2026 tax year

Instacart tax calculator

Instacart reports what it paid you and withholds nothing. The number on your 1099-NEC is not the number you are taxed on.

Same answer as the rest of the category For tax purposes Instacart works like every other driver platform, same form, same deductions, same treatment. Rather than repeat 51 near-identical state pages under each brand, the state-by-state figures live on the delivery and rideshare driver pages. What follows is what is specific to Instacart.

Switching state opens that state's page.

Enter your numbers and press Calculate to see your 2026 estimate.

Mileage is the deduction that matters

The 2026 standard business mileage rate is 74.3 cents a mile (IRS Notice 2026-10 (from 1 Jan 2026); Announcement 2026-11 (from 1 Jul 2026)). Every mile driven for the work counts, including between jobs. You cannot claim standard mileage and actual vehicle costs for the same car in the same year, and standard mileage is unavailable if you have previously claimed MACRS depreciation on that vehicle.

What Instacart drivers can deduct

The dataset lists 4 deduction categories for Instacart: mileage on every business trip, insulated bags and delivery gear, the business share of your phone bill, parking while working. They are only deductible if you kept the record.

DeductionAmount
Mileage, 14,000 business miles (72.5c a mile to June 30, 2026 and 76c from July 1, so a full year averages 74.25c)$10,395
Phone, 80% business use of $1,200$960
Supplies and equipment$150
Total deductions$11,505
Net profit, the taxable figure$24,495

On $36,000 of gross, 32% never reaches taxable profit. The gross and the cost figures illustrate the shape of the work, they are not a claim about what anyone earns, and every rate applied to them is from the verified 2026 dataset.

Nothing is withheld These platforms are not employers and take nothing out. What you owe is paid in four instalments across the year, see quarterly estimated payments.

Instacart taxes by state

Pick your state, the delivery and rideshare driver pages carry Instacart's treatment along with every other platform of its kind:

Other gig categories