One perk of being self-employed is that you get to deduct all your business expenses from your business income, which lowers your taxable business profit. Here are the top 7 major deduction categories that you can start tracking today.

Top Gopuff Tax Deductions

As a Gopuff delivery partner, here are seven deductions you should definitely be tracking:

1. Mileage 

What kind of mileage can I deduct? 

You can deduct any mileage you drive for Gopuff. This includes mileage:

• When picking up orders

• When delivering orders

• Between deliveries

• To the gas station while working

• To shops for car maintenance

Heads up: Your mileage to and from home at the beginning and end of your work day is NOT deductible. 

How Do I Deduct My mileage?

There are two ways to deduct mileage. Depending on your vehicle, one option may save you a lot more money than the other: 

1. The standard IRS mileage deduction: You can deduct a fixed rate of 65.5 cents per mile for 2023. In late 2022, the rate was 62.5 cents per mile. This rate covers all the costs of operating your vehicle, like gas, depreciation, oil changes, and repairs. It’s typically the best option for most Gopuff delivery partners. 

2. The actual expenses method: This method lets you add up and deduct each of your individual business-related vehicle expenses. It’s typically a more cost-effective option for people who purchased a vehicle within the past year or are paying monthly loan payments for a new vehicle.

2. Your Phone (and Phone Bills)

You can deduct anything that is “ordinary and necessary” for your Gopuff employment, including your:

• Phone 

• Phone bills

• Necessary phone accessories like car holders, chargers, or clips

Where on my tax form can I add phone expenses? 

You can include any cell phone expenses on Part 5 of your Schedule C. After totaling your other expenses, write the final amount on line 27a.

Can I deduct my entire phone bill from my taxes or only a percentage?

That depends! You can only deduct expenses as a percentage of business use. This means that if you use your cell phone for work 50 percent of the time and for personal reasons 50 percent of the time, you can only deduct 50 percent of your phone costs.

Heads up: The IRS looks at technology deductions very carefully, so do your best to accurately estimate this percentage. 

Stride Tip → One of the best ways to estimate work-related phone usage is to go through your phone records for a typical month, calculate how much of your data and phone calls occurred during work hours, and apply the average to the rest of the year. 

Do I need receipts for all the phone accessories I bought for my job?

Any expense you deduct on your tax return should have good documentation to back it up. If you are missing receipts, we recommend looking through your credit card and bank statements for proof of their purchase.

3. Insulated Bags and Blankets

You can deduct anything that is “ordinary and necessary” for your delivery job. That includes any insulated bags and blankets you buy to keep food orders warm.

Remember: The IRS is strict about using business supplies for personal reasons, so if you ever need a hot bag outside of work, be sure to use a separate one. 

4. Tolls 

Any toll fees that a Gopuff driver pays while working are tax deductible, as long as they’re not already being reimbursed to you. Note: You cannot deduct tolls to and from work. 

If you are missing documentation for any tolls, review past bank and credit card statements. You can access online statements for electronic toll collection devices, like an E-ZPass.

5. Parking 

Sometimes you may choose to pay for parking in the city while working. That’s tax deductible!

Unfortunately, traffic violations, speeding tickets, and parking tickets are not deductible, because they’re incurred due to inappropriate driving and not directly because of work.

6. Roadside Assistance

Fees for AAA or other roadside assistance programs are tax deductible, but only the percentage that is used for work.

You can use your business mileage log to determine the business to non-business mileage ratio for your car, and apply that ratio to find the deductible portion of your AAA membership.

7. Health Insurance

Monthly health insurance payments are deductible as long as you: 

• Are self-employed (for example, you drive for Gopuff full-time)

• Have a business profit (Profit = Business Income - Business Expenses)

• Are not able to receive health insurance coverage from a spouse or employer

When and How to File Taxes

Here’s what to know about filing taxes when you work for Gopuff delivery:

When Should I File My Taxes? 

If you’re a Gopuff delivery partner, you’re self-employed, and that means you likely owe quarterly taxes. If you have another part time job and also get a W-2, you’ll want to check out our guide here.

Because taxes are not withheld from your pay, most independent contractors are responsible for making quarterly tax payments based on their estimated annual income. If you owe more than $1,000 in taxes for the year and do not pay taxes quarterly, you’ll be hit with a late payment penalty by the IRS. 

