The 15.3% self-employment tax (Medicare and Social Security payments), federal income tax, plus any relevant state and local taxes, add up to roughly 25-35% going to the IRS.

That means every bit you can save in tax deductions counts. (Deductions lower your taxable income, and business expenses are deductible.)

For DoorDash drivers, mileage is by far the biggest expense. Tracking every delivery can result in thousands of dollars in tax savings, depending on how much you work.

Which drives are considered business for DoorDash

Only drives that are related to business activity with DoorDash (or another gig app) can be deducted. Examples include:

Drives to pick-up an order
Drop offs
Supply runs for your Dasher or other gig work (to purchase ice packs or insulated totes, car cleaning supplies, etc)
Trips to car washes or a mechanic, if you only use the car for gig work

Some drives can't count toward your tax deductions. Make sure you keep them out of your mileage log:

Drives you can't deduct

First drive of the work day: Drive from home to your first pick-up location.
Last drive of the day: Drive from your last drop-off to home.
Personal errands: Trips in between DoorDashing work or any other personal drives can't be deducted.

The first and last drive of the day counts as a commute drive and those are considered personal expenses by the IRS. Any other drive that's not directly related to your rideshare business is likely not deductible.

How to track work mileage for DoorDash

There are two ways to track business mileage for taxes. You'll need to select one of them.

Standard mileage method

This method uses the standard government rate to figure out how much your drives are worth per mile. All you need to do is track business mileage for the year.

When you're ready to file, multiply the number of business miles by the government mileage rate (70 cents for 2025) to get your deduction amount.

Actual expenses method

The actual expenses method requires tracking ALL vehicle-related expenses. These include:

Cost of fuel
Maintenance and repairs
Insurance
Registration fees

At the end of the year, you'll have to estimate the business-use percentage for your car. Then you'll multiply the total vehicle expenses by that percentage to get your deduction number.

If, like many Dashers, your work car is also your personal vehicle, sussing out a business use percentage in any reliable or accurate way is challenging. That's why many gig workers stick to standard mileage.

Also, keep in mind if you go with the actual expenses method in your first year, you won't be able to switch to the standard mileage method for that vehicle.

Mileage rules for DoorDash drivers

To get the best mileage deduction, follow these best practices:

Stick to one mileage tracking method for each vehicle
Track drives as they happen
Record dates, addresses, location names, and total mileage for each drive
Stay consistent, don't record drives one week and then forget
Keep personal drives out of business mileage records

And yes, as you can likely tell by now, tracking miles is a lot of work. Which is why many Dashers use a separate mileage tracking app which logs their drives automatically.

Other expenses DoorDash drivers can deduct

You can deduct these expenses no matter which mileage tracking method you use (standard or actual expenses). The IRS considers them a separate deductible expense.

Parking fees incurred while picking up and delivering orders
Tolls paid while driving for DoorDash

If you track mileage with MileIQ, you're able to add these expenses in the app. They will show up in your mileage report at the end of the year, making filing super easy.

DoorDash Mileage Guide for Drivers

Why track miles as a Dasher