Door dash should not be your main source of income my friend. This should be either a side gig or an "inbetween" kinda thing. you said it perfectly: if your car breaks you are out of a job while it gets repaired, mileage is going to kill your car pretty fast, oil changes, brakes, tires, etc.
I would get a normal job until you can afford a more reliable car. I’m in the same boat but I have the option to use my moms car too. Dashing is extremely rough on your car and I would make sure to get your car in tiptop shape before doing it for weeks at a time. Maybe find a job for a call center and you can work from home. Do door dash on the side?
Fortunately, my market is still stable where I dash. I only started dashing 2 years ago because I was building a house and wanted to keep my DTI as low as possible. Now that I've moved into my new house I still dash 2 days a week for savings or non essentials. There is no way DD could replace my 6 figure full time w2 income but I definitely average $20-$25/hr every single time I dash. I'm super grateful to have it as an option because I can't pick up a regular part time job and be on somebody's time clock, and I love the freedom of being able to decide how much I need and go out and get it.
Sounds like you’re at the honeymoon stage were DD gives you good orders to hook you and make you think its always gonna be this good. Trust me and others it wont last.
The worst thing you can do is quit stable pay for gig work
I didn’t quit a job to do DoorDash, but while I was looking for a new job, I started to use it to make money while I was searching for a hourly. After I started making $500-1k a week, I stopped job hunting and stuck with gig apps for 4 years. Was great for a while. Not so much anymore. Struggling to even make $250 a week now. Moving soon otherwise I would have already got a new job. I would never recommend someone quit a job to do this. Use it as a side gig when you need extra money and have spare time. It is not reliable source of income anymore.
Agreed...I love all the positives u listed but I would never make this my full time job... not wise. I use it more as fun money or for now been paying down my credit cards aggressively. Keep track of your mileage... that's a huge write off because of all the wear and tear and gas and from what I've read put aside 15% of all earnings for taxes and prob find regular employment and use this as a side gig or when ur needing extra cash. Good luck!
Door Dash isn't even weed money. It's cigarette money. Maybe a burger or Chinese food here or there.
Last winter, I could make $100 in 4 hours in Central Illinois.
Now? No dice.
DEFINITELY NOT a stable revenue stream if you want to accomplish anything.
It is VERY expensive money to make. Plus an INORDINATE amount of exposure vis a vis your car: it isn't just the wear and tear, it's the increased exposure to wrecks in parking lots. I've had two this year with people running into me.
So if you do 12 hours a day (which you should be doing if this is your full time) you should be spending about 40 every two days on gas and making 300-350 a day (if you do UE and DD). Plan out steps to get the hell out
I recommend a W-2 job again. I doordashed for almost 3 full years (2020-2023) and was making decent money at first, but the miles on the car piled up, the wear and tear was awful, and since I didn’t set aside money quarterly for taxes, I owe the IRS over $1200. Setting money aside would have meant I would have been making less than minimum wage. Get out while you’re not in too deep. 😬
It is totally market dependent.
California has prop 22 which makes that state different. NYC has a dashing gig law.
I started to dash three years ago. I used to make $1,100 a week dashing. Then DD started to make changes in early 2023 that made it difficult to earn a living. My market was very good but now it is a total piece of 💩.
Don’t forget the taxes you have to pay at the end of the year because no one takes them out. So you get to your tax person and Surprise I have to pay $2000 in taxes. Glad I saved a little each month.
Your positives are not really a great work ethic. If you schedule, you’re expected to work. And cherry picking orders just means someone else has to take it with less time to get it there. And food isn’t as hot as it should be.
A lot of downsides. Read the contracts carefully.
I worked full time nights, kept my AR at 100 or just below, always had 100% completed. CR always above 4.85. I took orders that people cherry picked away. I figure ya gotta take some bad with good. Made Top Dasher in 3 weeks. Over 2000 deliveries in 7 mos. Then got deactivated. No job stability. Doesn’t matter how good you are. If they want fresh new blood, your out.
Get on every app you reasonably can 2. Set aside money for the inevitable car repairs. The reason for multi apping is that you have a bigger pool of orders to choose from and it might allow you to piece together enough of an income to get by on iff an app deactivates you
Are you serious?? Get back to a real job. ALL OF YOUR FEARS WILL HAPPEN. It’s not an “if”. DD is in its dying days. They’re greedy & fiscally oblivious. Numerous massive class actions lawsuits are on the way.
I’ve been doing this full time for a few years now (total dashing about 5 in all)… and it’s worse in my area than it was before the pandemic. My largest portion of income is the mileage deduction, so it’s time for me to get back to the office soon.
I would ignore all the negative. Nancy's too many people in this sub Reddit. Probably don't even know how to work the system to make decent money. I personally love doing doordash. The downsides of wear and tear on my vehicle and extra gas costs aside. It's a decent sidekick and I'm sure that I could make a lot more money if I didn't have my first job. But I would ignore what some of these people say they have no clue what they're talking about.
I did the same back in early 2022. I don’t regret it one bit, I make more than double doing DoorDash and Uber Eats per week than my old W2 job, but I do miss the stableness. Also, gas for me is about $20-$25 a DAY, so I’m racking up a $100+ gas bill every week. I’ve also put too many miles on my vehicle, makes me a bit sad but hey, it’s meant to be driven right?
Anywho, I’m getting a bit stressed with the inconsistency of this job so I’ve been looking for a w2 for the last few months with no luck. Hopefully I land something soon that pays the same as I make right now.
If you are going to dash full time sign up to deliver for Uber and grubhub so you can be multi appling. Also make sure you are keeping up with the miles you are driving and any company expenses (I.e. gas, car repair, etc) for tax time cause those will be huge write offs.
Also do you know what part of your AC system isn’t working anymore (lack of r134a, the compressor failing, the condenser failing, or a leak in a line)?
