DoorDash Mileage Deduction: Track It, Maximise It, Keep More
DoorDash reports only a fraction of the miles you actually drive. The gap between what they report and what you can legally deduct is real money — here's how to capture all of it.
For most DoorDash drivers, the mileage deduction is the single biggest tax write-off they have — bigger than phone bills, hot bags, or any other expense combined. And most drivers under-claim it, because they rely on the mileage figure DoorDash gives them, which only counts active delivery miles.
This guide shows what actually counts, how to track it properly, and roughly how much it's worth.
At the 2025 standard rate of 70¢ per mile, every 1,000 business miles you log is a $700 deduction. A part-time Dasher easily drives 8,000–15,000 business miles a year — that's a $5,600–$10,500 deduction most people partially miss.
What miles you can actually deduct
As an independent contractor, you can deduct all the miles you drive for the business while online and available, not just the miles on an active order. That includes:
- Driving to a hot spot or busy zone to start dashing
- Driving to the restaurant to pick up an order
- Driving the order to the customer
- Driving between deliveries and back to a wait area while still online
- Driving to get gas or supplies for the work, in some cases
DoorDash's in-app estimate typically only covers the restaurant-to-customer leg. Everything else — often 30–50% more — is on you to record.
Standard mileage rate vs actual expenses
You pick one method per vehicle:
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard mileage | Business miles × IRS rate (70¢ in 2025) | Most gig drivers — simpler, usually bigger |
| Actual expenses | Business-use % of gas, repairs, insurance, depreciation | Expensive vehicles, low MPG, heavy repairs |
For the vast majority of Dashers in fuel-efficient cars, the standard mileage rate wins and is far less paperwork — your mileage log is the documentation.
How to track DoorDash miles properly
- Record your odometer at the start and end of each dashing session, or at minimum on Jan 1 and Dec 31.
- Log each session with date, the zones you covered, the business purpose ("DoorDash delivery shift"), and total miles.
- Capture the in-between miles DoorDash ignores — to the hot spot, between orders, repositioning.
- Reconcile monthly so you're not reconstructing a year at tax time.
Generate a delivery-driver mileage log free
A clean, IRS-ready log built for Uber, DoorDash and gig drivers — captures the miles the app ignores, calculates your deduction at the current rate, and exports a PDF.
A worked deduction example
Active delivery miles DoorDash reported: 6,200
Actual business miles you logged: 9,400
Extra miles captured: 3,200
Deduction at 70¢ — DoorDash figure: $4,340
Deduction at 70¢ — your real log: $6,580
Difference in your pocket: ~$2,240 of deduction
That difference, at a 22% marginal rate, is roughly $490 in real tax saved — just for logging the miles the app didn't count.