Let’s get to the bottom of this: How much do Uber Eats drivers really make?
It’s not easy to get a clear answerk. Uber avoids giving a specific number, and most of the anecdotes online aren’t very trustworthy.
We can’t get info directly from Uber, so our approach was to gather the highest quality information available and come to a general conclusion.
Based on 8 top sources we studied from around the web, Uber Eats drivers make around $15–$20 per hour.
But there’s more to it than a simple range of numbers. To truly grasp driver earnings on Uber Eats, you must understand how the payment system works and the factors determining a delivery driver’s bottom line. Read on!
What you need to know
- On average, Uber Eats drivers make around $15–$20 per hour, but as low as $10 per hour
- At $8 per delivery, you can earn $100 per day in 12 deliveries
- You can earn $1000 per week, but it could take up to 60 hours
- Many variables affect your pay: Your market, the time of day, and day of week
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Article Contents
- Table: How Much Uber Eats Drivers Make
- Can You Make $100/Day? $1000/week?
- Crowdsourced Data: Big-Name Sites
- Delivery Bloggers and other Experts
- FAQ about Eats Pay
- Is it Worth it to Deliver for Uber?
Quick facts about Uber Eats pay
- Most sources say that Uber Eats pays between $15–$20 per hour
- Drivers are paid for each completed delivery
- The pay formula is: Base fare + trip supplement+ promotions + tips
- Base pay includes a pickup fee, drop-off fee, and a per-mile rate
- The highest earnings come from orders with promotional pay, and tips
- Drivers must pay for all vehicle-related expenses
- Drivers are paid via weekly direct deposit, or can withdraw daily with Instant Pay
How much Uber Eats drivers make, according to top sources
| Data Source | Uber Eats Driver Pay |
|---|---|
| Indeed.com | $17.73 per hour |
| Glassdoor | $16 per hour |
| Gridwise | $13–$23 per hour |
| The Rideshare Guy | $20–$25 per hour |
| Ridester.com | $15 per hour |
| GoBankingRates.com | $15 per hour |
| Career Karma | $8–$12 per hour |
| Bureau of Labor Statistics | $16.51 per hour |
Does Uber say how much Uber Eats drivers can expect to make?
Check out Uber’s page about delivery earnings; there isn’t one dollar sign to be seen. Uber makes no specific claims about earnings. No pay per hour, pay per delivery, or any other way to set your expectations about earnings.
Instead, they prefer to talk about the flexibility of Uber Eats, the ability to get paid instantly, and other benefits.
Uber does describe how delivery fares work, but they keep it vague. There are a lot of regulations around earnings claims, so Uber keeps itself out of hot water by not making any specific promises.
Can you make $100 per day on Uber Eats?
It is possible to make $100 per day on Uber Eats, according to the sources that we examined.
Most available sources say that Uber Eats drivers earn around $10–$20 per hour on average.
At $10 per hour, earning $100 will take 10 hours. But at $20, Eats drivers can bank $100 in only 5 hours.
A string of good luck during a lunch or dinner rush can help a driver hit $100 in only a few hours, but you can’t expect to repeat that every day.
Can you make $1000 per week?
It’s possible to make $1000 per week delivery on Uber Eats, but you can’t expect to hit those numbers regularly according to the numbers we found.
$1000 per week is a salary of around $50,000 per year. $50k is much higher than most sources’ average hourly and yearly salary figures.
At $20 per hour—on the higher end of many estimates—it will take 50 hours to make $1,000 weekly.
If you average $15 per hour, it would take over 65 hours to earn $1000. That’s unsustainable for most drivers.
To hit above average hourly earnings, you’ll need to get promotions like Quest, Boost, and Surge. Getting lucky with promotions does happen, but you can’t expect to get generous promos every week.
It may be possible to hit $1,000 on your best week of Uber Eats, but don’t count on making that much all the time.
Is Uber Eats a reliable income source?
Uber Eats is reliable for part-time income, but not as reliable as a full-time income source.
You can comfortably rely on Uber Eats for $100–$1000 per month: Enough to cover a few bills, or save up a few hundred extra dollars.
As long as you can work peak hours—like lunch and dinner rushes—and dedicate 10–20 hours per week, you can rely on Uber Eats as a side hustle.
But Uber Eats is not as reliable for a full-time income. If you regularly need over $500 per week from Uber Eats, you might have trouble hitting your income goal every week.
Delivery demand can drop unexpectedly, Uber can change delivery payout rates, or a big car repair bill can eat into your earnings.
Crowdsourced data: Big-name job sites & Gridwise
Popular job sites like Indeed and Glassdoor use crowdsourced user data on their pages that report Uber Eats driver pay.
Data from real drivers makes their information more credible than many sources. Self-reported income may have flaws, but numbers from hundreds or thousands of drivers help to smooth out the errors.