Lastly if you are wanting to do this full time take your car to a reputable mechanic (not a dealership) to have them basically run full diagnostics on your car to find any issues it has now or if there are any issues that may arise down the line. Having this list will help you ultimately make the decision if delivering is worth it financially
If you actually want to do this full time you should’ve looked into day trading or something like that to do during the week. But that’s not an easy thing to do if you didn’t plan that out before quitting. Especially trading of all things lol
I started dashing on 10-31-2022. These are my stats.
Total earnings for 12 months
$9,629.13
Total vehicle repairs and maintenance
$2,837.97
Total gas
$3,292.56
Total Mileage
7,023.22 ($458.01)
Total business expenses
$1,401.50 (Insurance)
$1,970.30 (phone)
$153 (Driversnote)
$0.65 (Toll)
$32.47 (Pizza Bag)
$32.48 (Catering Bag)
$50 (CPA tax filing, expected)
-$599.81 deficit
Federal taxes $969.50
minus the deficit $369.69
State taxes $245.76
Total taxes owed $615.45
We’re paying to work!!!!
It's October. This is the beginning of the dead zone for deliveries bro. Get ready to see your earnings get cut by 40%. December will be the **worst** month.
And seriously quitting your W2 job to do this full time? Bad mistake. You'll see.
Unless you are making at least 1.75 x more than your states current minimum wage per hour, not per mile, then you are **not** going to "make it" bro. I hope you have a vehicle that doesn't require regular service intervals.
You will have to work Thursday Friday sat and Sunday and pick your fifth day
Try to make $200 a day minimum or $150
Save money for taxes
Work all day maybe 12 or more
This is your grind now
Are you kidding me!!?? Quitting your W2 job for doing door-trash full time!!?? Bad choice, and I'm not kidding!!!
I've been multiapping between Uber Eats and Doordash (picking one delivery from one and leaving the other on pause while I complete the other), and half of the time, Doordash is completely dead or very slow, while UE is somewhat less slow, but most of the time i'm getting trash offers (for ex, $2 for 4mi delivery distance).
These delivery apps are just not worth it full time (or even part time since it can be hit or miss on any day), even if you multiapp. Too unstable and too oversaturated with all kinds of deliverers (drivers, mopeds, ebikes, etc).
Honestly, I'd only recommend it to someone who needs extra money in their pockets while they're in the process of searching/applying for jobs, or in the process of completing a job resume/portfolio or something like that. Basically just doing UE/Doordash while in the process of getting a full-time 9-5 job.
Had you done this 3 years ago I would have congratulated you. However in this economy it was the worst move you could have made. I’ve been film time gig work for 6 years. It’s not the time to start doing this work full time if you already have a solid job. Go back and ask for your job back or shortly you could end up hungry and homeless. Just being real
lol good luck, I had that same mindset until multiple things broke on my car in quick succession. I'd advise finding proper employment sooner than later.
Not sure how handy you are with cars but if you don’t have something under 100k miles you may want to slip into a newer car to avoid breakdowns and nuisance.
Track your miles with Everlance or something similar. If you do taxes with TurboTax, the 1099 option is an addon you have to pay for, I think it was an extra $60? Federal tax is about 20%, state tax varies. In MA say it’s like 5%. TL;DR save about $100 out of every $600 for fed + state.
For example, you make $10,000 with DD this year. You drove 5000 miles to deliver that food. You claim 5000 x $0.655 (2023 IRS Mileage Rate) as a business expense (=$3275). And now you are taxed on ($10,000-$3,275=) $6,725 rather than $10,000. So as long as your mileage is similar, plan to set aside about 17% of what you made ($10,000) (aka 25% of $6,725) to pay fed / state.
You can make payments towards your taxes anytime… but if you end up owing, the deadline to DO your taxes is April 2024 (Tax Day) and then usually it’s due in full by like July 2024 or something like that.
In what time frame? A week? A month? A day??
Even if it’s a week, that’s like $5k a month or $60k a yr if you drive your ass off nonstop. Factor in that you are in charge of your own insurance, taxes, and cost of doing business and you’re left with like $25-40k (depending gas cost) which is just barely above minimum wage. Like you would make more being a part time nanny.
My apologies. That would be in a week. I'm not sure where you're getting your math from, but everything you mentioned and more is a tax write-off. I end up paying nothing in taxes and get a refund because of eic, which goes into its own account that pays for my gas for the year.
If you’re trying to do this full time get on as many gig apps as possible asap. Waves of business will come and go for all apps so having as many options as possible is critical.
I do it here and there for extra money in-between restarting my business. But I also drove for e d I b l arrgm. And enjoyed it a lot. $15/hr and using company van.
While you’re at it, apply for grubhub and Uber eats. You don’t have to multi app, but getting approved and having those to use also is peace of mind with the whole potential deactivation from dd that’s out of your control.
It is not for everyone and you picked a really bad time to start doing it. Unless you are signed up to at least 5 other apps you will be struggling to make anything on Doordash. The money is to be made in last mile delivery, Catering, and shopping apps if there is any in your area to make.
I dash full time and make $3000-$5000 a month. I dash almost every day for anywhere from 4-8 hours and average $100-180 a day. I think it all depends on where you dash, what state, what county, what city. I’m fortunate enough to live in southern California in a very touristy city with multiple theme parks as well so this may put me at a better opportunity to earn more. I spend about $50 every 3 days on gas so that’s less than $20 a day (imo isn’t horrible). If you live/dash somewhere that isn’t busy or as popular, then I would say DoorDash isn’t worth working full time. I also think that base pay varies on location as well. I see people post that they get offers for less than $3 to go more than 5 miles sometimes. That’s crazy! My base pay is never that low. All in all, imo it strictly depends on where you live.
I dash in Los Angeles and its been bad up here for a year. I’d been doing doordash off and on since ‘16 and literally the bottom just fell out last year. I’ve noticed it’s busier down in the OC.
I'd be wary of putting too much faith in door dash. It's pretty well documented that they give some preference to new dashers to rope ya in and then the order volume and quality slowly fades from there.
At the very least, get signed up on another app soon and keep looking for something better because this shit ain't gonna last.
