Tax deductions for delivery drivers
The miles are most of it. Here is what else a courier can deduct, from insulated bags to parking at the drop, and what each puts back at your tax rate.
Free. No bank login. Snap a receipt and see what it puts back.
What delivery drivers miss
Not the laptop or the phone; everyone finds those. These are particular to the work, and each is shown the way Reimburse would log it.
Miles between orders
The drive to the restaurant or store is business too, not only the drive with the order in the car.
Insulated bags and carriers
Equipment for the work, in full, in the year you buy it.
Parking to make a drop
Meters and garages for a delivery go on top of the mileage rate. Tickets never do.
The phone
The apps run on it all shift, so the business share of the bill counts.
Car loan interest
The business share of the interest is deductible even on the mileage rate.
Where a courier’s receipts go
Each goes on its own line of Schedule C. Start from this page and Reimburse reads your receipts as a courier’s, so the line is right the first time.
| On the receipt | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Parking or a toll on a delivery | Car and truck, line 9, on top of the mileage rate. |
| Insulated bags, a mount or a cart | Supplies, line 22. |
| Your phone bill | The business share, line 25. |
| Car loan interest | The business share, line 16b. |
| A tax preparer | The business part, legal and professional services, line 17. |
What to write on it
- Odometer at the start and end of the shift? A log written at the time is what holds up in an audit.
- Which apps were you on? It ties the miles to the income they earned.
- For the orders, or for you? A bag for deliveries is a supply; lunch on the shift is personal.
A courier’s year
An example, not an average: a courier on DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart, clearing $24,000 after about 18,000 business miles. Every amount is priced at your rate; change it below and the year moves.
| What | Schedule C | Deductible | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18,000 business miles | Line 9 | $13,365 | $4,819 back |
| Phone, 90% business | Line 25 | $972 | $351 back |
| Car loan interest, 85% business | Line 16b | $720 | $260 back |
| Parking at pickups and drops | Line 9 | $380 | $137 back |
| Tolls on deliveries | Line 9 | $270 | $97 back |
| Tax preparation, the business part | Line 17 | $220 | $79 back |
| Car property tax, 85% business | Line 23 | $210 | $76 back |
| Insulated bags and a drink carrier | Line 22 | $120 | $43 back |
| A phone mount and a power bank | Line 22 | $85 | $31 back |
| A folding cart for grocery orders | Line 22 | $65 | $23 back |
| The year | $16,407 | $5,916 back |
Sounds deductible, isn’t
Or has a catch.
- Gas and repairs on the mileage rate
- The rate already includes them, along with insurance and car washes.
- Parking tickets
- Never deductible, even mid-delivery.
- Your own meals on a shift
- Personal. Meals count only when you’re away overnight for work.
- Changing to the mileage rate later
- If the first year the car worked was on actual costs, that car stays on actual costs.
Questions delivery drivers ask
What can DoorDash drivers write off?
Business miles, parking and tolls on deliveries, the business share of your phone and car loan interest, and bags, mounts and carts. Gas and repairs are already in the mileage rate.
Can delivery drivers deduct gas?
Only on actual costs instead of the mileage rate. The standard rate already includes gas, repairs, insurance and depreciation.
How should a delivery driver track miles?
Write down the odometer at the start and end of each shift, with the date and the apps you worked. In Reimburse you log each shift by hand and it’s priced at the rate of that day.
Do I owe tax if I didn’t get a 1099?
Yes. Platforms send a 1099-NEC or a 1099-K depending on how they pay you, and all of it is income whether a form arrives or not.
Priced at your rate
What a deduction puts back depends on your state, your profit and how you file. Change any of it and every figure on this page reprices.
I run in . I file , and this year the business should clear about , with from a job or anything else.
of every dollar you spend on the business comes back to you.
14.1¢ is self-employment tax, 7.4¢ federal income tax and 0.9¢ California.
Your answers come with you. Next is your first receipt.
What every freelancer can deduct
Checked on September 25, 2026 against Standard mileage rates, Publication 463, Travel, Gift and Car Expenses and Instructions for Schedule C. An estimate for your records, not tax advice.
Snap the next receipt.
Set up for delivery drivers and Reimburse reads each receipt as a courier’s, files it on its Schedule C line and shows what it puts back.