Deduction guide
Delivery taxes: what you can actually deduct
DoorDash, Instacart, Amazon Flex. If you got a 1099 for this work, here's what counts — and what PrivateBooks sets up for you automatically.
Worth knowing
These are the write-offs people in this line of work most often miss — or claim wrongly. Anything marked in orange is an edge case worth raising with a preparer rather than assuming.
Mileage between orders
Miles driving to pick up and deliver count — including the drive to your first pickup zone. Didn't track? DoorDash and Uber Eats year-end tax summaries list your miles — start there. And if you take mileage, skip separate gas deductions: gas, insurance, and repairs are already inside the rate.
$0.70 / mile 2025 rate
Delivery gear
Insulated bags, carts, phone mounts, and work gloves are deductible equipment.
keep receipts tracked
Phone bill (work %)
Your delivery apps run on your phone — the work share of the bill is deductible.
business % of the bill
What PrivateBooks pre-loads
Pick Delivery during guided setup and your books start with these categories, each already mapped to its real Schedule C line — no chart of accounts to invent:
| Category | Schedule C line |
|---|---|
| Fuel & charging | Line 9 — Car and truck expenses |
| Car washes & cleaning | Line 9 — Car and truck expenses |
| Insulated bags & gear | Line 22 — Supplies |
| Tolls & parking | Line 24a — Travel |
| Platform fees | Line 10 — Commissions and fees |
| Phone bill (work %) | Line 27b — Other (phone & internet) |
| Mileage | Line 9 — Car and truck expenses |
Merchants it recognises automatically
On top of the 578 built-in sorting rules, this pack adds rules for Amazon Flex, Dd *Service Fee, Door Dash, Instacart, Spark Driver — so those transactions land in the right category the moment you import a statement. Anything it isn't sure about goes to Review instead of being guessed at.
Do you even have to file?
If you netted $400 or more from self-employment in a year, you generally have to file and pay self-employment tax — even if nobody sent you a 1099, and even if you also have a W-2 job. Nothing was withheld from this income, which is why setting money aside matters.
Educational pointers, not tax advice. Tax rules change and your situation is specific — worth asking about at tax time. The free IRS-sponsored VITA program helps people under its income threshold at no cost.