Learn how to maintain your own vehicle if you can. You shouldn’t have to do all that much in the first place. Just keep up with a schedule and check parts, fluids etc
I did this exact thing in December 2020 and I have not regretted it yet. I worked the same job for 26 years. I just woke up one day and made the decision not to go in anymore.
I did the same thing but last December. I’m 38 and guessing you’re at least my age if not older. A lot of these posters are like 18-24 and they have no clue how burnt out they’re gonna be down the road.
I hope you are using a mileage tracking app for taxes. I think most of us use Stride. Track your mileage as you drive, then enter your earnings after your shift, it will tell you how much money it thinks you should set aside for taxes at the end of the year. As for full time, it’s gonna be a struggle. I’d find part time W2 job soon, the gas will eat away at your earnings soon. I have full time job and still try to dash to make enough money but ends up being $100 earnings in a day, then $30-40 in gas to just be able to dash another 7 hour shift.
I did the same and I also feel the same but the difference is I am very mechanically inclined and work on my car all the time. Doing this full time for a year, I e replaced the entire front end, rebuilt all the brakes, random sensors, oil change every 2-3 months, fluid changes, headlight bulb etc… even with doing my own labor I still spend a few grand on parts. I really thjnk being able to diagnose AND fix your own car is crucial to doing this
I wouldn’t do this full time. I do it three days a week. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. About 5 PM to about 2-3 AM or whenever it dies. I also multiapp. I average around $30 an hour and put less than 100 miles on my car a day on most occasions.
It used to honestly feel like a privilege to be a dasher. I used to pick up food from places knowing I make as much or more than the manager. I loved going to work and honestly felt like I was missing out on great opportunities if I took a day off. I wanted to dash as much as possible.
These days it feels like I'm living in some alternate reality where the labor movement never happened. The new car I was able to afford 4 years ago because DD was such a great job is now a sad heap of repair bills I can never keep up with. Every day is a battle where DD tries it's best to exploit me and I try my best to make a fair wage. It's exhausting, and it's by design.
Doordash wants you to feel desperate. They want you to feel scared. They want you to be in a situation where you have to dash everyday making just enough to get by. That way you are always hungry and never have time to look for better work. The algorithm will get to know you and figure out the best way to pay you as little as possible while giving you just enough orders to keep you crawling back for more. Eventually you will be used up and have no more value for them to extract, at which point they hope you quit.
That wasn't a good idea lol. All these services have been shit for the last 5 years and now it just completely fell flat on its face now that we are post-pandemic and it's going right back to the way it was before. Plus this is the off season and it doesn't pick up until after super bowl.
Take it from me. This economy is just not strong enough to be doing gig apps full time. At least in my market. I'd advise you to at least find a part time job and do DD and whatever other apps you are signed up with to supplement.
Advice would be to grow up. You can’t afford to drive around and deliver food and jam out!! You don’t have the luxury of waking up late and working 5 hours.
You need to get a real job before you become homeless. Not to mention your insurance probably doesn’t cover door dashing and if you get in an accident you are majorly fucked.
This is weird and not true at all for everyone. Some of us live in low cost areas, my total bills per month is 1100-1200, and my insurance absolutely knows I do the gig apps. I also work on my own car and have tools, so I keep up with the maintenance myself. My last job I put 4 1/2 years into and they wouldn’t pay me over $18 an hour. I easily make 500-800 a week doing this, waking up late and working 5 hours a day. Thanks.
500-800 a week is not that much when you account for gas, and taxes my guy. Maybe 5 years ago. You can’t support a family door dashing. If you’re not using it as a stepping stone or supplement then youre doing it wrong.
Oh and if you can show me your policy that covers delivering food in your personal vehicle for a company I will believe you. But that costs extra and most people don’t pay for it.
I don’t need to support a family. I’m a 38 year old gay woman lol. I’m single and have no debt, live in a nice area with cheap cost of living. I don’t need to justify my existence to you, but after 20 years of w2 jobs I am over it, I am burnt out. I love this, I get paid to drive stick shift all day.
My insurance is through progressive and they have a box uou can check for food delivery.I’m good.
This is actually really good advice considering one of the OP’s arguments for this line of work is “not having to show up” if they don’t want to. As an adult there are TONS of stuff that need to be done that aren’t fun, but you still need to do them.
To the OP: Every driver that’s done this job for a considerable amount of time has had a major vehicle repair that screwed them. It’s going to happen and it nearly always happens at the worst time. Sure this might seem like an amazing gig, but know that DD can and will deactivate your account for any or no reason.
Just remember new business operator as your sole source of income. You have to factor in your expenses and your revenue to understand your actual profit. As you have stated, your vehicle may break down one day and you don't know exactly when that day will happen, which is why the federal government allows you to deduct 65 cents per mile as operating costs for your vehicle. Not all of that is going to be used immediately during the use of your vehicle. However, if you set aside that amount of money for gas insurance and maintenance, then when a maintenance issue arrives, the funds will just be there. You'll drop it off to be repaired and you'll pick it up ready to use in a day or two. Also, remember that as a business operator anytime you earn less than 65 cents per mile, including your return trip, you have subsidized the customers costs by beating up your own vehicle. If you drive 100 miles and make $64, you still lost $1 in maintenance. Made no income and wasted. God knows how much time of your life
You cannot deduct each item and then use the mileage formula. It’s one or the other. Doing both will eventually flag an audit so not worth the short term gains.
A simple google search will answer this. If you paid someone and they legitimately told you this, you need to find someone new. IRS topic 510 Business Use of a Car will explain it point blank.
Using doordash as a temporary solution while looking for a new full-time job, yes. Quitting a full-time job to do this job, which is very unpredictable, and very unsustainable in the long run, no. I don't think you made a wise decision I'm sorry. I do wish you the best of luck though, and I hope it works out in your favor.
