Here is the best tax advice that I can offer to independent contractors in the food delivery world in the gig economy:
Don't take tax advice from the internet. Not from blogs, not from podcasts, especially not Facebook.

Don't even take advice from this blog, because this isn't meant to be advice. The only place I recommend getting advice is from a tax pro. Be warned: I'm going to say that a lot.
This is not meant to be tax advice. Read this as a way to explain some of how taxes actually work for independent contractors.
The better you understand taxes, the better you can prepare yourself.
Taxes 101 for Delivery Contractors
Okay, I'm not sure that this is even 101 stuff. This is very basic level, but there are some fundamental differences between being taxed as an employee and as a business owner.
Do understand that this is about your federal taxes, not your state and local. There are so many difference there that I can't begin to cover them.
To learn more about taxes:
At the end of this article, you'll find a list of articles that went into detail on several aspects of taxes for delivery independent contractors.
Taxes for Indepedent Contractors are Based on PROFIT and Not on What the Companies Pay You.
You have to understand this part first and foremost.
Do not make the mistake of paying the government based on whatever the gig apps deposit in your account. You are giving money away if you do that.
Episode 17 had this article about understanding profit for your business. If you haven't already, check it out. It's critical you understand profit, because that's the basis of your taxes.
We do not get a W2 as independent contractors. Instead, we receive a 1099 that tells us how much we were paid. There is no withholding, no deductions. The 1099 is only their report of what they paid you.
Then, you will fill out a schedule C with your tax forms. List your income and expenses on this form, known as a profit and loss statement. You then calculate the profit (how much more you made than your expenses) and it's that profit that you pay taxes on.

There are two different types of federal tax you have to be aware of.
You pay income tax and you pay self employment tax.
That's confusing if you came from an employee background. We only had to worry about income tax. Why are we being taxed for being self employed?
Self employment tax isn't really a new tax. It's the same thing as the FICA and Medicare that get deducted from a paycheck and that show up on your W2. You have to pay these taxes with your income tax since nothing is withheld from your self employment pay.
You pay your taxes or get refunds based on your tax bill and what you paid in for the year.

When it's time to file your taxes, you first figure out your income tax bill. Basically what you are doing is adding up all your different sources of income and deducting whatever deductions (not credits, those come later) you qualify for.
Subtract deductions from income to get your taxable income, and then use that taxable income to figure out your income tax bill.
Your self employment tax is calculated just on your self employment profit at 15.3%. That's 15.3% of all of your self employment profit. Add that to your income tax bill and that is the total amount of tax you owe.
Now you look at three things: Withholding, tax deposits and tax credits. If you sent in tax deposits as a self employed person, those go into this step. You add these three up and compare to the total tax you owe.
At that point it's simple – if all the money in and credits are more than your total tax owed, you get a refund. If not, you pay the difference.
Here are some of the differences between self employment tax and income tax:
Income tax is based on your taxable income, where self employment tax is based solely on your profits from self-employed work.
That means that if you have other income such as a W2 job or if you are filing jointly and your partner has income, that will impact your income tax. It does not impact your self employment tax.
There are no deductions for self employment tax
You subtract deductions from income to determine your taxable income. That means that deductions reduce your income tax. There are no deductions for self employment tax. You start paying self employment tax from the very first dollar of profit.
Income tax is a sliding scale tax that goes up with earnings. Self Employment tax is the same for every dollar you make.
Understand that self employment tax is not a sliding scale tax like income tax, it is a fixed 15.3% of your profit.
Self employment is the one tax that is higher when you are self employed.
We mentioned earlier that Self Employment tax is essentially the same as FICA (Social Security) and Medicare. You pay 15.3% in self employment tax instead of the 7.65% that is taken out of paychecks. That's double.
There's a misconception about this. This is not an additional tax. The government gets 15.3% of your pay for this even if you are an employee. The difference here is that your employer has to pay half of this tax.
You are your own employer. So guess who gets to pay that half? You. And guess who gets to pay the employee half? Your employee, who just so happens to be you.
What does this mean for us as gig economy contractors?

Here are a few important takeaways and things to think about with your taxes.
Get a tax pro.
Okay. I'm repeating myself here, aren't I? Unless you're really comfortable with how taxes work you really should get some help.
And here's the thing, a lot of CPA's still hire someone to do their taxes because someone removed from the situation will catch things they wouldn't have thought of themselves.
You don't need to itemize deductions to claim your business expenses.
As a business owner, your expenses aren't recorded in the deductions area. It's part of filling out a schedule C. You can take a standard deduction and claim your business expenses.
Record your expenses. All of them.
It's very important you record all of your expenses. Track your miles. Every mile you drive. In episode 18 we talk a lot about the actual expense of your car.
Because of the number of miles we drive, our actual cost will almost always be less than the 58 cents a mile that the IRS allows (2019 tax year). Track both just to be sure.
Keep a written record of your miles. I personally prefer to keep a spreadsheet based on odometer readings. There are a number of ways to track miles that will work.
Related: We tested seven different mileage and expense tracking apps.
We determined Hurdlr was the best overall app for tracking both miles AND expenses. The free version is pretty powerful and the paid version shines in the reports in provides
We determined that TripLog was the most accurate and full featured in tracking miles. The auto tracking on the paid version will automatically track miles when your delivery apps are in use, preventing lost records.

