How much do uber eats drivers make before tips

With the recent boom in food delivery popularity, many customers are still trying to figure out proper delivery etiquette and whether or not to tip when ordering via a food delivery app.

There are a ton of questions surrounding food delivery services.

• Do the drivers get the delivery fees?
• Can you add a tip after ordering?
• Is it okay to give the Uber Eats driver cash at the door?

Today we’re taking a deep dive into what you should do about tipping when ordering with Uber Eats specifically.

Let’s take a look at the tipping conventions for this app, as well as why (and how) to leave a tip.

Table Of Contents

• Should You Tip Uber Eats Drivers?
• Why Should You Tip Uber Eats Drivers?
• How Much Should You Tip Uber Eats Drivers?
• Ways To Tip Uber Eats Drivers
• Can Uber Eats Drivers See the Tip?
• What Happens If You Don’t Tip Uber Eats?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion: Tipping on Uber Eats

Should You Tip Uber Eats Drivers?

So, the biggest question is: should you tip Uber Eats drivers?

The answer to that is going to depend on quite a few factors.

Let’s dive into the details.

Should You Tip Uber Eats Drivers?

The short answer is: yes!

When you order food in America, it’s customary to tip the person making the delivery.

This etiquette is true whether you call an expensive restaurant and place an order or request a pizza through an online app.

While not technically required, tipping is always expected for delivery drivers who bring you your food items on time.

Related:

• How much do you tip your Shipt grocery delivery driver?
• Do you tip DoorDash? How much?

Does my Tip Go To Uber Eats Drivers or Uber?

Good news! Tipping your driver means that you are giving money directly to the driver and not to Uber.

While delivery fees go to the company as part of the cost of Uber Eats, the company does not take any of the designated tip money that is meant for the driver.

How Much of Uber Eats Tips Go To the Driver?

When you give your Uber Eats driver a tip, you can be confident that 100% of that money goes to the delivery professional.

Regardless of whether you select a tip using the app or give your driver cash when they drop off your order, this is true.

Why Should You Tip Uber Eats Drivers?

There are quite a few reasons why it’s always a good idea to tip your Uber Eats driver.

Here are our top two:

1. They Work Hard

It’s no surprise that delivering food is not the easiest– or safest– job on the market.

Bringing food from a restaurant to your house could mean driving, biking, or even walking through potentially unfamiliar or even dangerous locations.

Additionally, keep in mind that many people order food for delivery when the weather is too extreme for them to drive and collect food for themselves.

That means that the delivery driver must face those elements– snow, hail, heatwaves, and heavy rain are all part of the job.

Once the driver has located your residence (which can be very tricky depending on where you live), they need to find an appropriate parking space, locate your particular house or apartment, and ensure that they are handing the food to the correct person.

The driver might even have to balance a large order while navigating stairs.

2. The Tip Is Not Included in Uber Eats Cost

It’s important to know that the cost of a tip is not included in the overall Uber Eats price.

The delivery fee is a separate expense– not a tip– and does not go to the person who delivered your food.

The service fee, delivery fee, and any other costs that are not labeled “Tip” are funds that go to Uber Eats and not to the driver directly.

How Much Should You Tip Uber Eats Drivers?

There are many different ideas about how much is the proper amount to tip your Uber Eats driver.

Many people argue that the standard restaurant bill tipping amount of 18%-20% is the general amount, while others say that $4 is good.

How much you tip your Uber Eats driver should depend on a few factors, including the conditions the driver is facing to bring your food, the size, and complexity of the order, and the service.

Tip Amount For Poor Service

Unless there is something very wrong with the customer service from your delivery driver, it’s good to stick with a minimum of 15%-20%, the restaurant industry standard.

Deplorable service could warrant a smaller tip of 10%-15%.

However, keep in mind that many issues with your food are most likely not caused by the Uber Eats delivery driver but by the restaurant.

If your food arrives and the order is incorrect or improperly cooked, that has nothing to do with your driver, so their tip should not be affected.

If the food is cold because the driver took twice as long to deliver the food as the delivery window allowed, that may be poor delivery service– or the driver may have gotten lost or dealt with adverse weather.

Remember that people make mistakes– and it can be very dangerous to drive in the rain or snow– before you decide on the tip amount.

Tip Amount For Average Service

The average rate for a tip is about 15%-20% of the food bill, so this is a good amount to give your Uber Eats driver.

Keep in mind that this percentage may not be fair to your driver if your order is tiny.

For example, if you order a $3 coffee for delivery, the Uber Eats driver must make the same trip, but the tip amount will be much, much smaller than for an average order.

For this reason, when placing a very small order, it’s helpful to tip a set dollar amount– typically $4-$6 — instead of a percentage of the food bill.

Tip Amount For Great Service

If your Uber Eats driver goes above and beyond their job, travels through harsh weather, or arrives quickly, it’s a good idea to reward them with a tip of 20%-25% or more of your bill.

From Uber Eats, the driver will make the same amount of money no matter how excellently they handle your order.

That means it’s up to you to make sure your Uber Eats driver gets the recognition they deserve– with a big tip!