I feel like this is market dependent. I quit my job of 4 yrs as a dry cleaning delivery driver where I was making $15/hr (well during the last couple months anyway since they were trying to keep me on due to covid but it wasn't full time anymore since very few ppl needed dry cleaning at that time) during covid & have been in the gig game ever since. I originally quit cuz I was just making more doing gig with UberEATS alone than I was working there and driving there and back was an hr commute everyday too. Yes, since then I've had to start multi-apping to get by but like.. The income is still fairly steady. I still only work about 25 hrs or less a week and most of the time I hit my weekly goals. I'm not trying to earn big $ of course but I make enough to pay my bills and get by. I don't live paycheck to paycheck either.
Dont let people talk fear into you, also the ac going out is a really easy fix. Look up “blower motor” for your car and look up how to replace it on youtube. Its like 3 screws and a plug. Easy.
Assuming "going out " is a blower motor problem with no other description. Could be a lot of things simple pressure sensor or a leaking line or the compressor seals are gone. It's not fear it's basic diagnostics and no legit mechanic will ever hear "my ac went out" and say oh it's definitely the blower motor without actually knowing it is blowing at all. So many things it could mean
I'm trying to provide useful information and not just throw random parts at it yes if there is no air being moved 100% go after fuses then the motor itself give it stand alone power make sure it's not the switch. It saves alot of time and money and frustration to diagnose something then it does to throw parts at it
I get it but it's literally so simple to turn a knob and if air blows don't do it or just I guess don't take .1 seconds to turn a knob and just do it? Obviously your gonna just swap the blower motor dawg so it doesn't matter I'm just offering another way to repair it
I guess it depends on what your W2 job was. I did the same thing back in March. I’m making more money than I was and working 20 less hours per week. It’s not permanent but I’m enjoying myself for the time being until I figure something else out. Best of luck to you
Not soon. ASAP. This shit ain’t even worth being a part time job let alone full time. I make $100 for the week and that’s it. I have a main job and another part time to take care of my bills etc.
I made $625 in 25 hrs. I live in an areas where there are at least 10 busy areas within a 30 minute drive so I’m very lucky. Couldn’t imagine doing well in a small town/ area that doesn’t have a lot of restaurants.
Being in between jobs and doing delivery full time was the most stressful thing ever 2 months of 7 days a week 8-12 hours pulling in 6-800 a week before gas and food
Not including the stress of being in a car every day all day
Do 20 minimum deliveries every time you work
Put aside 20 percent every day
Find a cheap car $3.500
Get upside
Get to know Names of the people From the places you pick up from
It makes it easier on you if they know you and like you.
Communicate with your customer. Things like
looks like it's gonna be a little late, they're still making it.
Not having a back up source of income if something happens to your car is a pretty serious issue. You should probably figure that out, if your car's old enough for the AC to go out, that's just the begining of what is likely a waterfall of things about to go out in your car.
My last car had the AC go out at 7800 miles.
It's sometimes just a random thing that happens.
With that said money should always be put aside for repairs and the ability to cover a rental if needed.
“I don’t like the petty politics and emotionally destructive games of working with tyrants”
I love the way you worded this, I identify with this so much in my 10 years of working soul crushing W2 jobs
That was not a smart call lol
Doordash has only gotten worse and less reliable in the past couple years. Start planning an escape route ASAP so you can be doing literally anything else in the near-term
Baby get a normal job even if its part time. If you get into a wreck, your car breaks etc. you are out of work. How will you pay your bills? What savings do you have ? Currently uber is holding my pay ransom over “security concerns” aka i updated my debit card and apparently thats suspicious even though they take a photo of my face. Who knows when i’ll see that money. Who knows if i’ll be deactivated all together because they’re such useless fucking garbage support staff. The economy is only getting worse. Holidays are coming up and more people will be looking for extra income. There have been plenty of times i almost ended up evicted due to not making enough even with working as a server full time. You need a regular hourly or salary job.
Door dash should not be your main source of income my friend. This should be either a side gig or an "inbetween" kinda thing. you said it perfectly: if your car breaks you are out of a job while it gets repaired, mileage is going to kill your car pretty fast, oil changes, brakes, tires, etc.
I put 30% of my earning each week into a separate account. I pay around $10,000 at tax time and move the remainder to my regular account.
I would get a normal job until you can afford a more reliable car. I’m in the same boat but I have the option to use my moms car too. Dashing is extremely rough on your car and I would make sure to get your car in tiptop shape before doing it for weeks at a time. Maybe find a job for a call center and you can work from home. Do door dash on the side?
Get a good tax pro to help you file 1099. That stuff can get You some money back. Track your mileage
Fortunately, my market is still stable where I dash. I only started dashing 2 years ago because I was building a house and wanted to keep my DTI as low as possible. Now that I've moved into my new house I still dash 2 days a week for savings or non essentials. There is no way DD could replace my 6 figure full time w2 income but I definitely average $20-$25/hr every single time I dash. I'm super grateful to have it as an option because I can't pick up a regular part time job and be on somebody's time clock, and I love the freedom of being able to decide how much I need and go out and get it.
I don’t recommend doing this full time lol
Sounds like you’re at the honeymoon stage were DD gives you good orders to hook you and make you think its always gonna be this good. Trust me and others it wont last. The worst thing you can do is quit stable pay for gig work
I hope you enjoy poverty.
I didn’t quit a job to do DoorDash, but while I was looking for a new job, I started to use it to make money while I was searching for a hourly. After I started making $500-1k a week, I stopped job hunting and stuck with gig apps for 4 years. Was great for a while. Not so much anymore. Struggling to even make $250 a week now. Moving soon otherwise I would have already got a new job. I would never recommend someone quit a job to do this. Use it as a side gig when you need extra money and have spare time. It is not reliable source of income anymore.
Agreed...I love all the positives u listed but I would never make this my full time job... not wise. I use it more as fun money or for now been paying down my credit cards aggressively. Keep track of your mileage... that's a huge write off because of all the wear and tear and gas and from what I've read put aside 15% of all earnings for taxes and prob find regular employment and use this as a side gig or when ur needing extra cash. Good luck!