To file your quarterly taxes, you’ll need to calculate your estimated taxes and pay what you owe by each of these deadlines: 

• Q1 Deadline: April 18, 2023 (Pay estimated taxes for January 1 to March 31)

• Q2 Deadline: June 15, 2023 (Pay estimated taxes for April 1 to May 31)

• Q3 Deadline: September 15, 2023 (Pay estimated taxes for June 1 to August 31)

• Q4 Deadline: January 15, 2024 (Pay estimated taxes for September 1 to December 31)

Find out if you owe quarterly taxes here.

Which Forms Should I Use to File My Taxes? 

All taxpayers will need to file a Form 1040. This individual tax form summarizes all of the income you earned for the year, plus deductions and tax credits. This information is used to figure out how much you owe in taxes. Information from several other forms break down the types of income, deductions, and credits you want to claim. As a Gopuff delivery partner, you’ll likely want to be familiar with these forms:

• 1099-NEC: Reports how much money Gopuff paid you throughout the year. All companies, including Gopuff, are only required to provide this form if they paid you $600 or more in a given tax year. You won’t send this form in with your tax return, but you will use it to figure out how much business income to report on your Schedule C. This used to be reported to you on a 1099-MISC, but that changed starting in 2020. Don’t worry, nothing changes on your end; you’ll just receive a different form than you have in years past.

• W-2: Sent to full- or part-time employees. It shows your total earnings, plus how much of your owed tax has already been sent to the government by your employer. As an independent contractor with Gopuff, you will not receive this form from them.

• Schedule C: Where you report your business income and business expenses. Helps determine your business profit by subtracting business expenses from your income. The profit that you calculate is subject to taxation, and is reported on Line 12 of your Form 1040.

What Documentation Do I Need to File My Taxes?

One perk of being self-employed is that you get to deduct all your business expenses from your business income, which lowers your taxable business profit. In order to claim these deductions, though, you need to have sufficient proof of each expense. Examples of good proof include:

• Mileage logs

• Receipts with notes on them 

• Invoices for purchased assets (e.g. a new cell phone) 

• Phone bills

Whatever your documentation is, make sure it includes the:

• Amount of the expense

• Time and place of the expense

• Business purpose of the expense

• Name of the vendor for the expense 

Don’t have all the documentation you need? Check out our guide for finding proof of past business expenses. 

When Is the Best Time to Start Tracking Expenses? 

It’s never too late to start tracking your business expenses! In fact, the sooner you start, the more earnings (and fewer headaches) you’ll get during tax season. 

Who Can I Talk to If I Need Help With Taxes? 

Gopuff delivery partners are always welcome to reach out to Stride’s team of tax and health insurance experts for year-round support. You could also consider working with a local tax preparer for help estimating your quarterly payments and ensuring your documentation is in order. 

How Should I Prepare Financially for Tax Season? 

Whether you need to pay taxes quarterly or annually, you’ll want to make sure you prepare by setting aside extra funds in your savings account ahead of each tax season. If you owe quarterly taxes, it is to your advantage to make each quarterly payment by the deadlines, or as soon after the deadlines as you can; this will reduce the penalties and interest you owe over time. 

Stride Tip → If you ever owe more taxes than you can afford, and you’re not able to pay your entire owed tax on time, make sure to file your tax return anyway. There is a 4.5 percent late fee (plus interest) for each month your tax return is late, but only a 0.5 percent late fee for each month your payment is late. Get more tips on how to file your taxes late. 

Where Do I Report Personal Deductions vs. Self-Employed Deductions? 

While some tax deductions are related to running your business, others—like health insurance and charitable donations—are personal deductions. You’ll file these different expenses on one of two forms: 

• Self-Employed Deductions: Use the Schedule C form. If you use a tax filing software, this form will be automatically generated when you report that you are self-employed. 

• Personal Deductions: Use the Form 1040 and potentially the Schedule A form. Depending on how much your personal deductions end up valuing, your tax software may prompt you to take the standard deduction (a fixed amount based on your filing status) instead. 

How Much Does It Cost to File a Schedule C?

Tax filing options vary in price from free to $500 (or more). That said, most people with simpler returns like to use more affordable tax prep software. Generally, you can’t use the free version to file self-employed tax forms.

How Do I Use the Stride App to Help File My Taxes?

Stride is a free app that makes it simple to find and track deductible business expenses, take pictures of receipts, and automatically record business mileage. When you’re ready to fill out your tax return, you can use the app to download an IRS-ready report of all your deductions throughout the year. You can use that to fill out your Schedule C.