How Much Do Amazon Flex Drivers Make? 2026 Pay After Costs

Amazon is unusually direct about Flex pay. Its FAQ says "Most delivery partners earn $18-$25 per hour," and that Amazon "will always contribute at least $15-$19 per scheduled hour, depending on your location and demand." Both figures are before your costs. Flex drivers use their own car, Amazon does not pay back mileage, and you pay your own taxes. In our hypothetical example built on the middle of Amazon's range, $21.50 an hour of block pay leaves about $13.06 an hour after car costs and federal tax.

Table of Contents

The Short Answer

Amazon's range: "Most delivery partners earn $18-$25 per hour." Amazon says actual pay depends on location, tips, how long deliveries take and other factors.
Amazon's minimum: at least $15-$19 per scheduled hour, depending on location and demand.
You are paid by the block. The offer shows Amazon's pay for the block, and you earn it whether the block ends early or late.
Tips are yours: 100% of tips, on top of Amazon's pay, where customers can tip.
No expense refunds: Amazon says you are responsible for your own expenses, including mileage, parking and tolls.
Our hypothetical example: 16 scheduled hours a week at $21.50 keeps about $13.06 an hour after car costs and federal tax.

How Amazon Flex Pays

From the Amazon Flex FAQ, checked on October 18, 2026:

Blocks. You pick delivery blocks in the app. Amazon.com package blocks are "typically 3-6 hours"; Amazon Fresh grocery blocks are "typically 2-4 hours."
Block pay. "If you see $72 for a 4-hour block, Amazon's contribution is $72, and that will be the amount you will earn." You earn the offer amount "regardless of whether a block ends early or late." For blocks with no tips, the offer is your guaranteed pay.
Minimum. Amazon will contribute at least $15-$19 per scheduled hour, depending on location and demand.
Tips. "For deliveries that give customers the option to tip, you always receive 100% of the tips." For those blocks the offer shows a range based on recent tips for similar blocks.
Payout timing. You choose your payment days. Blocks finished Sunday to Thursday are paid on your next payment day. Tip-eligible blocks are paid 2-3 days later, because customers have 24 hours to change tips.
Instant Pay and cash-out. Instant Pay is free for Amazon Flex Debit Card holders (tip-eligible blocks pay out 27 hours after the block). Cashing out to any other debit card costs 50 cents.

Because the pay is fixed per block, your real hourly rate depends on how long the work actually takes. Finish early and it goes up. Run late, or count the drive to the delivery station and back, and it goes down.

Amazon Flex Earnings Calculator

Pre-filled with the hypothetical example below. Enter your weekly block pay plus tips, your hours (including the drive to the station) and your miles.

The full version is on our gig earnings calculator page.

From Block Pay to What You Keep

This example is hypothetical. It uses $21.50 an hour, the middle of Amazon's stated $18-$25 range (our arithmetic), not a figure Amazon gives for any driver. The driver works four 4-hour blocks a week (16 hours, $344) and drives 60 miles per block including the trip to the station (240 miles). We count no separate tips, because Amazon's range already includes them and Amazon does not say how much. Other costs are $5 a week. The driver works 48 weeks, files single and has a $50,000 W-2 job.

Hypothetical driver, 2026	Per year	Per hour
Block pay	$16,512.00	$21.50
Car cost (38.72¢ a mile x 11,520 miles)	-$4,460.54	$15.38 after car and other costs
Other costs	-$240.00	$15.38 after car and other costs
Extra federal tax (self-employment $1,090.58 + income tax)	-$1,779.19
What you keep	$10,032.26	$13.06

Our calculator's arithmetic (site engine), 2026 federal rules, 768 hours a year. Car cost = AAA 2026 fuel and maintenance (29.04¢) plus about 9.68¢ of extra depreciation per mile. State income tax not included.

The IRS mileage deduction (72.5 cents a mile to June 30, 2026 and 76 cents from July 1, split evenly in the calculator) comes to $8,553.60, which leaves $7,718.40 of taxable profit. In this example, setting aside 10.8% of block pay covers the federal tax. If part of your pay is tips, the tips deduction lowers income tax a little more.

Unpaid time and miles. The block clock does not include driving to the delivery station or getting home after the last stop. Those miles and minutes still cost money, so count them in the calculator.

Costs You Pay

Fuel and maintenance. AAA's 2026 figure is 29.04 cents a mile for an average new vehicle: 17.32 cents of fuel (at $4.152 a gallon) and 11.73 cents of maintenance, repairs and tires.
Extra depreciation. About 9.68 cents per extra mile from AAA's figures, giving the 38.72 cents used above.
A bigger car. Flex requires a 4-door mid-sized sedan or larger. Larger vehicles cost more per mile: AAA's 2026 total cost at 15,000 miles a year ranges from 61.73 cents for a small sedan to 96.32 cents for a medium SUV.
Insurance. Amazon says you must keep the insurance required in your area. In all states except New York, Amazon adds commercial auto insurance at no cost while you are actively delivering.
No reimbursement. "As an independent contractor, you are responsible for your own expenses," including mileage, parking and tolls.
Gear. Amazon requires a safety vest (free at stations) and closed-heel-and-toe shoes at delivery stations.