Links for Hurdlr and Triplog are affiliate links. I may receive payment when apps are purchased.
Don't claim more than you are allowed
There are things you cannot claim.
- You cannot claim food while driving.
- You cannot normally claim your clothes, as a particular uniform is not a required part of what you do.
- Do not claim more miles than you actually drive.
- Do not claim miles driven for personal use.
- You cannot claim a home office if a home office is not a significant part of what you do (or if that room is used for non business purposes).
Get with your tax pro, understand exactly what you can claim.
Because you are self employed and because you are able to write off a lot of income due to the miles you drive, you are already at a bit higher risk of an audit. If you overdo it on the expenses, you increase that risk.
If your expense deductions are so high that you show zero income, that's a good sign you really have zero income.
I know, that seems pretty obvious.
But I see this too often with people claiming their miles where they have so many miles it comes out to a zero profit. You have to understand that your car is costing you a lot closer to the 58 cents a mile than you think. I
f your taxes say you aren't making money, that's probably closer to the reality for you than you realize.
There are advantages and disadvantages to delivery work being part of a side hustle.
If you have other income, you may have enough being deducted from that where you don't have to set aside as much to cover your increased taxes from your self employment. Just understand you won't get as much of a refund as you might be used to.
If you have another job, however, you are more likely to have out-earned your deductions already. That means that you are more likely to pay income tax on every dollar of your profit.
There are some new income tax breaks for self employed individuals.
Last year's tax reform added a couple of tax breaks. Say it with me here: You will want to check with a tax pro to see if you qualify.
You can now claim a 20% income tax deduction for self employed income (your profit). This deduction does not reduce your self employment tax basis.
You can also claim a deduction equal to half of your self employment tax, which equalizes your taxable income with what it would be in an employment situation. This deduction does also reduce your self employment tax basis.
The good news on both of these deductions is that you can claim a standard deduction and still get these. These are not part of the itemized deduction process.
It is on you to withhold your employees taxes.
Remember who your employee is (since you are self employed).
We talked about saving for your taxes in Episode 20. Get with your tax pro, let them look at all of your income and have them help you understand how much you should save.
Then put that money somewhere that you won't touch it. Don't get in trouble here.
Make sure you understand the basics
And then….
(wait for it)
Get a tax pro.
Seriously, if you're not sure about a lot of this stuff, a good tax pro is going to either save you more money than you pay them, or keep you out of trouble. Or both.
It's worth it either way. Budget it into your business.
I did have a post with a video that goes into a bit more detail.
Do yourself a favor. Understand how taxes work. Don't let them slip up on you.
And….. well, you know. That tax pro thing.
The Delivery Driver's Tax Information Series (Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats, Instacart)
The Delivery Driver's Tax Information Series is a series of articles designed to help you understand how taxes work for you as an independent contractor with gig economy delivery apps like Doordash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart, and Postmates. Below are some of the articles
Introduction to the Delivery Driver's Tax Information Series
This is an introduction to our tax guide series, providing information to help understand taxes as a Grubhub Doordash Uber Eats Postmates delivery driver
Know What You are Taxed on Delivering for Doordash, Grubhub, Postmates, Uber Eats etc.
It is important to understand your taxable income is your profit, NOT your pay from Grubhub Doordash Postmates Uber Eats etc. Schedule C figures that.
Tax Guide: Understanding Your Income
The following three articles help you understand what your real income is as an independent contractor.
1099's and Delivery Drivers: What income do you have to report as a contractor with Grubhub, Postmates, Doordash, Uber Eats, etc.?
What income do you have to report as a contractor for Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats and other delivery gigs? How and where do you report?
All Things 1099 from Doordash Grubhub Postmates Uber Eats etc.
Episode 57 of the Deliver on Your Business Podcast. Once you receive your 1099 forms from Doordash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Postmates and others, what do you do with them?
What If My Doordash 1099 is Wrong?
What if the amount reported on your 1099 is incorrect? This is not an uncommon problem. Do NOT just let it ride, incorrect information could cost you a lot in extra taxes
Tax Guide: Understanding Your Expenses
The following eight articles help you understand the expenses you can claim on your Schedule C. Most of these are about your car, your biggest expense.
Understanding Business Expenses for Delivery Drivers with Doordash, Grubhub, Postmates, Uber Eats etc.
