The platforms advertise earnings per trip. They don't advertise what's left after gas, mileage wear, self-employment tax, and dead time. Those two numbers are not the same. Don't read about it — see yours below.
The gap between gross pay and real take-home comes from four categories that platforms never mention in their driver recruitment materials. None of them are optional. All of them come out of your pocket.
The mileage deduction (tracked miles × 72.5¢) partially offsets the tax hit — which is exactly why tracking mileage isn't optional. A driver who tracks 300 weekly business miles recovers $201 in deductions, saving roughly $70 in combined taxes. Over a full year that's $3,640 the IRS would otherwise keep.
Scroll back up and drop your own numbers into the calculator — it takes 10 seconds and the result is yours, not an average.
Every platform has a different expense profile. Rideshare drivers log more miles but earn more per hour on-trip. Delivery drivers log fewer miles but spend more time waiting. Instacart shoppers have the lowest mileage but the most time inside stores. The real hourly rate lands differently for each.
GigExit calculates your real hourly rate after every expense the platforms don't mention. Free, takes 60 seconds, no signup.
Calculate My Real Rate →GigExit Pro tracks your real hourly rate after gas, miles, vehicle wear, and self-employment tax. Not what the app shows — what you actually keep.
See GigExit Pro →Gig workers typically earn $9-$13 per hour after accounting for gas, vehicle wear, insurance, and self-employment taxes. While platform gross pay may show $18-$22/hr, these figures do not reflect actual take-home income once all mandatory expenses are deducted.
Vehicle wear and tear costs approximately $0.15 per mile for gig work. Combined with gas costs of around $0.14 per mile, total mileage-related expenses can consume 35-40% of your gross platform earnings.
Gig workers are classified as independent contractors and must pay self-employment tax, which is roughly 15.3% of net earnings. This covers both employer and employee portions of Social Security and Medicare, which traditional employees split with their employer.
Accurate mileage tracking allows you to claim the IRS mileage deduction on your taxes, which directly reduces your taxable income and federal income tax liability. This deduction can offset a significant portion of your tax burden and increase your actual take-home pay.