grubhub's payout ≠ your paycheck.
grubhub pays per delivery + mileage + tips. but the 'mileage' grubhub pays you is a tiny fraction of what the irs lets you deduct. that gap is real money.
free 2026 grubhub tax calculator: self-employment tax, mileage deduction at 72.5¢/mile, federal & state brackets, and quarterly estimated payments for grubhub food delivery 1099 contractors.
your grubhub math
the form arrives. or it doesn't. you still owe.
grubhub pays a delivery fee (base) + per-mile reimbursement (a flat per-mile, well under the irs rate) + 100% of tips. the per-mile they pay you is taxable income. the per-mile you actually drove (at the irs 72.5¢ rate) is your deduction. you net the difference.
grubhub's per-mile pay (usually $0.20–$0.50) gets reported as income on your 1099-NEC. drivers see 'mileage' and think it's not taxable — it is. the actual deduction is the standard mileage rate (72.5¢/mile) on your tax return, which is almost always more than what grubhub paid you. you keep the difference.
5 deductions specific to grubhub
grubhub doesn't track your repositioning, your wait time miles, or your return-from-last-drop miles. if you were online and available, log them.
the official bag plus any catering or pizza bags. grubhub catering pays better — invest in the bag.
honest business-use percentage of your monthly bill, plus chargers and mounts.
log them — grubhub won't reimburse most. all are deductible.
some cities require periodic delivery vehicle inspections. those fees are deductible.
part-time grubhub driver in philadelphia, 15 hrs/week, $9,000/year gross, 6,500 miles
the mileage deduction alone (6,500 × 72.5¢ = $4,712) wipes out most of the taxable income. you'd owe ~$600 in se tax, almost nothing in federal. but you have to actually claim it — don't skip schedule c just because the math seems small.
grubhub, specifically
grubhub's annual report shows a 'mileage' amount. is that my deduction?+
no — that's how much grubhub paid you for miles, and it counts as income. your deduction is 72.5¢ × every business mile you drove, which is almost always much higher.
i deliver for grubhub and doordash. do i combine them?+
yes, one schedule c, all gig delivery as one self-employed business. combined miles, combined income.
is the grubhub block schedule (scheduled hours) different for taxes?+
no. scheduled or on-demand, you're a 1099 contractor either way. no withholding, no benefits, all on you.
do i need to send invoices?+
no, grubhub pays you automatically. but keep your own pay records — apps occasionally lose data and you'll want backup for an audit.
also drive, sell, host, or stream elsewhere? combine on one schedule c.
your grubhub 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.