Introducing and explaining the business expenses as they are claimed on your taxes as a contractor for Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats.
Car Expenses and Taxes as a Delivery Driver for Grubhub Doordash Uber Eats Postmates etc.
For those of us who do use our cars for gig economy delivery, the car expense is the largest expense item. You can choose between the standard mileage allowance and actual expenses.
How to Track Your Miles As a Delivery Contractor with Doordash Grubhub Uber Eats Instacart etc.
Every mile that you track as a contractor delivering for Doordash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart, Lyft etc, is saves about 14 cents on your taxes. When you drive thousands of miles, that adds up.
What Miles Can Delivery Drivers Claim with Grubhub Doordash Postmates UberEats etc.
What miles can I claim when delivering for Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats and other delivery gigs? Understand what miles you can and cannot claim.
What if I Didn't Track My Miles Delivering for Grubhub, Doordash, Uber Eats, Postmates or other Gigs?
What do I do if I didn't track my miles as a gig economy driver? We look at different places you can find evidence to use in building a mileage log.
What Actual Car Expenses Can Be Claimed as Delivery Drivers for Doordash, Grubhub, Postmates, Uber Eats?
It is important to understand your taxable income is your profit, NOT your pay from Grubhub Doordash Postmates Uber Eats etc. Schedule C figures that.
Three Car Expenses Gig Economy Drivers May Not Know You Could Claim Even When Claiming the Mileage Deduction
You probably didn't realize that even if you claim the standard mileage deduction, there are some car related expenses you can still claim.
Besides My Car, What Other Business Expenses can I claim for Grubhub Doordash Postmates Uber Eats etc?
Besides your car, what expenses can you claim as a contractor for Grubhub, Postmates, Uber Eats, Doordash etc? We look at some different possible expenses.
Filling Out Your Tax Forms
Once you understand your income and expenses, what do you do with them? Where does all this information go when you start filling out your taxes?
Filling Out Your Schedule C as a Grubhub Doordash Postmates Uber Eats Contractor
How do you fill out the Schedule C when you contract with gig companies like Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, Doordash etc.? We talk about different parts of this form.
Understanding Self Employment Taxes for Delivery Drivers for Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats etc.
Understand how self employment tax works as a contractor for Grubhub, Uber Eats, Doordash, Postmates or any other gigs. Know what it is,how much & be ready!
Understanding the Income Tax Process For Grubhub, Postmates, Doordash, Uber Eats Contractors
How does our self employed income from Grubhub Doordash Postmates Uber Eats etc impact our income tax? We walk through the process on the 1040 form.
Here are Four Tax Deductions for Self Employed Contractors That Don't Go on Schedule C.
Most of our deductions as self employed contractors go on Schedule C. Four deductions benefitting Grubhub Doordash Postmates Uber Eats Contractors.
How Much Should I Save for Taxes? | Grubhub Doordash Uber Eats
How much should I save for taxes when delivering for gigs like Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats and others? These ideas help you prepare for taxes.
Lillyana
Thursday 12th of September 2019
Hi there.. Not sure if you can help me. I've been using ubereats in my restaurant for the last year now.. and one thing that concerns me is that I don't know how much tax rate I must put up for each dish.. ive been told 15% since im stated in South Africa. so American taxes im clueless about. the only other problem is that the tax rate ive put up as 15% is feeling like a lot because ubereats is like taking a lot from each of my menu items.. some dishes is so much that ubereats takes.. that im just covering that dish without markup.. I have asked ubereats before but it seems to be miss translated.. if you can help me in any way.. it would be really nice to hear back from you. Kind regards Lillyana
ronald.l.walter
Thursday 12th of September 2019
Hi Lillyana. Thanks for your question. I wish I could be more helpful, I don't have much experience on the restaurant end of things and couldn't even begin to understand how the VAT works there. If the question is how much to charge, SARS might be more helpful than Uber. If the question is how to get the VAT amount entered into the Uber Eats system, I'm sure that's challenging because I imagine support for you is as difficult to work with as it is for us couriers. Do you have a good relationship with any other restaurant operators in your area that offer delivery through UE? Maybe someone there can help out if you're not getting a good response from Uber Eats?
I am interested in your perspective on something else since you mentioned how much they take out of what you receive. I've had a couple of restaurant owners or managers say that they really can't make a profit on delivery because of those charges. They tell me the main reason they still do it is it gives them exposure and helps bring people in to eat physically at the restaurant. Is that your experience as well? Do you think delivery helps your business more than hurts it?