Indeed: $17.73 per hour
Indeed has a page for Uber Eats driver earnings that shows a low, average, and high pay range.
They cite an average pay of $17.73 per hour, a low of $9, and a high of $29.05.
Indeed doesn’t provide much extra context about the Uber Eats earnings structure, so you won’t find out how much Eats drivers earn per trip or how the pay system works.
A wide range from Indeed
Glassdoor: $16 per hour
Look up Uber Eats at Glassdoor to find a page that says that delivery drivers make $16 per hour on average.
The page has a graph showing a typical range of $14–$21 per hour, with a low of $8 and a high of $43.
That’s a wide range of earnings, but it lines up with most other sources.
An even wider range from Glassdoor
Gridwise: $13–$23 per hour
Of all the data sources that cover Uber Eats, Gridwise is probably the best.
Gridwise is an app for gig economy drivers that uses driver data to help app users learn where to drive, when to drive, and how to maximize their earnings.
In a blog post at Gridwise, they reported that Uber Eats drivers earned around $13–$23 per hour.
Gridwise is built specifically for drivers in the gig economy, so they understand what’s important to drivers.
Gridwise knows drivers think about their pay in terms of earnings per trip, per hour, and per mile. It is one of the only sources that acknowledge the unique earnings structures of apps like Uber Eats.
Gridwise has location-specific data from actual drivers
Earnings estimates from delivery bloggers and other experts
These sources may use more anecdotal evidence than the sources that use crowdsourced data, but it’s helpful to look at a variety of bloggers and other experts to get a sense of the real-life range of Uber Eats pay.
The Rideshare Guy: $20–$25 per hour
The Rideshare Guy has a helpful page that claims Uber Eats drivers can expect to earn around $20–$25 per hour.
That’s on the higher range of the data we found, but the page claims that these earnings are possible if you follow some of their best practices.
Writers at The Rideshare Guy always are real drivers, so it’s safer to say that their earnings data is based on reality.
Ridester: $15 per hour
Ridester, another top source in the rideshare & delivery space, says that Eats drivers can earn around $15 per hour.
The page goes on to discuss the wide-ranging reality of earnings. They discuss all the different factors that can lead to varying earnings levels.
GoBankingRates.com: $15 per hour
To add some variety to our data, we looked at GoBankingRates, a well-regarded resource in the finance sector.
Their page about Uber Eats drivers says that earnings are typically around $15 per hour. The page has other general info about Uber Eats but does not cite the source of their data.
Career Karma: $8–$12 per hour
Career Karma has earnings data on the lower end of the spectrum. Their page about Uber Eats driver earnings claims that drivers should expect earnings of only around $8–$12 per hour.
That’s slightly lower than other sources we looked at but not entirely out of range.
US Government Statistics from the BLS: $16.51 per hour
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a federal agency that collects data about the US job market.
Currently, the BLS doesn’t have a specific category for gig app drivers. However, there is a close-matching category called ‘Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers‘ that can offer some insight into similar lines of work.
On average, delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers earn around $16.51 per hour, or $34,340 per year.
The work description closely matches what Uber Eats drivers do, so it’s a helpful comparison. If other delivery drivers earn around $16 per hour, then it’s plausible that Eats drivers might also earn that much.
FAQ about Eats delivery earnings
Below is more detail about how the Uber Eats payment system works and what delivery drivers can expect from a delivery gig.
The Uber Eats pay model: How delivery pay works
Uber Eats drivers are paid for each completed delivery. There is no hourly wage or yearly salary, although sometimes Uber may offer a guaranteed earnings minimum as part of a promotion.
So how much does a delivery pay, and how is the payout determined? Uber uses a formula.
The payout formula is: Base fare + trip supplement + promotions + tips
The pay formula for Eats deliveries
Base fare includes pay for the pickup, drop-off, time, and distance.
The image below shows an earnings breakdown for an Eats delivery. Note that there isn’t much detail given about the base fare.
Base fare + trip supplement + tips
The trip supplement is added to a trip to make it more worthwhile. For example, if an order goes a long time without being accepted by other drivers, Uber may add a trip supplement to make it more appealing.
A big trip supplement to make up for no tip
Promotions are extra earnings from special programs like Quest, Boost, and Surge.
Upfront earnings: See estimated payout before each delivery
Uber’s pay formula for deliveries is an algorithm that isn’t always fully explained to drivers, but there’s a tradeoff: You’ll always see an estimated payout before each delivery.
Before accepting a delivery offer, Eats drivers see an estimated payout that includes pay from Uber and some or all of the tip.
The info you get up front is the restaurant name and location, estimated payout, and estimated delivery distance.
Even though you may not know precisely how Uber came up with the payout, you will know how much you’ll get paid before you start the delivery.
The info that Uber Eats drivers see before accepting an order
Uber Pro: Rewards program with perks and bonuses
The Uber Pro rewards program is part of the earnings equation because you can earn bonuses and valuable perks by leveling up your account.
