True Hourly Pay After Gas, Expenses & Taxes
The Hidden Costs of Dashing
The number DoorDash shows in your app is not what you keep. After fuel, vehicle depreciation, maintenance, and self-employment tax, the median Dasher nets just $7–$12 per hour — a far cry from the $18–$25 DoorDash advertises.
How to Use the DoorDash Earnings Calculator
To get an accurate picture of your take-home pay, simply enter your Base Pay per Delivery, Peak Pay, and average Tip per Delivery. Then, input the number of deliveries you completed and your total active hours. The calculator will instantly show your gross Total Earnings and your true Hourly Rate.
How DoorDash Pay Is Structured
Every completed DoorDash order pays you from three sources: Base Pay, Promotions, and Tips.
- Base pay is the guaranteed minimum ($2 to $10+) depending on distance and desirability.
- Tips make up roughly 49% of total pay and you keep 100% of them.
- Peak Pay stacks on top during busy periods.
Unlike Uber or Lyft, DoorDash does not take a percentage cut of your pay. The costs that shrink your income come entirely from your vehicle and taxes.
The Depreciation Trap
High-mileage delivery driving destroys vehicle resale value. Spreading the value loss of your car over 52 weeks reveals a silent drain of $48–$87 per week. Don't wait until you sell the car to realize this cost.
The 2026 IRS Mileage Deduction
The IRS standard mileage rate for 2026 is **$0.725 per mile**. It covers fuel, oil, tires, insurance, and vehicle depreciation in one flat deduction on Schedule C. Tracking 15,000 miles saves you roughly $2,800 in real taxes.
If you rely purely on DoorDash's in-app mileage estimates, you are losing money. DoorDash only logs miles while on an active delivery. However, the IRS allows you to deduct miles driven to the pickup spot and between orders while waiting for pings. Always use a third-party app like Stride or Everlance.
Self-Employment Tax on DoorDash
As a Dasher, you pay the full 15.3% Self-Employment Tax (Social Security and Medicare) on your net profit. This catches many first-year Dashers off guard when they file their taxes in April. You should check out our Self Employment Tax Calculator for an exact breakdown.
The Best Strategy for 2026
To push your net earnings from $9/hr to $18/hr, you must do three things consistently: 1) Filter orders strictly (aim for $1.50 - $2.00 per mile), 2) Work Peak Windows (Friday and Sunday dinners are structurally better pay), and 3) Multi-App with Uber Eats during slow periods.