How Many Deliveries Do I Need?
The number of deliveries a month and a week that cover your costs and the pay you want.
Part of the 🛵 Delivery Drivers toolkit, with more tools made for the job.
🛵 Delivery driver or rider
Materials, fuel, fees for that one. Leave empty for none.
Rules on licences, insurance and who counts as self-employed on delivery apps differ by country, so check yours.
Type your monthly costs and what one order earns, and the number you need appears here.
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Type your monthly vehicle and phone costs, the pay you want, and what an average delivery brings in and costs you to make. This shows how many deliveries you need.
Most delivery work pays per order, so the practical question is how many orders a week reach the pay you want. That depends on what a typical order brings in, what it costs you in fuel and wear, and what you have to pay each month whatever you do, such as insurance and a loan. Turning the target into a number of orders a week also tells you whether it fits into the hours you have.
How it’s worked out
- Kept from each delivery is what it brings in (tip included) minus what it costs you to make: fuel or charging and wear.
- Deliveries to cover costs is your monthly costs divided by what you keep from each delivery, rounded up.
- Deliveries to cover costs and pay adds the pay you want to the costs before dividing.
- Per week is the monthly number divided by about 4.33.
A delivery bringing in 4 and costing 0.80 in fuel and wear leaves 3.20. With 245 a month of fixed costs you need 77 deliveries to cover them, and with 1,200 of pay as well you need 452 a month, about 104 a week.
Common mistakes
- Using the best order. Use a typical one, including the short low-paying ones you also take.
- Forgetting the cost of each order. Fuel and wear are small per order but add up over hundreds.
- Not checking the number against your hours. If 104 deliveries a week would take more hours than you have, the rate has to rise or the costs fall.
- Skipping fixed costs. Insurance, loan payments and phone data are due even in a slow month.
Questions
What is the average delivery pay?
It varies a lot by platform, city, time and vehicle. Use your own average from a few weeks of orders, tips included.
What should I put as the cost of each delivery?
Distance times your cost per km or mile for the average delivery. The delivery vehicle cost calculator gives that number.
How many hours will that take?
Divide the deliveries a week by how many you manage in an hour. If it does not fit your hours, raise your pay per order, take better orders, or lower your costs.
Where should I go after this?
See what you really earn per hour after costs and waiting, or check whether each order is worth taking. The links under the result lead there.
Estimates only
These are estimates and general information, not financial, tax, legal or professional advice. Costs, pay, fees, tax and rules for delivery work differ by country, city and platform, so use your own figures and check the rules where you live.
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