As a food delivery driver, which expenses can I claim?

As an independent contractor, you can claim tax deductible expenses to help lower your tax owing. Remember to separate your personal expenses from your business expenses by calculating the portion of your costs used for delivering food.

Common tax deductible expenses for food delivery drivers include:

• Your bike and accessories (if you deliver by bike instead of car)
• A portion of mobile phone expenses
• Commissions and fees
  • If the delivery app charges a commission, you can typically deduct the fees paid to the platform

If you completed your deliveries by car, you may be able to deduct vehicle expenses such as: 

• Lease payments
• Gas
• Vehicle fluids (such as antifreeze or oil)
• Parking fees during pickup and delivery
• Maintenance and repairs
• Roadside assistance

To complete your tax return, you’ll need to gather some information relating to your income and expenses, including: 

• Your Annual Tax Summary, provided by your food delivery partner (such as UberEats)
• Receipts, bills, and statements for all tax-deductible expenses
• Your total vehicle mileage for the year
  • The starting odometer reading should be from the day you began driving as a food delivery partner
• Kilometres driven for business use
• Any other tax documents and slips related to other employment (if applicable)
• Your GST/HST number
  • If your total gross self-employment income before deducting expenses is less than $30,000, you don't need to register for a business number or GST/HST account. Learn more about GST/HST reporting requirements

Note: Be sure to accurately fill out all your personal information and build your tax profile in TurboTax before starting the process below. 

1. From the menu, select Find (the magnifying glass icon) 
2. Enter self-employment in the search bar
3. Select Self-Employment from the list, then Go
4. Select Yes, then Continue
5. Select Professional Services, then Continue
6. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the applicable information and proceed through your return
7. You’ll arrive at Your Self-Employment or Business Summary. Review your information, then select Done With Businesses
8. You’ve now claimed your self-employment income and expenses

Note: Be sure to accurately fill out all your personal information and build your tax profile in TurboTax before starting the process below. 

1. From the menu, select Find (the magnifying glass icon)
2. Enter self-employment in the search bar
3. Select Self-Employment from the list, then Go
4. Select Other type of business, then Continue
5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the applicable information and proceed through your return
6. On the T2125 - Business Statement #1 screen, complete the Business Identification, Income, and Expenses sections, then select Continue
7. You’ll arrive at your Total income summary. Review your information, then select Continue
8. You’ve now claimed your self-employment income and expenses