Does Instacart Pay for Gas? What Shoppers Can Deduct in Canada and the US (2026)
Does Instacart pay for gas? No. Full-service shoppers are independent contractors, so gas, insurance and repairs are yours, and you deduct the work share of those costs at tax time. Below: which miles in a batch to log, what you can deduct in the US and Canada, and the math, so you can see what a year of batches is worth.
Updated November 3, 2026.
Shop and deliver for a living? Fuelshine logs every trip automatically for your tax deductions and shows harsh braking, hard acceleration and idling after each drive. Free to start on iPhone and Android, no credit card needed.
Does Instacart pay for gas or mileage?
No. Instacart treats full-service shoppers, the ones who shop and deliver in their own vehicle, as independent contractors. Each batch shows what it pays before you accept. Whatever distance goes into that number is part of your pay, not a payment for your kilometres or a mileage log. That means your driving is yours to track and deduct.
Instacart runs in both the US and Canada, so use the part below that matches where you drive. This guide is for full-service shoppers. If you work inside a single store as a store employee, your vehicle costs work differently.
What you can deduct as an Instacart shopper: US and Canada
United States | Canada | |
Method | IRS standard mileage rate, or actual expenses. You pick one method per vehicle. | Actual vehicle costs multiplied by your business-use share |
2026 numbers | 72.5¢ per mile to June 30, 76¢ per mile from July 1 | The CRA’s 73¢ and 67¢ per km is for employer allowances, not a self-employed deduction |
Add-ons | Parking and tolls on top of the mileage rate. Fuel is already in the rate. | Gas, insurance, repairs and other vehicle costs, each multiplied by your business-use share |
Your log shows | Date, miles and purpose of each trip | Date, destination, purpose, kilometres, and total kilometres for the year |
Sources: IRS Announcement 2026-11 on the mid-year rate and Department of Finance Canada’s 2026 rates. More detail: delivery driver tax deductions in Canada and gig worker tax deductions for US drivers.
Which miles in a batch count?
An Instacart batch is different from a food delivery run. You drive to one or more stores, shop, then drive to the customer. Only driving adds to your log. The time you spend walking the aisles doesn’t.
Log as work: driving from one store to the next on a multi-store batch.
Log as work: driving from the last store to the customer, and from one customer to the next on a batch.
Log and confirm: the first drive of the day from home, the drive home at the end, and driving to wait for the next batch. Rules treat home-to-work driving differently depending on your situation, so log these, mark them clearly, and ask a tax professional how to treat them.
Not miles: time inside the store. Keep your receipts, but it doesn’t go in your mileage log.
If you forget to tag trips during the day, nothing is lost. Fuelshine records every drive automatically, and you can tag trips Business or Personal in a batch later.
The math: what a shopper’s year can look like
US example. Say you log 16 work miles per batch (store to store, store to customer, and the leg to the next store), 3 batches a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year.
Work miles: 16 × 3 × 5 × 50 = 12,000 miles, 6,000 in each half of the year
January to June: 6,000 miles × $0.725 = $4,350
July to December: 6,000 miles × $0.76 = $4,560
Mileage deduction: $4,350 + $4,560 = $8,910
Canada example. Say you drive 14,000 km for Instacart and 6,000 km personally in a year, and your vehicle costs were $9,500.
Business-use share: 14,000 ÷ (14,000 + 6,000) = 70%
Deduction: 70% × $9,500 = $6,650
These are examples, not predictions. Your numbers depend on your vehicle, your batches and the method you choose. A tax professional can confirm what applies to you.
Keep one log if you drive for other apps too
If you shop for Instacart and also deliver for other apps, don’t try to remember which kilometres belonged to which app. Log everything, mark personal drives Personal, and add up your business total at the end. The US standard rate uses total business miles, and the Canadian business-use share uses all your work kilometres against everything you drove.
Fuelshine is free to start. The number worth protecting is the deduction: in the US example above, that is $8,910 you may need to prove with a trip-by-trip log. For fuel-saving habits, see how to save gas as a DoorDash driver; the same habits apply to shoppers.
Instacart gas and deductions: common questions
Does Instacart pay for gas?
No. Full-service shoppers are independent contractors, so gas, insurance and repairs are yours. Batch pay is what you earn for the order, not a fuel reimbursement. You deduct the work share of your vehicle costs at tax time.
Does Instacart reimburse mileage?
No. The distance shown on a batch offer is an estimate before you accept, not a mileage payment or a tax record. Mileage is something you track yourself.
Can I deduct mileage as an Instacart shopper?
Generally yes, as an independent contractor. In the US you can use the IRS standard mileage rate, 72.5¢ per mile for January to June 2026 and 76¢ from July 1, or actual expenses. In Canada you deduct your actual vehicle costs multiplied by your business-use share. Keep a trip-by-trip log in both cases.
Which miles count in an Instacart batch?
Driving between stores, from the last store to the customer, and between customers on a batch is work driving. Time spent shopping inside a store isn’t miles, so it doesn’t add to your log. The first drive from home and the drive home at the end are the ones to confirm with a tax professional.
I forget to log trips. What then?
With Fuelshine every drive is recorded automatically whether you tag it or not. Tag trips Business or Personal in a batch later, before tax time.
What if I also drive for other apps?
Log everything in one place and mark personal drives Personal. Your business total is what the US standard rate and the Canadian business-use share both use.
What app helps Instacart shoppers track mileage and fuel?
Fuelshine logs every trip automatically for your tax deductions and shows harsh braking, hard acceleration and idling after each drive. It is free to start on iPhone and Android, with no credit card needed.
This is general information, not tax advice. Check your situation with a tax professional.
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