Taxing the Side Hustle: What Every Gig Worker Needs to Know About Taxes

If you've read the About Me section on my website, you'll know that I generate extra income for my family through various side gigs. I currently work for several gig platforms like Amazon Flex, DoorDash, UberEats, and others such as Roadie, Instacart, and Shipt. A common question I get when I mention my gig work is, "How are your earnings taxed?" As a gig worker driving for platforms like Amazon Flex, DoorDash, UberEats, Shipt, Instacart, or Roadie, you are considered to be self-employed. This means your taxes work a little differently compared to traditional W-2 employees and that taxes are not withheld from your paychecks throughout the year. It is extremely important to understand that your taxes are not withheld, as well as to understand what can be deducted and how you should track your deductions in case the IRS has questions on your reporting. In this blog post, I cover everything you need to know about taxes related to gig work.