Example: Calculating a Hypothetical Tip

Here is a quick breakdown for calculating tips in different circumstances:

• Small order ($3 coffee): $4-$5 tip
• Regular order ($30) and excellent service (20%): $6 tip
• Big order ($60) and the driver traveled during a rainstorm (25%): $15 tip

Uber Eats Tipping Calculator

Now that you know the percentage you should tip your driver, check out our Uber Eats tipping calculator below to find out how much you should tip.

Simply fill in the fields where prompted, and you’ll be given the suggested tip amount for your bill.

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Ways To Tip Uber Eats Drivers

Luckily, there are many ways to tip your Uber Eats delivery professional.

Here are a few of the best:

Tip Through the App

Tipping through the Uber Eats app is one of the easiest methods, and it doesn’t require you to have any cash on hand.

1. Place a Tip Before an Order

Choosing a tip amount before you order is simple and part of the order placing process.

Using the Uber Eats app, customers can select a tip amount before finalizing their order.

The options are 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, or a custom amount.

2. Place a Tip After an Order

Another option is to wait until after you place the order to add a tip.

Many people like to see what time their food actually arrives before they decide on a tip amount.

When you tip your Uber Eats driver through the app, your tip money is sent to them one hour after the delivery takes place.

The way to place a tip after completing the order is to respond to the driver feedback section– first with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down symbol.

After that, you should get the option to tip the driver the same options as above (10%, 15%, 20%, 25%) or a custom amount, and you’ll receive an updated receipt.

How to Tip Uber Eats after an Order

To start the process, you’ll first need to rate your driver:

Once you’ve left a rating, you can select a preset tip amount:

You can also tap “Choose other amount” to leave a custom tip:

To finalize the tip, tap “Submit and Continue.”

Of course, you can always leave your driver a cash tip if you prefer. They’ll certainly appreciate the gesture.

3. Place a Tip In Your Order History

Giving the Uber Eats driver a tip through the order history is similar to placing a tip after finishing the order.

If you open the “Orders” section of your Uber Eats app, you should be able to access the history of your last Uber Eats purchase.

From here, you should be prompted to rate the food and delivery.

The tipping options should be available after that.

Tip Uber Eats Drivers in Cash

If you prefer not to tip through the app at all (or you happen to have cash on hand), another way to tip your Uber driver is to give them money when they arrive with your food.

Drivers get to keep 100% of their cash tips, just like tipping on the app, so there are few downsides to using cash to tip your Uber Eats driver.

Can Uber Eats Drivers See the Tip?

Yes– but generally not until one hour after the delivery has been completed.

Around then is when the driver will typically receive a push notification indicating that they’ve received a tip and how much it was.

What Happens If You Don’t Tip Uber Eats?

If you forget to tip your Uber Eats driver, you have a one-hour window of time where the order will still be active on the app to leave a tip.

You can access this through your order history.

Suppose it’s been more than an hour.

In that case, unfortunately, there are no longer any methods for giving your Uber Eats driver the tip they deserve– unless they deliver more food to your house for another order, where you’ll have the opportunity to tip them again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about tipping your Uber Eats driver.

Why do most people who use Uber Eats usually not tip at all?

Surprisingly, despite tipping being a very common way for people to give their salary a boost to a livable income, 60% of Uber Eats drivers say that their tips are consistently tiny or nonexistent.

Some people don’t leave a tip because they assume that Uber Eats’s delivery or service fees have a tip built-in, but this is not the case.

That money doesn’t go directly to the driver as tips do.

These customers often don’t understand that the most significant part of an Uber Eats driver’s income is their tips.

How much do Uber Eats drivers make before tips?

The answer to this question depends on the location of the Uber Eats Driver, as the average earnings are very different across the country.

It’s also essential to know that some Uber Eats drivers get paid based on mileage in addition to earning tips, but the pay per mile is typically meager– sometimes under one dollar.

Due to the unreliability of Uber Eats orders and generally low mileage rates, some Uber Eats drivers say that they end up making less than minimum wage.

If you examine the total Uber Eats driver earnings in markets across over 40 cities, it’s clear that the most considerable portion of the driver pay usually consists of tips.

For example, while the median hourly rate for Uber Eats drivers in Houston is $14.53, the median tip amount is $8.10.

That means that without tips, Houston-based Uber Eats drivers would be making under $6.50 an hour.

Read More: How much do Uber Eats drivers make?

Are Uber Eats tips taxable?

Yes– Uber Eats tips are considered taxable income.

These tips form part of the Uber Eats driver’s overall earnings in tax documents.

Why can’t I tip on Uber Eats?

All customers should be able to tip their driver through the Uber Eats app on their smartphone.

However, sometimes things like technical glitches remove the option to add a tip on the application.

While rare, it is possible to be unable to tip on Uber Eats due to some technical malfunction.

If you’re seeing other errors such as “No Uber Eats Couriers Nearby“, or you think Uber is down, then there’s probably an issue.

In those cases, keep in mind that you can always tip your Uber Eats driver in cash when they arrive.

Conclusion: Tipping on Uber Eats

A good rule to use when tipping your Uber Eats driver is to give them at least a few dollars (18-20% of your food bill) as a starting tip and then add on money for extra services.

These services could include super quick delivery, traveling through adverse weather, or walking up two flights of stairs to your apartment door.

It’s perfectly acceptable to place a tip after the order is delivered or tip the Uber Eats driver in cash.

Remember that they work hard to make a living wage, and tips make up a considerable percentage of their income.