Complete rides to earn points and level up to Gold, Platinum, or Diamond. The bonuses are mostly small discounts on services, but sometimes there are cash bonuses up to $700 for reaching Diamond.
Uber Eats vs Uber driver pay: How does delivery compare to driving passengers?
According to our study about Uber driver pay, Uber ridesharing drivers earn around $15–$25 per hour. The average pay for Uber Eats drivers is a bit lower at $15–$20 per hour.
It’s a challenging question because many Uber drivers choose to do both rideshare and delivery, so it’s hard to separate the two categories of earnings.
And even if Uber ridesharing drivers earn a bit more, they tend to drive more miles than Eats drivers. With tradeoffs like that to consider, choosing whether you do delivery or rideshare is often a matter of preference and feeling out your local market.
How and when are Eats drivers paid?
By default, Uber pays Eats delivery drivers weekly via direct deposit.
Uber also allows drivers to withdraw earnings up to 5 times daily with Instant Pay. Each Instant Pay withdrawal costs 85 cents.
Withdrawing your earnings is free if you sign up for the Uber Pro Card, which also has other benefits like cash back on gas.
Can Eats drivers see customer tips in advance?
Yes and no. Before accepting an order, drivers see an earnings estimate that includes some or all of a tip.
Why ‘some or all’ of a tip? Uber may ‘hide’ a larger tip and only include some of it in the earnings estimate.
Uber wants to include enough info to give drivers a general sense of the payout, but they don’t want to give so much information that a driver can wait for the highest-paying orders and decline all the others.
Can you show some examples of driver payouts on Uber Eats?
This article shows examples of the highs, lows, and averages of Eats driver pay.
See the lowest paying orders, as low as $1.50!
What are some of the factors that determine how much an Eats driver will make?
The reason it’s so hard to say precisely how much Uber Eats drivers make is that many factors can contribute to overall pay. Here are some of them.
- Location: A large, busy city has more customers than smaller cities
- Time of day: You’ll make more during the lunch/dinner rush, less in between
- Day of week: Some days are busier than others
- Time of year: In most markets, spring and summer are busy, and winter is slow
- Uber promotions: You’ll likely make more when Uber is offering promotions, less when they’re not
Related: What is the best time to drive for delivery apps?
What are Quest, Boost, and Surge?
Quest, Boost, and Surge are earnings promotions sometimes offered to Eats drivers that can increase overall pay.
Quest is a bonus for completing a set number of rides. Boost is an earnings multiplier, and Surge is another earnings multiplier dynamically added during busy times.
Does Uber cover gas and other vehicle costs?
As independent contractors, Uber Eats couriers are responsible for their own expenses. Uber does not directly compensate delivery drivers for expenses.
How does Walmart delivery work on Uber Eats?
Walmart deliveries on Uber Eats are similar to other deliveries—you navigate to Walmart, pick up the order, then deliver it to customers.
The main difference is that Walmart orders usually have several stops, and Walmart orders may contain a lot more items than food delivery.
Walmart customers can tip, but most drivers find that tipping is much less frequent on Walmart orders.
What about bike and scooter delivery?
Most cities allow Eats drivers to use a scooter, and some denser urban areas offer bicycle delivery.
The earnings formula is the same for bike and scooter delivery, but the key difference is that bike couriers will be given shorter deliveries.
Regarding overall pay, there isn’t enough specific data about bike and scooter delivery to reach a reliable conclusion.
Is delivering for Uber Eats worth it?
The data shows that Uber Eats pays around $15–$20 per hour. But the larger question may be: Is it worth your time?
Let’s look at the upsides and downsides.
Upsides
- Flexible work. Deliver whenever you want; no scheduling is required
- Pay is higher than many entry-level positions
- Younger drivers are accepted: 19+ for driving, 18+ for bikes
- Easy vehicle requirements: No need to buy a newer car
Downsides
- Potential for low pay, no guaranteed minimum earnings
- Wear and tear on your vehicle
- Expenses can eat into your profits
- Taxes are more complicated than typical W2 employment
Uber Eats is great if you already have a vehicle and want to earn supplementary income during the busiest delivery times.
But if you plan to rely on Uber Eats for a full-time income, expect a bumpy road. Some weeks and months will be much better than others, and there will be stretches where the money isn’t reliable enough.
For more info about the day-to-day experience of delivering for Uber Eats, check out: What it’s like to deliver for Uber Eats.
More earnings data for similar gigs
Md sohel says
How do I reactivate my deactivated Uber account?
Doug H says
Contact uber and ask to be reactivated. Depending on the circumstance, they might reactivate your account.
Saimir qose says
you have left me without promotion for six months there is not even a promotion and I do not know what is the reason why you have cut my promotion I work from the beginning What is the reason you have cut the promotion I would very much like them I have activated and I am sending you a message to activate them this coming week. Thank you very much