← Gig driver net pay calculator

Standard mileage or actual expenses?

At tax time a gig driver chooses how to deduct the car, and the choice moves both income tax and self-employment tax. Type your year and see what each method leaves you owing, the quarterly payment that implies, and the per-mile cost at which the two would tie. Rates are editable and start at the published 2026 figures.

Your year

Less tax with

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Enter your year.
Car deduction, standard rate
Car deduction, actual expenses
Net profit, standard / actual
Self-employment tax, standard / actual
Total tax, standard rate
Total tax, actual expenses
Quarterly payment, standard / actual
Your car's actual cost per business mile

Back to a single shift: session net pay, is this order worth it?, or how much to set aside. Income tax is applied only through the marginal rate you type; state tax, credits and the 0.9% additional Medicare tax are not modelled. A mileage log is what supports either method.

Common questions

Should I use the standard mileage rate or actual expenses as a DoorDash or Uber driver?

Whichever deducts more, as long as you are allowed to use it. The standard mileage rate deducts every business mile at one national figure (72.5 cents in 2026) and replaces gas, repairs, insurance and depreciation. Actual expenses deduct what the car really cost, times its business-use share. On this page's starting figures (a $40,000 year, 25,000 business miles, a 28 MPG car) the standard rate leaves about $5,379 of self-employment and income tax and actual expenses about $7,517, because 25,000 miles at 72.5 cents is far more than that car cost to run. A thirsty or expensive-to-own car can flip the answer. Ask a tax preparer before the first year you deduct a car: rules limit switching between the methods.

How is self-employment tax calculated for gig drivers?

Self-employment tax is 15.3% (12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare) of 92.35% of your net profit, with the Social Security part capped at a yearly wage base ($184,500 for 2026, reduced by any W-2 wages). Net profit is your 1099 income minus your deductions, so a bigger car deduction lowers this tax as well as income tax. Half of it is then deductible when working out income tax. Profit under $400 owes none.

How much should I pay in quarterly estimated taxes?

Quarterly payments roughly equal a quarter of the year's self-employment tax plus income tax. This page estimates both from your figures, using the marginal income-tax rate you type, and shows a quarterly amount for each deduction method. It is an estimate for planning, not a payment instruction: your filing status, other income, credits and state tax are not modelled.

Why does the page let me edit the mileage rate?

The IRS sets the standard mileage rate each year and the Social Security wage base changes too, so both are boxes with the 2026 figures filled in. If you are working on a different year, type that year's figures.