the block was $90. you didn't make $90.
amazon flex pays a flat block rate. but a 4-hour block routinely runs 4.5 hours, you're burning gas the whole time, and the block pay is taxed at full 1099 rates.
free 2026 amazon flex tax calculator: self-employment tax, mileage deduction at 72.5¢/mile, federal & state brackets, and quarterly estimated payments for amazon flex package delivery 1099 contractors.
your amazon flex math
the form arrives. or it doesn't. you still owe.
amazon flex pays a fixed block rate ($72–$150 typical, varies by city and demand). some blocks have surge multipliers. some are dock blocks (warehouse-to-warehouse), some are last-mile to customers. tips for prime now and whole foods deliveries — yes, those count, and the lawsuit settlement years ago means amazon now passes them fully through.
amazon flex routes are designed to be tight. drivers regularly run over the block window — and amazon doesn't pay overtime. the implicit hourly rate is what your block pay divided by actual time worked, minus fuel and vehicle wear. for the 200 miles a heavy block can rack up, your standard mileage deduction (200 × 72.5¢ = $145) often exceeds what amazon paid you for vehicle costs in the block rate — that's a sign you should aggressively track.
5 deductions specific to amazon flex
amazon flex blocks include all-day driving. the standard mileage rate at 72.5¢ becomes your single biggest deduction. log it religiously — flex tracks block start/end but not the gps trail.
amazon gives you the vest. they don't give you the phone holder, the backup battery, or the trunk organizer for sorted packages.
if you take actual expenses instead of mileage, brake jobs from 4-hour stop-and-go routes deduct fully. mileage method bundles this.
flex's app needs constant gps and frequent rerouting. count phone bill business-use percentage.
if you upgraded insurance to a commercial-use rider for amazon work, the increase over personal insurance deducts.
amazon flex driver in seattle, 20 hrs/week of 4hr blocks, $30k gross, 14,000 miles
wa has no state income tax. mileage deduction (14k × 72.5¢ = $10,150) is huge. take-home: ~$22k. effective rate ~27%. but the implicit hourly is closer to $24 not $30 when blocks run over — that's the part flex doesn't show.
amazon flex, specifically
amazon flex blocks include all driving — do i still deduct mileage?+
yes. the block pay is your gross income. the mileage deduction reduces what you pay tax on. they're independent. amazon doesn't 'pay' you for mileage — they pay you for the block.
i ran a 4-hour block in 4.7 hours. that's unpaid overtime, right?+
morally maybe. legally no — you're a contractor, not an employee. no overtime rules apply. the time is unpaid. all you can do is account for it when comparing offers.
is the prime now tip income reported separately?+
no — it's bundled into your flex 1099-NEC total. amazon's annual summary will break it out, but for tax purposes it's all gross self-employment income.
what if i use a truck or van — different deduction?+
same 72.5¢/mile rate for any passenger vehicle, truck, van. if you use a vehicle over 6,000 lbs gvw (some pickups, vans), you may have a section 179 option to write off purchase costs — talk to a cpa.
also drive, sell, host, or stream elsewhere? combine on one schedule c.
your amazon flex 1099 income gets added to every other gig you do for the year. one self-employment return covers all of it — and miles, fees, and home-office allocations may apply across platforms.