Set aside each quarter
$379
A quarter of the federal total. Your state may add to it.
Grubhub taxes
Grubhub tax calculator for drivers
Grubhub counts your income by the day it paid you, which can surprise you in January. Enter your earnings, miles, and costs to estimate what you'll owe for 2026.
Interactive estimator
Grubhub Tax Calculator
Form details come from Grubhub's driver help center. Rates come from the IRS.
Net profit: $10,718, after a $6,683 mileage deduction. Total federal tax: $1,514, about 14% of profit.
Self-employment tax
$1,514
Social Security and Medicare. It's the same for any filing status.
Federal income tax
$0
For a single filer with no other income, after the standard deduction.
Before you rely on it
This is a federal estimate for a single filer with no other income. A spouse's income, a W-2 job, or credits would change it.
State income tax isn't included. See our state tax guides, or add a few percentage points to be safe.
It's a planning estimate, not tax advice, and it doesn't prepare or file a return.
What Grubhub sends you
Grubhub's driver help center lays out when you get a form and where to find it.
| Detail | What Grubhub says |
|---|---|
| Who gets one | Drivers paid $600 or more from January 1 to December 31 of the previous year |
| How income is dated | By the date a payment was issued to you, not the date of the delivery |
| When | Processed at the end of January and available starting in February |
| Where to find it | Grubhub for Drivers app (Account, Personal info, Tax form information) or the Driver Portal |
| If it's wrong or missing | Contact Grubhub's 1099 team. Changing your address in the app won't change a form already issued |
The IRS minimum for reporting on Form 1099-NEC rises to $2,000 for payments made in 2026, so you may not get a form next January for income that would have triggered one before. You still have to report all of it.
Your form may not match your delivery log
A delivery at the end of December that's paid by direct deposit in January shows up on the next year's 1099. If your own total is a little different from the form, check the last week of December first.
Common Grubhub write-offs
The IRS business standard mileage rates are 72.5 cents per mile for January 1–June 30, 2026, and 76 cents per mile for July 1–December 31, 2026.
| Cost | How it's usually handled |
|---|---|
| Delivery miles | Multiply by the IRS rate, or use actual car costs instead |
| Parking and tolls on deliveries | Deductible on top of the standard rate |
| Delivery bags | Business supplies when you buy them for the work |
| Phone bill | The business share only |
| Gas, if you take the standard rate | Not separately deductible, because the rate already covers it |
A worked example
Here's one example year for a driver, using the same math as the calculator above.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Earnings from the app | $21,000 |
| Mileage deduction (5,500 miles, then 5,500 miles) | -$8,168 |
| Other business expenses | -$850 |
| Net profit on Schedule C | $11,983 |
| Self-employment tax | $1,693 |
| Federal income tax | $0 |
| Total federal tax | $1,693 |
| About each quarter | $423 |
This assumes a single filer with no other income, the standard deduction, and the qualified business income deduction. State income tax isn't included.
If you also drive for another app, add all of your earnings together. Your Schedule C has to include them all.
When the 2026 payments are due
No app withholds tax from your payouts, so if you expect to owe enough you pay the IRS four times a year. The periods aren't equal.
| Income earned | Payment due |
|---|---|
| January 1 to March 31 | April 15, 2026 |
| April 1 to May 31 | June 15, 2026 |
| June 1 to August 31 | September 15, 2026 |
| September 1 to December 31 | January 15, 2027 |
You can skip the January 15, 2027 payment if you file your 2026 return by January 31, 2027 and pay the rest of what you owe with it.
What this tool uses
Mileage is figured at the 2026 IRS rates for each half of the year.
Self-employment tax is 15.3% of net earnings, with the 12.4% Social Security part stopping at the 2026 wage base.
Income tax uses 2026 single-filer brackets, the standard deduction, and the qualified business income deduction.
Best for
Grubhub drivers setting money aside from each direct deposit.
Drivers who work more than one delivery app and need a combined estimate.
Anyone reconciling a 1099-NEC against their own totals.
How to use the estimate
Enter what the app pays
Use what you expect to earn for the full year, including tips.
Add miles and costs
Enter business miles for each half of the year and any other business costs you can document.
Set money aside
Treat the quarterly figure as a planning number, and check it again when your earnings change.
Why Cadus helps after the calculator
Estimates are useful, but records win tax season
The estimate is only as good as the numbers you put in. Cadus tracks mileage and keeps app income, receipts, and expenses together through the year, with a Free plan to start.
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