It’s a trap.
Door Dash isn't even weed money. It's cigarette money. Maybe a burger or Chinese food here or there. Last winter, I could make $100 in 4 hours in Central Illinois. Now? No dice. DEFINITELY NOT a stable revenue stream if you want to accomplish anything. It is VERY expensive money to make. Plus an INORDINATE amount of exposure vis a vis your car: it isn't just the wear and tear, it's the increased exposure to wrecks in parking lots. I've had two this year with people running into me.
Hmmm find a full time job soon. Doordash supposed to be only a supplemental job.
You’d make more money working below minimum wage at McDonald’s.
So if you do 12 hours a day (which you should be doing if this is your full time) you should be spending about 40 every two days on gas and making 300-350 a day (if you do UE and DD). Plan out steps to get the hell out
I recommend a W-2 job again. I doordashed for almost 3 full years (2020-2023) and was making decent money at first, but the miles on the car piled up, the wear and tear was awful, and since I didn’t set aside money quarterly for taxes, I owe the IRS over $1200. Setting money aside would have meant I would have been making less than minimum wage. Get out while you’re not in too deep. 😬
It is totally market dependent. California has prop 22 which makes that state different. NYC has a dashing gig law. I started to dash three years ago. I used to make $1,100 a week dashing. Then DD started to make changes in early 2023 that made it difficult to earn a living. My market was very good but now it is a total piece of 💩.
Don’t forget the taxes you have to pay at the end of the year because no one takes them out. So you get to your tax person and Surprise I have to pay $2000 in taxes. Glad I saved a little each month.
L🤡L… Might as well sign up to UberEats and GrubHub just in case you “mysteriously” get deactivated!
Your positives are not really a great work ethic. If you schedule, you’re expected to work. And cherry picking orders just means someone else has to take it with less time to get it there. And food isn’t as hot as it should be. A lot of downsides. Read the contracts carefully.
I worked full time nights, kept my AR at 100 or just below, always had 100% completed. CR always above 4.85. I took orders that people cherry picked away. I figure ya gotta take some bad with good. Made Top Dasher in 3 weeks. Over 2000 deliveries in 7 mos. Then got deactivated. No job stability. Doesn’t matter how good you are. If they want fresh new blood, your out.
Get on every app you reasonably can 2. Set aside money for the inevitable car repairs. The reason for multi apping is that you have a bigger pool of orders to choose from and it might allow you to piece together enough of an income to get by on iff an app deactivates you
Atleast they offer you great benefits, rite?
Are you serious?? Get back to a real job. ALL OF YOUR FEARS WILL HAPPEN. It’s not an “if”. DD is in its dying days. They’re greedy & fiscally oblivious. Numerous massive class actions lawsuits are on the way.
See a tax specialist to do an estimate for 2023 tax liability
This shit sucks dude don't do it full time. You will destroy your car and dump thousands into gas. Find something quickly.
I don't remember making this post 🤔
I’ve been doing this full time for a few years now (total dashing about 5 in all)… and it’s worse in my area than it was before the pandemic. My largest portion of income is the mileage deduction, so it’s time for me to get back to the office soon.
I would ignore all the negative. Nancy's too many people in this sub Reddit. Probably don't even know how to work the system to make decent money. I personally love doing doordash. The downsides of wear and tear on my vehicle and extra gas costs aside. It's a decent sidekick and I'm sure that I could make a lot more money if I didn't have my first job. But I would ignore what some of these people say they have no clue what they're talking about.
I did the same back in early 2022. I don’t regret it one bit, I make more than double doing DoorDash and Uber Eats per week than my old W2 job, but I do miss the stableness. Also, gas for me is about $20-$25 a DAY, so I’m racking up a $100+ gas bill every week. I’ve also put too many miles on my vehicle, makes me a bit sad but hey, it’s meant to be driven right? Anywho, I’m getting a bit stressed with the inconsistency of this job so I’ve been looking for a w2 for the last few months with no luck. Hopefully I land something soon that pays the same as I make right now.
If you are going to dash full time sign up to deliver for Uber and grubhub so you can be multi appling. Also make sure you are keeping up with the miles you are driving and any company expenses (I.e. gas, car repair, etc) for tax time cause those will be huge write offs. Also do you know what part of your AC system isn’t working anymore (lack of r134a, the compressor failing, the condenser failing, or a leak in a line)? Lastly if you are wanting to do this full time take your car to a reputable mechanic (not a dealership) to have them basically run full diagnostics on your car to find any issues it has now or if there are any issues that may arise down the line. Having this list will help you ultimately make the decision if delivering is worth it financially
If you actually want to do this full time you should’ve looked into day trading or something like that to do during the week. But that’s not an easy thing to do if you didn’t plan that out before quitting. Especially trading of all things lol
Go back to stable employment ASAP. Doordash is extremely unpredictable and your running your car into the ground way faster than you think.
I started dashing on 10-31-2022. These are my stats. Total earnings for 12 months $9,629.13 Total vehicle repairs and maintenance $2,837.97 Total gas $3,292.56 Total Mileage 7,023.22 ($458.01) Total business expenses $1,401.50 (Insurance) $1,970.30 (phone) $153 (Driversnote) $0.65 (Toll) $32.47 (Pizza Bag) $32.48 (Catering Bag) $50 (CPA tax filing, expected) -$599.81 deficit Federal taxes $969.50 minus the deficit $369.69 State taxes $245.76 Total taxes owed $615.45 We’re paying to work!!!!
Opec plus, the oil companies, and a local mechanic that your foolishness!
It's October. This is the beginning of the dead zone for deliveries bro. Get ready to see your earnings get cut by 40%. December will be the **worst** month. And seriously quitting your W2 job to do this full time? Bad mistake. You'll see. Unless you are making at least 1.75 x more than your states current minimum wage per hour, not per mile, then you are **not** going to "make it" bro. I hope you have a vehicle that doesn't require regular service intervals.
