Enter one batch or one shift — no sign-up — and see what you actually keep after gas, wear on your car, and taxes.
Delivery shoppers on Instacart are paid per batch, not per hour, plus tips. According to Gridwise, the batch amount depends on the number of items, the distance, the expected effort, and demand, and extras like heavy-order pay or a distance bump can be added. Because the pay for a batch is fixed, how long the shopping and delivery take decides your hourly rate.
Tips are a big part of it, and customers can change them after delivery, so the number you saw when you accepted may not be the final one. Instacart also has in-store shoppers who are paid hourly. This calculator is for delivery shoppers paid per batch.
| Source | What it reports | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Gridwise (2025 data, tracked shoppers) | About $13.30 per work hour on average (median about $12.51) | Gross, before gas and vehicle costs; includes bonuses and promotions |
| Gridwise | Tips about 42% of batch earnings (median about $5.39 per batch) | Tips included in the figures above |
| Gridwise's own estimate | Roughly $10–$12 per hour after gas and maintenance | Approximation by the article's author |
These are third-party figures from one company that sells a tracking app, covering its own users. We haven't verified them. Use them to see the range, not as a promise.
The result shows what's left after vehicle costs (at the IRS rate) and a tax set-aside. For other apps, use the main calculator.