Driving for a rideshare or delivery app feels like a straightforward trade: you drive, the app pays. But the number on the screen is gross revenue, and almost everything that makes driving possible — fuel, tires, repairs, insurance, the car itself — comes out of it. Add the platform's cut and self-employment tax, and the pay per hour can be much lower than it first looks. This calculator takes your weekly gross, hours and miles and shows what is really left.
How to use the rideshare earnings calculator
- Enter your weekly hours and gross earnings, including tips.
- Enter the miles you drive for work, including trips to pickups and waiting time on the road, and your car's mpg and the gas price.
- Enter the platform fee as a percentage if the figure you enter is before the platform's cut (use 0 if your gross is already net of fees).
- Add maintenance per mile and other weekly costs.
- Read the net pay per week, per hour and per mile, plus the estimated self-employment tax and take-home.
To see what a mile of driving really costs, use the car ownership cost calculator; to compare with the IRS rate, the mileage reimbursement calculator; for fuel alone, the fuel cost calculator.
Driver earnings formula
Fuel = miles ÷ mpg × gas price
Self-employment tax = net × 0.9235 × 15.3%
Net per hour = net ÷ hours; net per mile = net ÷ miles
- Wear and tear = miles × cost per mile for maintenance and tires
- Self-employment tax = Social Security (12.4%) + Medicare (2.9%) on 92.35% of net earnings
Worked example: 30 hours, 900 miles
- Platform fee: 25% × $900 = $225.
- Fuel: 900 ÷ 28 × $3.50 = $112.50.
- Maintenance and tires: 900 × $0.10 = $90; other costs $20.
- Net: 900 − 225 − 112.50 − 90 − 20 = $452.50, or $15.08 an hour.
- Self-employment tax: $452.50 × 0.9235 × 0.153 = $63.94; take-home before income tax: $388.56.
How fuel economy changes the take-home
All other inputs stay as in the example (30 hours, 900 miles, $3.50 gas, 25% platform share, $0.10 a mile wear, $20 other). Values are calculated with the formula above.
| Car fuel economy | Fuel per week | Net per week | Net per hour | Net per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mpg | $158 | $408 | $13.58 | $0.45 |
| 25 mpg | $126 | $439 | $14.63 | $0.49 |
| 30 mpg | $105 | $460 | $15.33 | $0.51 |
| 40 mpg | $79 | $486 | $16.21 | $0.54 |
| 50 mpg | $63 | $502 | $16.73 | $0.56 |
Reading your numbers
The most useful number is net per hour, because it lets you compare driving with other work. It is common for the net figure to be well below the gross hourly rate shown in an app. The biggest levers are how many of your miles are paid miles, since waiting and returning to a busy zone cost fuel but earn nothing, and the fuel economy of your car, as the table shows. A cheaper-to-run car can lift the net per hour more than a few extra hours of driving.
Taxes are a second surprise for new drivers. As an independent contractor you pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare tax — about 14.1% of your net earnings after the 92.35% adjustment — and then income tax on top. You can deduct either your actual car costs or the IRS standard mileage rate (76 cents per mile for 1 July to 31 December 2026), whichever is larger, but not both; keep a mileage log. Set aside part of each week's net for taxes so there are no surprises.
The estimate ignores the Social Security wage-base cap, state taxes and income tax, and the deduction for half of self-employment tax. It is meant for comparing weeks and decisions, not for filing. For the cost of the car beyond the weekly view, see the car ownership cost calculator.
Sources
The self-employment tax rate of 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare) on 92.35% of net earnings is from IRS Schedule SE instructions. The IRS standard business mileage rate (76 cents per mile for 1 July–31 December 2026) is from IRS.gov, collected 2026-10-09 in this site's data folder. Fuel cost = miles ÷ mpg × price. Table values were computed from the formulas shown.
Frequently asked questions
How much do rideshare and delivery drivers really make?
The gross figure shown in an app ignores the costs of driving. Net pay is what is left after the platform fee, fuel, maintenance, depreciation, insurance and taxes — often much less per hour than the headline rate.
What is the self-employment tax estimate?
Independent drivers pay Social Security and Medicare tax themselves: 15.3% of 92.35% of net earnings (IRS Schedule SE). The calculator shows that estimate; income tax comes on top, and the Social Security part stops above an annual wage-base cap.
What should I count as car costs?
Fuel, maintenance and tires, plus a share of insurance, depreciation, registration and a phone. The per-mile and weekly boxes let you include them; the IRS standard mileage rate (76 cents per mile in the second half of 2026) is a tax-deduction alternative that bundles them.
Do I include miles driven without a passenger?
Yes — all miles you drive for the job, including the miles on the way to pickups and the miles waiting between trips, wear the car and burn fuel.
Is the result before income tax?
Yes. It shows take-home after self-employment tax but before federal and state income tax, which depend on your total income and deductions.