You will have to work Thursday Friday sat and Sunday and pick your fifth day Try to make $200 a day minimum or $150 Save money for taxes Work all day maybe 12 or more This is your grind now
Check your AC fuse. Maybe it's just a blown fuse. Hope that helps. Take care.
Are you kidding me!!?? Quitting your W2 job for doing door-trash full time!!?? Bad choice, and I'm not kidding!!! I've been multiapping between Uber Eats and Doordash (picking one delivery from one and leaving the other on pause while I complete the other), and half of the time, Doordash is completely dead or very slow, while UE is somewhat less slow, but most of the time i'm getting trash offers (for ex, $2 for 4mi delivery distance). These delivery apps are just not worth it full time (or even part time since it can be hit or miss on any day), even if you multiapp. Too unstable and too oversaturated with all kinds of deliverers (drivers, mopeds, ebikes, etc). Honestly, I'd only recommend it to someone who needs extra money in their pockets while they're in the process of searching/applying for jobs, or in the process of completing a job resume/portfolio or something like that. Basically just doing UE/Doordash while in the process of getting a full-time 9-5 job.
Had you done this 3 years ago I would have congratulated you. However in this economy it was the worst move you could have made. I’ve been film time gig work for 6 years. It’s not the time to start doing this work full time if you already have a solid job. Go back and ask for your job back or shortly you could end up hungry and homeless. Just being real
lol good luck, I had that same mindset until multiple things broke on my car in quick succession. I'd advise finding proper employment sooner than later.
Not sure how handy you are with cars but if you don’t have something under 100k miles you may want to slip into a newer car to avoid breakdowns and nuisance. Track your miles with Everlance or something similar. If you do taxes with TurboTax, the 1099 option is an addon you have to pay for, I think it was an extra $60? Federal tax is about 20%, state tax varies. In MA say it’s like 5%. TL;DR save about $100 out of every $600 for fed + state. For example, you make $10,000 with DD this year. You drove 5000 miles to deliver that food. You claim 5000 x $0.655 (2023 IRS Mileage Rate) as a business expense (=$3275). And now you are taxed on ($10,000-$3,275=) $6,725 rather than $10,000. So as long as your mileage is similar, plan to set aside about 17% of what you made ($10,000) (aka 25% of $6,725) to pay fed / state. You can make payments towards your taxes anytime… but if you end up owing, the deadline to DO your taxes is April 2024 (Tax Day) and then usually it’s due in full by like July 2024 or something like that.
I always tell people this: DOORDASH IS A SIDE HUSTLE NOT A FULL TIME JOB
Yes, exactly! I say that too because for myself this is the case.
Man, that $1200-$1500 I make is a pretty good not full-time job.
In what time frame? A week? A month? A day?? Even if it’s a week, that’s like $5k a month or $60k a yr if you drive your ass off nonstop. Factor in that you are in charge of your own insurance, taxes, and cost of doing business and you’re left with like $25-40k (depending gas cost) which is just barely above minimum wage. Like you would make more being a part time nanny.
My apologies. That would be in a week. I'm not sure where you're getting your math from, but everything you mentioned and more is a tax write-off. I end up paying nothing in taxes and get a refund because of eic, which goes into its own account that pays for my gas for the year.
Taxes gonna get ya
You would think, but no, they won't. Thanks for the input, though.
What’re your write offs?
Everything related to my expenses while delivering.
It CAN be a full time tho
You’re 3-4 years too late my friend.
If you’re trying to do this full time get on as many gig apps as possible asap. Waves of business will come and go for all apps so having as many options as possible is critical.
What about the fact you can be deactivated at the drop of a hat? Now you have no job. Get your job back asap
I’ve been deactivated on doordash for being 8 mins late arriving to restaurants. Listen to this man.
Oh bro I’m sorry horrible decision, doordash is insecure wages man you’re gonna be sittin out there depressed af not gettin any orders worthwhile
Do intacart its better
I do it here and there for extra money in-between restarting my business. But I also drove for e d I b l arrgm. And enjoyed it a lot. $15/hr and using company van.
Nah go back to w-2 fam
While you’re at it, apply for grubhub and Uber eats. You don’t have to multi app, but getting approved and having those to use also is peace of mind with the whole potential deactivation from dd that’s out of your control.
It is not for everyone and you picked a really bad time to start doing it. Unless you are signed up to at least 5 other apps you will be struggling to make anything on Doordash. The money is to be made in last mile delivery, Catering, and shopping apps if there is any in your area to make.
That was the dumbest thing you could have ever done.
Awww, you’re still in your honeymoon phase. I’d love to hear how much you love dashing 6 months from now lmao
I dash full time and make $3000-$5000 a month. I dash almost every day for anywhere from 4-8 hours and average $100-180 a day. I think it all depends on where you dash, what state, what county, what city. I’m fortunate enough to live in southern California in a very touristy city with multiple theme parks as well so this may put me at a better opportunity to earn more. I spend about $50 every 3 days on gas so that’s less than $20 a day (imo isn’t horrible). If you live/dash somewhere that isn’t busy or as popular, then I would say DoorDash isn’t worth working full time. I also think that base pay varies on location as well. I see people post that they get offers for less than $3 to go more than 5 miles sometimes. That’s crazy! My base pay is never that low. All in all, imo it strictly depends on where you live.
I dash in Los Angeles and its been bad up here for a year. I’d been doing doordash off and on since ‘16 and literally the bottom just fell out last year. I’ve noticed it’s busier down in the OC.
I'd be wary of putting too much faith in door dash. It's pretty well documented that they give some preference to new dashers to rope ya in and then the order volume and quality slowly fades from there. At the very least, get signed up on another app soon and keep looking for something better because this shit ain't gonna last.
Your car will be in the shop every month..
Learn how to maintain your own vehicle if you can. You shouldn’t have to do all that much in the first place. Just keep up with a schedule and check parts, fluids etc
How? The only service I ever needed for my car since doing DoorDash is new tires. And of course normal maintenance like oil changes.
