Gig delivery apps advertise pay per order, but that number ignores fuel, equipment, and the self-employment tax every 1099 driver owes. This calculator turns your real schedule and driving costs into honest take-home pay — weekly, monthly, and yearly — plus an effective hourly rate you can compare against a regular job.

How the Delivery Driver Earnings Calculator works

The model starts from your weekly order volume (hours × orders per hour) and multiplies by your average earnings per order to get gross pay. It then subtracts fuel — computed from miles driven, your MPG, and local gas price — and prorated equipment cost to reach net before tax.

Because drivers are independent contractors, the calculator applies self-employment tax at 15.3% on 92.35% of net business profit, where profit reflects the IRS standard mileage deduction (72.5 cents per mile for 2026, per Rev. Proc. 2025-90) rather than actual fuel. After applying the IRC §199A Qualified Business Income deduction (20% of net SE income), only income above the standard deduction is taxed at your marginal rate. An optional income-tax bracket on the Tax Optimization tab adds a federal income-tax estimate on top.

Inputs and what they mean

Hours and orders per hour set your throughput; average per order (base plus tips) is the single biggest lever on income. Miles per order, gas price, and MPG drive your fuel cost — long-distance markets and thirsty vehicles erode pay fast. Equipment captures recurring costs like an insulated bag or phone mount, entered monthly.

The platform selector also seeds typical per-order economics used in the comparison chart, so you can see how the same hours would pay on a different app.

Limits and edge cases

This is an estimate, not a tax return. It uses federal self-employment tax and a single federal income-tax bracket — it does not model state income tax, the qualified business income deduction, dependents, or other credits. Pay varies enormously by market, time of day, and promotions, so treat the platform averages as starting points.

Vehicle depreciation, insurance surcharges, and maintenance beyond fuel are not included. For an exact picture of what you owe, track every business mile and consult a tax professional.