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Delivery Offer Profit Calculator
Is this order worth taking? Type the payout, the total miles, and the minutes. You get dollars per mile, what you earn per hour before and after car cost and tax, and a quick verdict. Amounts are in US dollars (USD) and nothing leaves your phone.
Planning estimate in USD. Car cost uses a per-mile average, and the tax line is a set-aside, not a tax return calculation. How we calculate.
How to use this calculator
- Type the payout. If the app shows a tip or an estimated total, include it. If it hides the tip, use the guaranteed amount.
- Add every mile for the order: the drive to the restaurant plus the drive to the customer. Apps often show only one of the two.
- Estimate the minutes from accepting to finishing, including parking and waiting.
- Open the settings once to set your car cost, your tax set-aside, and the lines for accept and decline. Your choices are remembered in your browser.
What the result means
Per mile is the offer divided by total miles. It is the quick filter most drivers use at the screen.
Gross per hour is the offer divided by the hours the order takes. It ignores the cost of driving, so it always looks better than reality.
True net per hour subtracts car cost (miles × your per-mile cost) and the tax set-aside (offer × your percentage) before dividing by hours. This is what you take home for your time.
The verdict is a rule of thumb driven by your settings: decline if the order falls under either of your minimums, accept if it clears both of your targets, and consider in between. A "consider" order might be worth it on a slow night, or when it sets you up in a busy zone.
Three examples
These use the defaults: 76 cents per mile and a 15% set-aside. All were run through the calculator's code.
1. A short, well-paid order: accept
Offer $12.00, 4 miles, 20 minutes.
- Per mile: $3.00. Gross per hour: $36.00
- Car cost: $3.04. Tax set-aside: $1.80. You keep $7.16
- True net per hour: $21.48
2. A decent order that is easy to overrate: consider
Offer $8.00, 3 miles, 25 minutes.
- Per mile: $2.67. Gross per hour: $19.20
- Car cost: $2.28. Tax set-aside: $1.20. You keep $4.52
- True net per hour: $10.85, so it clears the per-mile target but not the hourly one
3. A long trip for a small payout: decline
Offer $7.00, 4.2 miles, 25 minutes.
- Per mile: $1.67. Gross per hour: $16.80, which looks fine
- Car cost: $3.19. Tax set-aside: $1.05. You keep $2.76
- True net per hour: $6.62, below the $10 decline line
Example 3 is the lesson: a gross hourly rate of $16.80 sounds acceptable, but after car cost and tax set-aside the driver keeps less than seven dollars an hour. If your actual cash cost is only 25 cents a mile, the same order nets $11.76 an hour, which becomes a "consider". That is why the car cost setting matters.
How the calculation works
- Per mile = offer ÷ total miles.
- Gross per hour = offer ÷ (minutes ÷ 60).
- Car cost = total miles × cost per mile.
- Tax set-aside = offer × set-aside percentage.
- You keep = offer − car cost − tax set-aside. True net per hour = you keep ÷ hours.
- Verdict = decline if per mile or net per hour is under the decline lines; accept if both are at or above the accept lines; otherwise consider.
The 76 cent car cost, and why you might change it
The default is the IRS standard mileage rate in effect from July 1, 2026. The IRS sets it to cover the average cost of gas, maintenance, repairs, insurance, registration, and depreciation, so it estimates what a mile costs over the life of a car. It is also the amount you can deduct for each business mile on your tax return, which is why we use it. Drivers with fuel-efficient or paid-off cars sometimes use a lower number for day-to-day decisions, and drivers with older cars that need more repairs sometimes use a higher one. If you do, keep logging miles anyway, since the deduction at tax time is the standard rate regardless. Our 1099 gig tax calculator shows what your mileage is worth on your return, and the self-employment tax calculator shows how much of your profit goes to Social Security and Medicare.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good pay per mile for delivery driving?
There is no official number. Many drivers set a personal minimum, often somewhere between $1.00 and $2.00 per mile, and the right figure depends on how much your car really costs to run. The calculator lets you set your own accept and decline lines, and it shows what you keep per hour after car cost and taxes, which is the number that actually pays bills.
Why does the calculator use 76 cents per mile for car cost?
It is the IRS standard mileage rate for business driving from July 1, 2026 (72.5 cents applied January through June). The IRS built that rate to cover gas, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation, so it is a reasonable all-in cost estimate. It is also what you can deduct on your return. Your own out-of-pocket cost may be lower, especially with an efficient car, so you can edit the number.
Should I count the miles to the restaurant?
Yes. Enter pickup miles plus delivery miles: every mile you drive for that order. The offer screen often shows only the distance from the restaurant to the customer, so add the drive to the restaurant. Miles back to a busy area after the drop-off cost money too, but they are hard to predict, so many drivers raise the car cost slightly to cover them.
Where does the 15% tax set-aside come from?
It is a starting point, not a rule. Full-time drivers who track mileage often land between about 10% and 20% of gross earnings. Run the 1099 gig tax calculator to get a personal percentage for your income and state, then type it here.
Are the verdict thresholds official?
No. They are default personal rules that you can change: accept when the offer pays at least $1.50 per mile and nets at least $15 an hour, decline when it pays under $1.00 per mile or nets under $10 an hour, and consider everything between. They are not tax figures or advice, and you should adjust them to your market, car, and goals.
Why is net per hour so much lower than gross per hour?
Because driving costs money. At 76 cents a mile, an order that takes 4 miles costs about $3 in car expenses before any tax. A $16 per hour gross rate can turn into $6 or $7 per hour net. This gap is why mileage tracking matters at tax time too.
Does the calculator include tips?
Only if you include them in the offer amount. Some apps show the expected tip, and others do not until after you deliver. For apps that hide the tip, use the guaranteed base pay to be conservative.
Does it count waiting time?
It counts whatever you type in the minutes box, so include the time waiting at the restaurant. A short drive with a 15-minute wait can be a bad order.
Does it save my numbers?
Your car cost, tax percentage, and thresholds are remembered in your own browser so they are ready next time. Nothing is sent to a server. Clearing your browser data resets them.
Sources
- IRS, 2026 business standard mileage rate (72.5 cents) and Announcement 2026-11 (76 cents from July 1, 2026)
- IRS, Topic no. 510, Business use of car (what the standard mileage rate covers)
- The accept and decline lines and the 15% default set-aside are adjustable planning defaults chosen by this site, not IRS figures. For a personal set-aside percentage, see the 1099 gig tax calculator and its methodology.