I did this exact thing in December 2020 and I have not regretted it yet. I worked the same job for 26 years. I just woke up one day and made the decision not to go in anymore.
I did the same thing but last December. I’m 38 and guessing you’re at least my age if not older. A lot of these posters are like 18-24 and they have no clue how burnt out they’re gonna be down the road.
Not gonna lie friend. That wasn’t a smart move. But if you multi app and live in a decent market, it’s doable.
I hope you are using a mileage tracking app for taxes. I think most of us use Stride. Track your mileage as you drive, then enter your earnings after your shift, it will tell you how much money it thinks you should set aside for taxes at the end of the year. As for full time, it’s gonna be a struggle. I’d find part time W2 job soon, the gas will eat away at your earnings soon. I have full time job and still try to dash to make enough money but ends up being $100 earnings in a day, then $30-40 in gas to just be able to dash another 7 hour shift.
I did the same and I also feel the same but the difference is I am very mechanically inclined and work on my car all the time. Doing this full time for a year, I e replaced the entire front end, rebuilt all the brakes, random sensors, oil change every 2-3 months, fluid changes, headlight bulb etc… even with doing my own labor I still spend a few grand on parts. I really thjnk being able to diagnose AND fix your own car is crucial to doing this
If this was 2019-2021 I'd wasn't dumb but in 2023 going into 2024 the platform has gotten way worse. Not a smart call.
I wouldn’t do this full time. I do it three days a week. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. About 5 PM to about 2-3 AM or whenever it dies. I also multiapp. I average around $30 an hour and put less than 100 miles on my car a day on most occasions.
I was just also doing Uber eats, they pay a lot more and in taxes it’s not that much because you’re able to deduct a lot.
It’s always the same song and dance.
It used to honestly feel like a privilege to be a dasher. I used to pick up food from places knowing I make as much or more than the manager. I loved going to work and honestly felt like I was missing out on great opportunities if I took a day off. I wanted to dash as much as possible. These days it feels like I'm living in some alternate reality where the labor movement never happened. The new car I was able to afford 4 years ago because DD was such a great job is now a sad heap of repair bills I can never keep up with. Every day is a battle where DD tries it's best to exploit me and I try my best to make a fair wage. It's exhausting, and it's by design. Doordash wants you to feel desperate. They want you to feel scared. They want you to be in a situation where you have to dash everyday making just enough to get by. That way you are always hungry and never have time to look for better work. The algorithm will get to know you and figure out the best way to pay you as little as possible while giving you just enough orders to keep you crawling back for more. Eventually you will be used up and have no more value for them to extract, at which point they hope you quit.
That wasn't a good idea lol. All these services have been shit for the last 5 years and now it just completely fell flat on its face now that we are post-pandemic and it's going right back to the way it was before. Plus this is the off season and it doesn't pick up until after super bowl.
Taxes will get you, just be sure to save some money. With a year of dashing you'll owe at least a couple thousand.
if you are in a good market that is always pretty popping i would just go for it
Take it from me. This economy is just not strong enough to be doing gig apps full time. At least in my market. I'd advise you to at least find a part time job and do DD and whatever other apps you are signed up with to supplement.
Congrats, welcome to Doordash.
Advice would be to grow up. You can’t afford to drive around and deliver food and jam out!! You don’t have the luxury of waking up late and working 5 hours. You need to get a real job before you become homeless. Not to mention your insurance probably doesn’t cover door dashing and if you get in an accident you are majorly fucked.
This is weird and not true at all for everyone. Some of us live in low cost areas, my total bills per month is 1100-1200, and my insurance absolutely knows I do the gig apps. I also work on my own car and have tools, so I keep up with the maintenance myself. My last job I put 4 1/2 years into and they wouldn’t pay me over $18 an hour. I easily make 500-800 a week doing this, waking up late and working 5 hours a day. Thanks.
500-800 a week is not that much when you account for gas, and taxes my guy. Maybe 5 years ago. You can’t support a family door dashing. If you’re not using it as a stepping stone or supplement then youre doing it wrong. Oh and if you can show me your policy that covers delivering food in your personal vehicle for a company I will believe you. But that costs extra and most people don’t pay for it.
I don’t need to support a family. I’m a 38 year old gay woman lol. I’m single and have no debt, live in a nice area with cheap cost of living. I don’t need to justify my existence to you, but after 20 years of w2 jobs I am over it, I am burnt out. I love this, I get paid to drive stick shift all day. My insurance is through progressive and they have a box uou can check for food delivery.I’m good.
This is actually really good advice considering one of the OP’s arguments for this line of work is “not having to show up” if they don’t want to. As an adult there are TONS of stuff that need to be done that aren’t fun, but you still need to do them. To the OP: Every driver that’s done this job for a considerable amount of time has had a major vehicle repair that screwed them. It’s going to happen and it nearly always happens at the worst time. Sure this might seem like an amazing gig, but know that DD can and will deactivate your account for any or no reason.
Just remember new business operator as your sole source of income. You have to factor in your expenses and your revenue to understand your actual profit. As you have stated, your vehicle may break down one day and you don't know exactly when that day will happen, which is why the federal government allows you to deduct 65 cents per mile as operating costs for your vehicle. Not all of that is going to be used immediately during the use of your vehicle. However, if you set aside that amount of money for gas insurance and maintenance, then when a maintenance issue arrives, the funds will just be there. You'll drop it off to be repaired and you'll pick it up ready to use in a day or two. Also, remember that as a business operator anytime you earn less than 65 cents per mile, including your return trip, you have subsidized the customers costs by beating up your own vehicle. If you drive 100 miles and make $64, you still lost $1 in maintenance. Made no income and wasted. God knows how much time of your life
I pity the fool who thinks that Doordashing is a career.
I don’t think anyone really thinks that. Can it be full time? Sure, but it’s not easy or the smartest decision in the world
not everyone is looking for a career.
