4:30 PM to 8:00 PM) are often the busiest times to dash -- which should mean more money! To snag a spot during the lunch or dinner rush, you can schedule a dash up to 5 days in advance.
Does DoorDash report to IRS? ›
DoorDash & 1099s
You'll receive a 1099-NEC if you've earned at least $600 through dashing in the previous year. Form 1099-NEC reports income you received directly from DoorDash (ex. incentive payments) and driver referral payments. These items can be reported on Schedule C.
Do I owe taxes working for Doordash? Yes - Just like everyone else, you'll need to pay taxes. If you earned more than $600 while working for DoorDash, you are required to pay taxes.
Can I make a living off of DoorDash as a fulltime job? ›If treated like a full-time job with a work week of 40 hours or more, a DoorDash driver may earn an annual salary of around $55,000. Those that treat it more like a part-time job make an annual salary in the $20,000 to $25,000 range. Most DoorDash drivers make a wage anywhere from $12 to $18 per hour.
How do I get higher paying DoorDash orders? ›High-earning Dashers make more money while dashing by accepting and completing more orders! Consistently, the Dashers who accept and complete the most orders are the Dashers who earn the most. The busiest areas are marked in red on the map of your Dasher app.
Does DoorDash pay more for longer trips? ›Deliveries that require Dashers to travel a longer distance, that are expected to take more time, and that are less popular with Dashers will have a higher base pay. Base pay will not change based on the customer tip amount. For information about how base pay works when Dashers earn by time, see here.
Who pays better DoorDash or Uber Eats? ›...
Who pays more, Uber Eats or DoorDash?
| Service | 2022 average monthly income |
|---|---|
| DoorDash | $385.06 |
| Uber Eats | $236.93 |