Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat riders work as self-employed independent contractors, which means the gross figure shown in the app is not take-home pay -- fuel or e-bike charging, vehicle costs and phone data all come out of it, and no tax or National Insurance is deducted automatically. Profit ranges from under GBP 10,000 for occasional evening and weekend riding to GBP 28,000 or more for full-time riders multi-apping across several platforms. This guide sets out realistic profit levels, how mileage expenses work, and estimated take-home pay after Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance for 2026/27.
Figures show typical annual taxable profit after vehicle/e-bike running costs and other allowable expenses, not gross app earnings.
| Stage | Description | Typical profit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occasional / Evenings & Weekends | Part-time, single app | GBP 4,000--GBP 9,000 | A few sessions a week around another job or study |
| Regular Part-Time Rider | Part-time, one or two apps | GBP 8,000--GBP 16,000 | Consistent weekly hours, mostly evenings and weekend peaks |
| Full-Time Single-App Rider | Full-time | GBP 16,000--GBP 22,000 | Full-time hours on one platform; profit after fuel/e-bike and vehicle costs |
| Full-Time Multi-Apping Rider | Full-time, 2-3 apps | GBP 20,000--GBP 28,000+ | Working multiple platforms simultaneously to reduce dead time |
2026/27 England rates, self-employed sole trader with Class 4 National Insurance (6% then 2%). Figures assume profit is already net of mileage or actual vehicle expenses.
| Scenario | Profit | Income tax | Class 4 NI | Net/year | Net/month | Keep % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular part-time | GBP 12,000 | GBP 0 | GBP 0 | GBP 12,000 | GBP 1,000/mo | 100% |
| Full-time, single app | GBP 16,000 | GBP 686 | GBP 206 | GBP 15,108 | GBP 1,259/mo | 94% |
| Full-time, multi-apping | GBP 24,000 | GBP 2,286 | GBP 686 | GBP 21,028 | GBP 1,752/mo | 88% |
| High-volume multi-apping | GBP 28,000 | GBP 3,086 | GBP 926 | GBP 23,988 | GBP 1,999/mo | 86% |
For your exact figure, use the take-home pay calculator.
Most riders use the simplified mileage rate to calculate their allowable vehicle expenses: 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles in the tax year on a car or van (24p for a motorcycle), dropping to 25p per mile after that. This single figure is meant to cover fuel, servicing, insurance and depreciation combined -- it cannot be claimed on top of separately deducting actual running costs, and only counts for miles actively working, not the journey from home to a rider's usual starting zone.
Because riders are self-employed contractors rather than employees, the major platforms generally allow -- and many experienced riders actively rely on -- working across two or three delivery apps at once, switching between whichever platform has the busiest demand at a given moment to minimise unpaid waiting time between orders.
Every rider must register as self-employed with HMRC and file an annual Self Assessment return declaring total profit after expenses. Because platforms pay gross with no tax withheld, setting aside roughly a fifth to a third of net earnings throughout the year is the standard way to avoid a painful shortfall when the tax bill falls due on 31 January.