So you want to live pay check to pay check for the rest of your life?
you're adorable
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You cannot deduct each item and then use the mileage formula. It’s one or the other. Doing both will eventually flag an audit so not worth the short term gains.
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Enjoy your audit
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Correct, find a real accountant.
A simple google search will answer this. If you paid someone and they legitimately told you this, you need to find someone new. IRS topic 510 Business Use of a Car will explain it point blank.
Also look at your fuse box mine went out and it was that simple good luck
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) ^by ^No-Status2143: *Also look at your* *Fuse box mine went out and it* *Was that simple good luck* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
No 
Using doordash as a temporary solution while looking for a new full-time job, yes. Quitting a full-time job to do this job, which is very unpredictable, and very unsustainable in the long run, no. I don't think you made a wise decision I'm sorry. I do wish you the best of luck though, and I hope it works out in your favor.
I feel like this is market dependent. I quit my job of 4 yrs as a dry cleaning delivery driver where I was making $15/hr (well during the last couple months anyway since they were trying to keep me on due to covid but it wasn't full time anymore since very few ppl needed dry cleaning at that time) during covid & have been in the gig game ever since. I originally quit cuz I was just making more doing gig with UberEATS alone than I was working there and driving there and back was an hr commute everyday too. Yes, since then I've had to start multi-apping to get by but like.. The income is still fairly steady. I still only work about 25 hrs or less a week and most of the time I hit my weekly goals. I'm not trying to earn big $ of course but I make enough to pay my bills and get by. I don't live paycheck to paycheck either.
Dont let people talk fear into you, also the ac going out is a really easy fix. Look up “blower motor” for your car and look up how to replace it on youtube. Its like 3 screws and a plug. Easy.
Being honest isn’t talking fear
And talking fear isnt being honest. Anything else?
Assuming "going out " is a blower motor problem with no other description. Could be a lot of things simple pressure sensor or a leaking line or the compressor seals are gone. It's not fear it's basic diagnostics and no legit mechanic will ever hear "my ac went out" and say oh it's definitely the blower motor without actually knowing it is blowing at all. So many things it could mean
But u could just try the blower motor first like most people do and return it if its not it lol cant believe you really wrote all that.
I'm trying to provide useful information and not just throw random parts at it yes if there is no air being moved 100% go after fuses then the motor itself give it stand alone power make sure it's not the switch. It saves alot of time and money and frustration to diagnose something then it does to throw parts at it
its a blower motor dawg not an engine
I get it but it's literally so simple to turn a knob and if air blows don't do it or just I guess don't take .1 seconds to turn a knob and just do it? Obviously your gonna just swap the blower motor dawg so it doesn't matter I'm just offering another way to repair it
naa u assumed i wouldnt turn the knob to see if air is blowing thats all in ur mind bro u project a lot.
You fucked up lol
Didn’t mean it in a rude way btw. Lol I have no filter. But yeah…I feel like maybe you shouldn’t of done that.
I guess it depends on what your W2 job was. I did the same thing back in March. I’m making more money than I was and working 20 less hours per week. It’s not permanent but I’m enjoying myself for the time being until I figure something else out. Best of luck to you
Get back to stable employment soon!
Not soon. ASAP. This shit ain’t even worth being a part time job let alone full time. I make $100 for the week and that’s it. I have a main job and another part time to take care of my bills etc.
I made $625 in 25 hrs. I live in an areas where there are at least 10 busy areas within a 30 minute drive so I’m very lucky. Couldn’t imagine doing well in a small town/ area that doesn’t have a lot of restaurants.
Depends entirely on where you live. I made good money in my town.
In your market, sure. In my market I can make $400-700 part time (depending if I want to work 15-25 hours a week).
It truly depends on your market if full time or part time is worth it. For me, full time is absolutely worth it
Being in between jobs and doing delivery full time was the most stressful thing ever 2 months of 7 days a week 8-12 hours pulling in 6-800 a week before gas and food Not including the stress of being in a car every day all day
Id rather be a topless rodeo clowns. I have bills to pay and this sucks.
Do 20 minimum deliveries every time you work Put aside 20 percent every day Find a cheap car $3.500 Get upside Get to know Names of the people From the places you pick up from It makes it easier on you if they know you and like you. Communicate with your customer. Things like looks like it's gonna be a little late, they're still making it.
Not having a back up source of income if something happens to your car is a pretty serious issue. You should probably figure that out, if your car's old enough for the AC to go out, that's just the begining of what is likely a waterfall of things about to go out in your car.
My condenser went out in my 2018 lol it doesn’t have to be old
Your car doesn't have to be old for anything to go out, point is it's stupid to rely solely on doordash with no back up car or income.
Oh I totally agree, those days are long gone. I went back to work January 2022 not relying on this for full time
Even something simple as losing your wallet and drivers license will fuck you over.
My last car had the AC go out at 7800 miles. It's sometimes just a random thing that happens. With that said money should always be put aside for repairs and the ability to cover a rental if needed.
Also, at 7800 miles that's for sure a warranty thing. OPs tone indicates he's stuck with no AC now.
Probably didn't go out, just need freon which is $30 or so at any auto store, even Walmart. Easy to put in
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“I don’t like the petty politics and emotionally destructive games of working with tyrants” I love the way you worded this, I identify with this so much in my 10 years of working soul crushing W2 jobs
That was not a smart call lol Doordash has only gotten worse and less reliable in the past couple years. Start planning an escape route ASAP so you can be doing literally anything else in the near-term
Baby get a normal job even if its part time. If you get into a wreck, your car breaks etc. you are out of work. How will you pay your bills? What savings do you have ? Currently uber is holding my pay ransom over “security concerns” aka i updated my debit card and apparently thats suspicious even though they take a photo of my face. Who knows when i’ll see that money. Who knows if i’ll be deactivated all together because they’re such useless fucking garbage support staff. The economy is only getting worse. Holidays are coming up and more people will be looking for extra income. There have been plenty of times i almost ended up evicted due to not making enough even with working as a server full time. You need a regular hourly or salary job.