Short answer: A 6-hour shift that pays $240 with tips looks like $40.00/hr. After 90 miles of gas and wear, $5 of other costs and a 20% tax set-aside, you really made $27.13 an hour. More in How Much Do Delivery Drivers Really Make Per Hour After Gas and Taxes?.
Check our math
Here is the result above, step by step, using the numbers already filled in.
- Total earned$180 + $60 tips = $240
- Car costs90 mi × $0.35 = $31.50
- Profit before tax$240 − $31.50 − $5 = $203.50
- Tax set-aside (20%)$203.50 × 20% = $40.70
- You keep$203.50 − $40.70 = $162.80
- Real hourly pay$162.80 ÷ 6 hrs = $27.13/hr
- What the app would show$240 ÷ 6 hrs = $40.00/hr
The result panel rounds the cost rows to the dollar; the hourly figure uses the exact amounts.
How this calculator works
Your real hourly pay is what's left after the costs of doing the work, divided by all the time you spent doing it. Two parts of that get missed the most.
Time: count every hour you were online and available, not just the minutes with an order in the car. Waiting at a restaurant, sitting in a parking lot between offers and driving back to a busy area are all part of the job.
Costs: every mile uses gas and wears out your car. The calculator multiplies your miles by your car cost per mile (from the car cost per mile calculator, saved on this phone), takes out tolls, parking and your phone, and then sets aside a share for taxes, since apps don't withhold any. Drivers often set aside 15–25%; the gig tax calculator gives your own number.
Real hourly pay by earnings and miles driven
| App pay per hour (with tips) | 10 miles an hour | 15 miles an hour | 20 miles an hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20/hr | $13.20/hr | $11.80/hr | $10.40/hr |
| $25/hr | $17.20/hr | $15.80/hr | $14.40/hr |
| $30/hr | $21.20/hr | $19.80/hr | $18.40/hr |
| $35/hr | $25.20/hr | $23.80/hr | $22.40/hr |
| $40/hr | $29.20/hr | $27.80/hr | $26.40/hr |
| $45/hr | $33.20/hr | $31.80/hr | $30.40/hr |
Per hour online, after $0.35 a mile in car costs and a 20% tax set-aside. No other costs.
Worked examples
Evening shift
3 hours online for $65 of app pay and $20 in tips, 40 miles of driving.
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Real hourly pay | $18.93/hr |
| What the app shows | $28.33/hr |
| You keep | $57 |
Full day in an efficient car
10 hours for $230 of app pay and $80 in tips, 160 miles at a car cost of 30¢ a mile, $12 of tolls and parking.
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Real hourly pay | $20.00/hr |
| Car costs | -$48 |
| You keep | $200 |
Morning rideshare shift
5 hours for $125 of fares and $25 in tips, 110 miles in a larger car at 42¢ a mile, $8 of tolls.
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Real hourly pay | $15.33/hr |
| What the app shows | $30.00/hr |
| Car costs | -$46 |
Using your result
Run a few real shifts through the calculator: a weekday lunch, a weekend evening, a slow afternoon. The differences tell you which hours are worth driving. If one block keeps coming out low, drop it and drive more of the good ones.
Use your real hourly pay to set your minimums in the offer calculator, and to plan hours in the weekly income goal calculator. Comparing it with a regular job's hourly pay, after that job's commute, is a fair test of whether driving is worth it for you.
Keep the shifts you enter in a simple note or spreadsheet: date, hours, pay, tips and miles. After a month you'll have your own averages, which are far more useful than anyone else's numbers.
What it doesn't cover
- The tax set-aside is a flat percentage. Your real tax depends on your yearly profit, mileage deduction and tips deduction.
- Car cost per mile is your estimate; a big repair bill can change it.
- It covers one shift or week at a time. Averages over a month are more reliable.
- NetTakeHome isn't affiliated with any app, and the result reflects only the numbers you enter.
Read more
- How Much Do Delivery Drivers Really Make Per Hour After Gas and Taxes?
- Is DoorDash Worth It? How to Decide With Your Own Numbers
Frequently asked questions
How much do delivery drivers really make per hour?
It depends on your market, hours, car and the offers you take, so the only reliable answer is your own. Enter a recent shift: with the starting numbers here, $240 over 6 hours comes to $27.13 an hour after costs and taxes.
Should I count time waiting between orders?
Yes. You're working whenever you're online and available. Leaving waiting time out makes your pay look higher than it is.
What car cost per mile should I use?
Your own, from the car cost per mile calculator. The calculators start at 35¢, but the real figure varies a lot with fuel economy and how much value your car loses.
What does $30 an hour on the app really pay?
At 15 miles an hour, $0.35 a mile in car costs and a 20% tax set-aside, about $19.80 an hour.
Should I count bonuses and promotions?
Yes, include them in app pay for the shift they were earned in. If a bonus covers several days, spread it over those days so one shift doesn't look better than it was.
How much should I set aside for taxes?
Drivers with lots of miles often set aside 15–25% of what they make after costs. Your mileage deduction lowers the tax, so the gig tax calculator is the best way to find your number.
Sources
Reviewed against IRS sources: October 2026 · Updated October 2026 · By the NetTakeHome team. Estimates for planning, not tax, legal or financial advice. NetTakeHome is not affiliated with DoorDash, Uber, Lyft or Instacart.