Taxes for Amazon Flex Drivers

Tax forms. Amazon asks for your tax details when you sign up. Under IRS rules, a 1099-NEC is required for $2,000 or more of payments made after 2025, and a 1099-K when payment-network payments are more than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions. All income is taxable even without a form.
Self-employment tax. 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit once net earnings reach $400. Half of it is deductible. See self-employment tax.
Mileage. 72.5 cents a business mile from January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents from July 1, 2026. Log every working mile, including the drive to the station.
Tips. Up to $25,000 of qualified tips can be deducted for 2025 to 2028. App-based and package delivery drivers are listed as qualifying occupations. It lowers income tax only, and the tips must appear on a 1099 form. See no tax on tips.
Quarterly payments. If you expect to owe $1,000 or more, pay estimated tax: April 15, June 15 and September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. Use the 1099 tax calculator and estimated tax payments guide.

Minimum Pay Rules

Amazon's own minimum. At least $15-$19 per scheduled hour, by location and demand. This is Amazon's policy, not a law.
Seattle. Amazon's FAQ lists Seattle's App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance for Flex drivers delivering there. For 2026 the city sets $0.47 per minute plus $0.80 per mile, or $5.34 per offer if that is more.
New York City. The city's $22.13 an hour delivery minimum (before tips) covers restaurant and grocery delivery apps. The city says it will set a minimum for all delivery apps in early 2027.
California. Amazon's FAQ points California drivers to a separate "Delivering in California" page, which we could not open. Check it in the app for state-specific pay rules.

Requirements to Start

From the Amazon Flex FAQ:

Be 21 years old or older.
A valid driver's license and a valid Social Security number.
A 4-door, mid-sized sedan or larger vehicle, such as a truck with a covered bed, SUV or van. Smaller cars, open-bed trucks, motorcycles and scooters do not qualify.
Insurance that meets the requirements in your area.
Pass a background check that includes a review of motor vehicle records.
An Android phone or an iPhone (iOS 17 or higher) for the Amazon Flex app.

Amazon also says it recruits only in places where Flex operates and demand is high, so you may have to wait for spots to open where you live.

FAQ

How much does Amazon Flex pay per hour?
Amazon says most delivery partners earn $18-$25 an hour, and it pays at least $15-$19 per scheduled hour. That is before gas, wear on your car and taxes.

How much does Amazon Flex pay per block?
It varies by area and demand. Amazon's own example is $72 for a 4-hour block. The offer amount is what you earn even if you finish early.

Does Amazon Flex pay for gas or mileage?
No. Amazon says you are responsible for your own expenses. You can deduct business miles at the IRS rate on your tax return.

Do Amazon Flex drivers keep their tips?
Yes, 100% of tips, on top of Amazon's block pay.

How fast do Amazon Flex drivers get paid?
On the payment days you choose. Instant Pay is free with the Amazon Flex Debit Card; cashing out to another debit card costs 50 cents.

Sources & Methodology

All sources were checked on October 18, 2026. We have not driven for Amazon Flex and have no earnings data of our own. Amazon's figures are its own claims; the worked example is hypothetical arithmetic.

Amazon Flex FAQ: pay range, minimum, block pay example, block lengths, tips, payouts, cash-out fee, expenses, insurance, requirements, Seattle ordinances.
Amazon Flex home page: "Most drivers earn $18-25" an hour and its footnote.
Seattle Office of Labor Standards, App-Based Worker Minimum Payment; NYC DCWP, delivery worker minimum pay.
IRS: standard mileage rates and Announcement 2026-11; Topic 554; 1099-K threshold FAQ; 1099-NEC instructions; tips deduction final regulations; gig workers and the tips deduction; Form 1040-ES (2026).
AAA, Your Driving Costs 2026 and fact sheet (cost per mile by vehicle type).

Method notes. The worked example runs our gig earnings calculator engine: 2026 federal tax for a single filer with $50,000 of W-2 wages, standard deduction, self-employment tax and the deduction for half of it, and the QBI deduction. The tax shown is the extra federal tax the deliveries add. State and local taxes are not included.

This article is educational and is not tax, legal or financial advice. The worked example is hypothetical and is not a prediction of what you will earn. Wealthy Pot is not affiliated with Amazon. Platform pay rules change often; figures were checked against Amazon's pages, regulators and the IRS on 2026-10-18.

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"How Much Do Amazon Flex Drivers Make in 2026? Pay per Block vs What You Keep." Wealthy Pot, 2026. https://wealthypot.com/how-much-do-amazon-flex-drivers-make/

How Much Do Amazon Flex Drivers Make in 2026? Pay per Block vs What You Keep