Driving for DoorDash means picking up food and other items from local stores and restaurants, then delivering them to customers, all on your own schedule. You work as an independent contractor (called a “Dasher”), choose when and where you want to drive, and get paid for each delivery you complete. Here’s how the entire process works, from signing up to getting paid.
Requirements to Get Started
The minimum age to become a Dasher is 18 in most states, though some states require you to be 19, and one requires 21 for new applicants. Beyond that, you need three things: a valid domestic driver’s license, valid personal auto insurance, and an iPhone or Android smartphone.
There are no specific vehicle requirements. You can deliver in any car you have. Depending on your market, DoorDash may also let you deliver by motorcycle, bike, e-bike, or scooter.
During the sign-up process, DoorDash runs a background check. The company doesn’t publish its exact screening criteria, but the check is standard for gig platforms and typically reviews your driving record and criminal history. Once you’re approved, you can start accepting deliveries.
How You Find and Accept Orders
You have two ways to get on the road. If your area is busy (shown as red on the app’s heat map), you can tap “Dash Now” and start immediately. If you’d rather plan ahead, you can schedule a dash up to five days in advance, which is useful for locking in popular time slots like the lunch or dinner rush.
Once you’re active, orders pop up on your screen one at a time. Each offer shows you the minimum you’ll earn and the distance involved. You get 40 seconds to decide whether to accept or decline. If you don’t respond, the offer goes to another nearby Dasher.
The Delivery Process, Step by Step
After you accept an order, the app directs you to the restaurant or store. When you arrive, let the staff know you’re picking up a DoorDash order and give them the customer’s name. Grab the order, confirm it in the app, and head out.
The app provides turn-by-turn navigation to the customer’s address, along with any special delivery instructions they’ve added. Most orders are “contactless,” meaning the customer wants you to leave the food at their door. The app will prompt you to take a photo of where you placed it so the customer can find it easily. If you need to reach the customer for any reason, you can call or text them directly through the app.
Once you confirm the drop-off, you’re done with that order and free to accept another one. A typical delivery takes roughly 15 to 30 minutes from acceptance to completion, though that varies with distance and restaurant wait times.
How You Get Paid
DoorDash offers two pay modes: Earn per Offer and Earn by Time.
Earn per Offer is the default. You see what each delivery pays before you accept it, and you’re free to decline as many offers as you want. Your earnings come from a base pay amount set by DoorDash plus 100% of any customer tip. This mode gives you access to priority offers, which can mean higher-paying deliveries.
Earn by Time guarantees a minimum hourly rate for your “active time,” which is the time spent actually completing deliveries (from the moment you accept an offer until you drop it off). You still keep 100% of tips and any promotions on top of that guaranteed rate. The trade-off is flexibility: you can only decline or unassign one offer per hour. If you decline more than that, your Earn by Time dash ends automatically, though you can continue dashing in Earn per Offer mode. Tips may also be less frequent in this mode. If you switch from Earn by Time to Earn per Offer, you’ll need to wait at least one hour before starting another Earn by Time dash.
You can switch between modes by ending your current dash and starting a new one.
Dasher Rewards and Ratings
DoorDash runs a tiered rewards program with levels like Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Higher tiers unlock perks such as priority scheduling and access to better offers. The specific requirements (acceptance rate, completion rate, number of deliveries) vary by area, so check the Ratings tab in the Dasher app to see what qualifications apply in your market.
Your customer rating, completion rate, and acceptance rate are all tracked in the app. Consistently completing orders and providing good service keeps your account in good standing and can move you up through reward tiers.
Taxes and Expenses to Plan For
Because you’re an independent contractor, DoorDash doesn’t withhold taxes from your pay. You’ll receive a 1099 form at tax time if you earn $600 or more in a calendar year, and you’re responsible for reporting all of your earnings and paying both income tax and self-employment tax (which covers Social Security and Medicare).
If you expect to owe more than $1,000 in taxes for the year, the IRS generally expects you to make quarterly estimated tax payments rather than waiting until April. Many Dashers set aside 20% to 30% of their earnings throughout the year to cover their tax bill.
On the expense side, you’re covering your own gas, vehicle maintenance, and insurance. The good news is that most of these costs are tax-deductible. The simplest approach is the IRS standard mileage deduction, which lets you write off a set amount per mile driven for business. Track your miles from the moment you head to a pickup until you complete the delivery. Free mileage-tracking apps can log this automatically.
Your personal auto insurance is required to drive, but it generally doesn’t cover accidents that happen while you’re delivering commercially. DoorDash provides some liability coverage while you’re on an active delivery, but it doesn’t cover damage to your own vehicle. Some insurers offer a rideshare or delivery endorsement you can add to your personal policy for a modest additional cost, which closes that gap.
What a Typical Day Looks Like
Most Dashers build their schedule around peak meal times: roughly 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner. These windows tend to have the most orders and the highest pay. You can dash outside those hours too, but expect fewer offers.
A common strategy is to position yourself near clusters of popular restaurants before a rush starts, which reduces your drive time to the first pickup. Between orders, you’re simply waiting in your car or wherever you happen to be. There’s no obligation to stay in one spot.
You can end a dash whenever you want. There are no minimum hours, no shifts to cover, and no penalties for taking days or weeks off. That flexibility is the core appeal for most Dashers, whether they’re driving full-time or picking up a few deliveries a week for extra cash.