How this works.

Every scenario below uses the same two yardsticks:

  • Tip that covers the miles: the tip that makes the offer pay for the driver’s vehicle costs, at an illustrative $0.50 per mile, round trip.
  • Tip that pays $15/hr: the tip that also pays the driver $15 for every hour the job takes.

Platform pay is shown in each scenario because it does part of the work: the more the platform pays, the less tip is needed. The platform pay figures are the calculator’s illustrative examples, not claims about typical rates.

A benchmark. The IRS business standard mileage rate is 76 cents per mile from July 1, 2026 (72.5 cents earlier in the year). It’s built from average costs of owning and operating a car. The $0.50 used here is deliberately lower, so “covers the miles” is a floor, not a fair price.

Five scenarios.

Dinner run

3 miles each way · 30 minutes · $3 platform pay

Platform pay
$3.00
Vehicle costs6 mi × $0.50
−$3.00
Time
30 min
Tip that covers the milesplatform pay already covers them
$0.00
Tip that pays $15/hr
$7.50
See it in the calculator

Weekly groceries

6 miles each way · 60 minutes · $7 platform pay

Platform pay
$7.00
Vehicle costs12 mi × $0.50
−$6.00
Time
60 min
Tip that covers the milesplatform pay already covers them
$0.00
Tip that pays $15/hr
$14.00
See it in the calculator

The big shop

18 miles each way · 150 minutes (90 shopping, 60 driving) · $12 platform pay

Platform pay
$12.00
Vehicle costs36 mi × $0.50
−$18.00
Time
150 min
Tip that covers the miles
$6.00
Tip that pays $15/hr
$43.50
See it in the calculator

The long drive

30 miles each way · 85 minutes · $25 platform pay

Platform pay
$25.00
Vehicle costs60 mi × $0.50
−$30.00
Time
85 min
Tip that covers the miles
$5.00
Tip that pays $15/hr
$26.25
See it in the calculator

Weekly groceries, plus a 30-minute wait

6 miles each way · 90 minutes · $7 platform pay

Platform pay
$7.00
Vehicle costs12 mi × $0.50
−$6.00
Time
90 min
Tip that covers the milesplatform pay already covers them
$0.00
Tip that pays $15/hr
$21.50
See it in the calculator

What the numbers say.

  • On short orders, time matters most. A quick dinner run and a weekly shop barely cost anything in miles. The gap between them is the minutes.
  • On long orders, miles matter most. The big shop and the long drive both start in the red before a minute of time is counted.
  • Waiting is work. Thirty extra minutes added $7.50 to the weekly-groceries line. That’s the same $15/hr applied to half an hour.
  • Platform pay is part of this. The larger numbers say as much about low platform pay as about tipping. This site has said from the start that both belong in the conversation.

Nobody owes these exact amounts. They’re a way to see the shape of a job. If your order looks like the big shop, a $5 tip and a $25 tip aren’t the same gesture.

How to use this.

  • Find the scenario closest to your order: how far, how long, how much shopping.
  • Treat “covers the miles” as the floor. It keeps the driver from paying to work.
  • Move toward the hourly number as the job gets longer, heavier or slower.
  • Drivers’ costs differ. The calculator lets you enter a real vehicle, fuel price and hourly target.
References

IRS: standard mileage rates

This site’s calculator method

Illustrative figures. IRS rates reviewed November 4, 2026. Independent commentary, not tax or financial advice.
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