Free · Delivery drivers

Can I deduct this?

Swipe through 25 real expenses every DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Instacart driver runs into. Find out which are likely deductible — and where the IRS draws the line.

Tax deduction swipe
25 expenses. Personal or deductible?

For each card: would the IRS let a delivery driver write this off? Tap the buttons (or swipe the card) to guess. We'll show you the answer + explanation after each one.

  1. Swipe right or tap Deductible if you think a delivery driver can claim it.
  2. Swipe left or tap Personal if it's a personal expense.
  3. At the end, you'll see all 25 with the IRS-aligned verdict + reasoning.
Estimate only — not tax advice

Verdicts are based on IRS Pub 535 (Business Expenses) and Pub 463 (Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses). Real-world deductibility depends on your usage, documentation, and method (standard mileage vs actual expenses). Verify with a licensed tax pro before claiming anything on a return.

1 of 25
Score: 0
Tap buttons, swipe the card, or use ← → keys.
Your results
— of 25

Nice work. Here's the IRS-aligned breakdown for all 25 expenses.

Important — verify before claiming

These verdicts reflect typical IRS treatment under Pub 535 and Pub 463. Your specific situation (business-use %, recordkeeping, mileage vs actual-expense method) can change the answer. Always confirm with a licensed tax pro before deducting anything on your return.

Check my hustle → Take the swipe again ↺
✓ Nice — that's right.

How delivery driver deductions actually work

If you drive for DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart, or any food/grocery delivery app, you're an independent contractor — not an employee. You file a Schedule C, you pay self-employment tax, and you can deduct business expenses against your income.

The IRS test for any business deduction is whether it's ordinary and necessary for your trade. For a delivery driver, that usually means: things directly tied to the act of delivering (mileage, hot bags, phone mount, tolls) are likely deductible. Personal lifestyle expenses (gym, Spotify, lunch on shift) usually aren't, even if you can rationalize how they "help" you drive.

The two mileage methods

Standard mileage: deduct a flat rate per business mile (70¢ in 2026). You can't separately deduct gas, oil, repairs, insurance, or depreciation — they're already baked in. You can still deduct tolls, parking, and the business-use portion of interest on your auto loan.

Actual expense method: deduct the business-use percentage of every car-related cost (gas, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, repairs). Way more recordkeeping, often a smaller deduction unless you drive an expensive car.

Most delivery drivers come out ahead with standard mileage. You have to pick one method per car per year — and once you choose actual expenses for a vehicle, you can't switch back to standard mileage on that same car.

What this tool isn't

This is an educational swipe — not tax advice. Real deductibility depends on how you actually use the item, what records you keep, and which mileage method you've elected. The verdicts here are based on IRS Pub 535 (Business Expenses) and Pub 463 (Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses) as of 2026. Verify with a licensed tax pro before claiming any deduction on your return.