DoorDash Driver Guide
DoorDash mileage
and taxes, explained.
DoorDash only counts your active-delivery miles, but you can deduct a lot more than that. Here's exactly which miles count in 2026, the tax form you'll get, and how to keep a record the IRS accepts.
2026 IRS rate: 72.5¢ per business mile
72.5¢
Per business mile (2026)
1099-NEC
Form DoorDash sends
$2,000
1099 threshold (2026)
On-trip only
Miles the app logs
Which miles can a DoorDash driver deduct?
As a Dasher you're an independent contractor, so you deduct business miles on Schedule C using the standard mileage rate. The deductible window runs from your first pickup through your last drop-off.
Deductible business miles
- Driving to the restaurant or store to pick up an order
- Driving between back-to-back deliveries
- Repositioning to a busy hotspot while you're online and waiting for the next offer
Not deductible (commuting & personal)
- Your commute from home to the area where you start dashing
- The drive home after you go offline
- Personal errands run with the app closed
What DoorDash's mileage number misses
Your Weekly Dash Summary only counts active-delivery miles, the distance from accepting an order to dropping it off. It leaves out the drive to the restaurant, the miles between deliveries, and the time you spend circling a hotspot waiting for the next offer. For a busy Dasher that can be a third of the miles you actually drove, and at 72.5 cents each, that's hundreds of dollars in deductions the app never shows you.
What tax forms DoorDash sends you
DoorDash pays Dashers directly, so your earnings are reported on a 1099-NEC (issued through Stripe), not a 1099-K.
You'll get one through Stripe if you earned $2,000 or more in 2026. That threshold rose from $600 under the 2025 tax law, so lower earners may not receive a form. Either way, you must report every dollar you made.
Thresholds reflect the 2026 tax year under the 2025 federal tax law. You must report all income, even if a platform doesn't send you a form. This is general information, not tax advice.
How much can you deduct?
The standard mileage method is simple: multiply your business miles by the IRS rate.
Business miles × 2026 IRS rate
15,000 × 72.5¢ = $10,875
A realistic year for a part-time driver, deducted straight off your self-employment income.
You report this on Schedule C, and your net profit flows to Schedule SE, where self-employment tax (15.3%) is calculated. Every business mile you log lowers both. Want your own number? Try the 1099 tax calculator, or read how the mileage deduction works.
Common mistakes to avoid
Trusting the in-app total
The number in your Dash Summary is active-delivery miles only. Deduct from it and you're leaving real miles, and real money, on the table.
Skipping the in-between miles
Miles to the restaurant and between deliveries are deductible. They're easy to forget and add up fast over a shift.
Reconstructing at tax time
The IRS wants a contemporaneous log, kept as you drive. A number estimated in April is exactly what auditors discount.
Mixing personal and business
Only business miles count. Errands and your commute aren't deductible, so your log needs to separate them cleanly.
DoorDash driver tax FAQ
Only partly. DoorDash does track some of your miles, but the Weekly Dash Summary shows active-delivery miles only, but that excludes the drive to the restaurant, the miles between deliveries, and time spent waiting in a hotspot. Those are all deductible, so the app's number is lower than your real deductible mileage. To claim everything, keep your own automatic log.
Thinking about signing up? See the DoorDash driver requirements. See all gig driver mileage guides, or read how gig workers track mileage for taxes.
Stop leaving money on the road.
Every mile you don't track is a deduction you don't claim. Start tracking automatically today.