DoorDash mileage deduction calculator
Enter your business miles to see the standard mileage deduction and a rough idea of the tax it saves. The deduction lowers both self-employment tax and income tax, so it is worth more than your income tax bracket alone.
How it is calculated: deduction = miles x IRS rate for the date driven. Self-employment tax saved is about deduction x 92.35% x 15.3% (Schedule SE). Income tax saved is about deduction x your bracket. This ignores state tax, the QBI deduction and the deduction for half of self-employment tax, so treat it as an estimate, not tax advice.
DoorDash mileage log example
| Date | Platform | Area / purpose | Odometer out | Odometer in | Miles |
|---|
| 07/20/2026 | DoorDash | Dinner dash: deliveries and waiting for orders, midtown | 33,018 | 33,071 | 53 |
| 07/21/2026 | Grubhub | Lunch block: deliveries, north zone | 33,071 | 33,105 | 34 |
| 07/22/2026 | DoorDash | Car wash and oil change for delivery car | 33,140 | 33,146 | 6 |
| Total | | | | | 93 |
93 miles x 76¢ = $70.68 of deduction for these three entries (all after July 1, 2026).
Delivery driver mileage log template
One row per dash: date, platform, odometer out and in, total miles, the app's figure and notes.
Delivery miles to log
- Miles while dashing: driving to restaurants, to customers and between orders
- Miles spent repositioning or waiting for orders while active
- Business errands for the delivery car: car wash, oil change, inspection
- Separately: home to your first pickup zone and back (commuting rules decide these)
- Keep app earnings summaries and screenshots as backup for the dates
Does DoorDash or Grubhub track mileage for you?
Do not rely on any delivery app's mileage figure as your log. Whatever number an app shows covers only time it knows you were working, and it is not a record with dates, destinations and purposes. A one-line-per-dash log with odometer readings takes a minute and covers everything.
Grubhub drivers have a page of their own: the Grubhub mileage tracker and log lists the miles to track and gives a log for each block.
If you drive for more than one app in a shift, one row for the shift is fine; note both platforms. Publication 463 lets you record an uninterrupted stretch of business driving as a single entry.
Standard mileage rate vs actual expenses for delivery drivers
Most delivery drivers use the standard rate because it is simple and generous for an economical car: the rate already covers fuel, maintenance, insurance and depreciation. You can deduct business parking and tolls on top of it, but not gas.
Whichever method you use, the mileage log is what the IRS asks for if your deduction is questioned. For more on the rules, see IRS mileage log requirements.
Sources
Rates and rules on this page last checked against these sources on October 7, 2026.