Wealthy PotGig Driver Earnings Calculator
What you really keep per hour from Uber, DoorDash, Instacart or any driving gig, after gas, wear on your car and federal taxes. Uses the 2026 IRS mileage rates and AAA's 2026 driving-cost figures.
How to use the gig earnings calculator
Enter what the app pays you in a typical week, including tips, the hours you are logged in (waiting for orders counts, because you cannot work elsewhere then), and the miles you drive while working, including the trips to pickups and between orders. Choose how to count your car cost, add any other weekly costs, and pick your filing status. If you also have a job, enter your yearly wages so the tax reflects your real bracket. The calculator shows three hourly figures: what the app shows, what is left after car and other costs, and what you keep after federal tax.
Why app pay is not what you keep
Hourly pay in a driving app is gross pay: you pay for the car, the gas and the taxes yourself, because gig workers are self-employed. A hypothetical example, for a single driver with no other job who works 30 hours a week for 48 weeks and drives 12 miles per logged-in hour:
| App pay per hour | Keep per hour, counting gas + maintenance (29.04¢/mi) | Keep per hour, adding extra wear (38.72¢/mi) | Federal tax set-aside |
|---|---|---|---|
| $18.00 | $13.62 | $12.46 | 5% of pay |
| $22.00 | $16.70 | $15.54 | 8% of pay |
| $26.00 | $19.72 | $18.56 | 11% of pay |
| $30.00 | $22.86 | $21.70 | 12% of pay |
Our arithmetic with the calculator's 2026 federal rules; hypothetical, not typical earnings for any app. At $26 an hour that driver earns $37,440 a year from the app, spends about $6,691 on the car and owes about $4,019 in federal tax, mostly self-employment tax.
What your car really costs per mile
The calculator offers several bases, because the right one depends on your car and what you want to know:
- Gas and maintenance: 29.04¢ a mile. AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study puts fuel at 17.32¢ and maintenance, repairs and tires at 11.73¢ a mile, averaged over top-selling new vehicles. This is the cash you spend per extra mile.
- Gas, maintenance and extra wear: about 38.72¢ a mile. In the same study, a car driven 20,000 miles a year loses $484 more value a year than one driven 15,000, about 9.68¢ per extra mile (our arithmetic). This is our default, because gig miles wear the car out faster.
- Full cost of owning a car: 85.75¢ a mile at 15,000 miles a year, including insurance, finance charges, registration and depreciation. Use it if you bought the car only for gig work.
- IRS mileage rate: 72.5¢ through June 30 and 76¢ from July 1, 2026. This is a tax deduction, and the calculator always uses it for your taxes (74.25¢ blended over the year), whichever cost basis you choose for your cash flow.
Taxes on gig income
- Self-employment tax: 15.3% (12.4% Social Security and 2.9% Medicare) on 92.35% of your net profit, once net earnings reach $400. Half of it is deductible from your income.
- Income tax: your profit is added to your other income and taxed at your bracket; the qualified business income deduction usually takes 20% of the profit off first.
- Deductions: the standard mileage rate (or your actual car expenses), plus parking, tolls and other business costs such as part of your phone plan.
- Quarterly payments: if you expect to owe $1,000 or more, pay estimated tax by April 15, June 15 and September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. Our 1099 tax calculator works out the amounts, and the guide to estimated tax payments explains the penalty rules.
- Forms: for 2026, apps send a 1099-K only above $20,000 and 200 transactions, and other payers send a 1099-NEC from $2,000. Income below those levels is still taxable.
- Tips: up to $25,000 of qualified tips can be deducted from income tax for 2025 through 2028, and rideshare and app delivery count. See no tax on tips.
Pay floors set by law
A few places guarantee minimum pay for app work. Where they apply, the app must top up your earnings:
- New York City delivery workers: at least $22.13 an hour before tips from the first pay period on or after April 1, 2026, including grocery delivery apps since January 26, 2026.
- New York City rideshare (Uber, Lyft): $1.283 a mile plus $0.681 a minute from March 1, 2026.
- Seattle app-based workers (PayUp): $0.47 a minute plus $0.80 a mile, or $5.34 an offer, whichever is greater, in 2026.
- Washington State rideshare: trips starting in Seattle $0.70 a minute plus $1.63 a mile or $6.12 a trip; elsewhere $0.40 a minute plus $1.38 a mile or $3.55 a trip, in 2026.
- Minnesota rideshare: $1.28 a mile and $0.31 a minute with a passenger, at least $5 a ride.
- Massachusetts (Uber and Lyft settlement): $34.48 an hour of engaged time from January 15, 2026.
- California (Proposition 22): 120% of the applicable minimum wage for engaged time ($20.28 an hour at the $16.90 state minimum for 2026) plus a per-mile amount set each year; DoorDash's California page lists $0.37 a mile for 2026. Tips do not count toward the guarantee.
These floors cover engaged or active time, not every minute you are logged in, so your pay per logged-in hour can still be lower.
About the data
IRS: Notice 2026-10 and Announcement 2026-11 (2026 standard mileage rates), Topic 510 (business use of a car), Topic 554 and Schedule SE (self-employment tax), Form 1040-ES (2026 due dates), Form 1099-NEC/MISC instructions and the IRS Form 1099-K FAQs (thresholds), and the IRS guidance for gig workers on the One Big Beautiful Bill (tips deduction). AAA, Your Driving Costs 2026. Pay floors: NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (Industry Notice 26-03), Seattle Office of Labor Standards, Washington L&I, Minnesota Statutes 181C.03, Massachusetts Attorney General, California Business and Professions Code 7453 and the California Department of Industrial Relations. Checked October 18, 2026; we re-check monthly. Federal estimates only, not tax advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do gig drivers really make per hour?
Less than the app shows. The pay per hour in the app is before gas, wear on your car and taxes. In our hypothetical example of $26 an hour of app pay with 12 miles of driving per hour, the driver keeps about $18.56 an hour after car costs and federal tax. Your number depends on your miles, waiting time and other income, so enter your own figures.
What mileage rate should gig drivers use for 2026 taxes?
The IRS standard mileage rate for business driving is 72.5 cents a mile for miles driven January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents a mile from July 1, 2026, after the IRS raised it mid-year because of fuel prices. Parking and tolls for work are deductible on top.
Is the IRS mileage rate what my car actually costs?
No. It is a tax deduction meant to cover all costs of owning and running a car. AAA puts the 2026 cost of gas plus maintenance at 29.04 cents a mile, and the full cost of owning a new car at 85.75 cents a mile at 15,000 miles a year. What extra gig miles cost you is closer to the first figure plus extra depreciation, about 38.7 cents.
How much should I set aside for taxes from gig work?
It depends on your profit and other income. Self-employment tax alone is 15.3% of 92.35% of your profit (about 14.1%), and income tax comes on top. The calculator shows a percentage of each payout to set aside for federal tax; add your state income tax if your state has one.
Do I have to pay tax if I did not get a 1099?
Yes. All gig income is taxable whether or not you receive a form. For 2026, apps send a Form 1099-K only above $20,000 and more than 200 transactions, and other payers send a 1099-NEC from $2,000.
Are tips from delivery and rideshare apps tax-free?
Not entirely. From 2025 through 2028 you can deduct up to $25,000 of qualified tips from income tax, and rideshare drivers and app delivery workers qualify. Tips still count for self-employment tax, and for the self-employed they must be reported on a 1099.
