If you want to make good money as a Dasher with DoorDash, it’s entirely possible to either consider this job as your main source of income or to use it to supplement your day job.
In order to have success at making deliveries for this company, several factors come into play.
They are:
- The area you choose to work
- How many hours you work every week
- Your availability to work during peak hours
- Work performance and effort
To make an actual living wage at Doordash, you have to treat your job just as you would working anywhere else. You need to be motivated and responsible enough to take your job seriously and provide the absolute best service for your customers.
How much does DoorDash pay its drivers?
On average, dashers report they are making anywhere between $15-$25 an hour. This does not include vehicle expenses such as fuel, car insurance, or wear and tear on your vehicle.
So, for someone who makes an average of $20 an hour, it’s safe to say you could knock off approximately 4 to 5 dollars an hour off of that figure just to pay for car expenses. This would leave you with approximately $15 an hour.
Assuming you work five days a week during peak hours which total seven hours a day, this would amount to about $525 a week. Using that figure, if you work 50 weeks a year and take two weeks off for your own vacation, you would make approximately $26,250 a year.
This is better than most fast food and some retail associate jobs!
Does DoorDash pay for mileage?
DoorDash does not pay its dashers for mileage. You are considered an independent contractor and you will have to pay for your own expenses having to do with your transportation to make the deliveries.
The good news, however, is that you can write off the standard IRS deduction of 57.5 cents a mile at the end of the year if you are using a car. Dashers say on average, they travel approximately 10 to 12 miles during every hour worked.
So, if you work 8 hours during one workday, you can expect to drive approximately 80 hours.
Does DoorDash pay for gas?
The company does not pay for your gas. Using the figure of driving approximately 10 to 12 miles every hour of your shift, and totaling 80 miles of travel every day, you can expect to spend approximately $6 to $7 dollars of fuel every day if you drive an economical vehicle.
DoorDash Daily Pay
One of the best features of working as a dasher is the opportunity to make money every single day and get paid for it on a daily basis using their “Fast Pay” system. You can do this by paying an extra small fee of $1.99 every workday.
So, you can work on a Saturday evening from 6 PM to 11 PM and make approximately $150, and get paid the very same day! For anyone who is cash strapped and has access to a vehicle, this may be the ray of hope you have been looking for.
Imagine not having any cash and waiting for your biweekly paycheck to come through for your 9-to-5 job. You can use Doordash as a side hustle and get paid every single day.
For people who are already employed and can use this job on the side, this is the single most attractive aspect of becoming a dasher.
What are the new DoorDash incentives?
In certain areas, you may have the opportunity to earn some of the new incentives being offered to new dashers. These incentives are all about making sure you receive a guaranteed amount of money for a specific number of deliveries that you make when you start out as a new dasher.
For example, in some areas, there is an incentive for a new driver to make 400 deliveries within the first 90 days and earn a guaranteed $2750.
So, if during that time you earn approximately $2400, Doordash will give you an extra $350.
How to Make $500 a Week with DoorDash
If you would like to make at least $500 a week with Doordash, the first thing you have to do is to make sure you are working in a busy area. These are usually urban areas with plenty of restaurants, malls, and plazas.
Many dashers say they stick to a small 5-mile radius throughout their shift. This is not always the case but if you can find an area like this, you’ll save tons of money on gas and have the potential to make a good amount of money in a short period of time.
The next thing you should consider is how many hours of work are you willing to put in on a daily basis. If you’re thinking you can simply just work nights five days a week, you may be able to get to the $500 a week mark in some really busy areas, but you will fall short in most other areas.
Use the DoorDash Peak Pay Hours
Usually, the peak hours for working as a Dasher at Doordash are between 11 AM to 2 PM and 6 PM to 10 PM.
This may vary slightly according to your area. In some areas, peak times can begin earlier than 11 AM and end later than 10 PM.
Additionally, if you work on weekends, you may be offered up to an extra 5 dollars per delivery. Therefore, many drivers take Monday and Tuesday off, and they work Wednesday through Sunday.
Doordash Dress Code
The only thing you should be concerned about when it comes to the dress code when you become a dasher is that most drivers wear jeans and a T-shirt, or polo shirt along with sneakers. For women, you can optionally wear a blouse along with your jeans.
DoorDash discourages its dashers from wearing tank tops, torn clothing, shorts, or flip-flops. It’s important to present the most professional appearance possible while looking casual. Additionally, it’s also important not to wear any type of revealing outfit.
If you’re in doubt as to what to wear, just think of how you would expect somebody to be dressed and to show up at your door with your food delivery.
To make things easier, DoorDash offers its drivers a chance to buy t-shirts and polo shirts, as well as other accessories for their jobs.
