Important note: Postmates was acquired by Uber in 2020. All Postmates deliveries are now managed through the Uber Eats Courier app. When you sign up for Postmates delivery, you are signing up through Uber Eats. The Postmates brand continues operating in select cities for customer ordering, but the driver experience is unified with Uber Eats.
🚑 Postmates Driver Pay by City (2026)
Postmates historically had its strongest presence in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Seattle. Earnings reflect combined Postmates and Uber Eats orders in these markets.
| City | Avg Hourly | Avg Weekly | Boost Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $14-$23 | $440-$920 | 1.2-2x |
| San Francisco | $14-$22 | $430-$870 | 1.2-1.8x |
| Los Angeles | $13-$20 | $400-$800 | 1.2-1.8x |
| Seattle | $13-$20 | $400-$800 | 1.1-1.6x |
| Chicago | $12-$18 | $370-$720 | 1.1-1.6x |
* Hourly figures are gross fares including tips before gas, vehicle costs, or taxes. Earnings are for the combined Postmates + Uber Eats delivery pool, which is what drivers actually see in these markets.
📈 Earnings Calculator
Adjust the sliders to estimate your potential Postmates/Uber Eats income based on your hours and local market.
Estimates are gross income before gas, vehicle costs, and taxes. After expenses, expect to keep roughly 60-70% of gross. Calculate your taxes here.
⚖️ Pros and Cons of Delivering for Postmates (via Uber Eats)
Pros
- Non-restaurant deliveries (alcohol, groceries, convenience stores) available
- Integrated with Uber Eats - single app for both platforms
- Uber Eats Pro status carries over
- Flexible delivery modes including bike and scooter
- Instant Pay through Uber
- Deliveries beyond food including retail items
Cons
- Brand being phased out in favor of Uber Eats
- Lower order volume than standalone Uber Eats in most cities
- Pay structure follows Uber Eats (lower than rideshare)
- Limited to cities where Postmates brand still operates
- No unique bonuses beyond Uber Eats incentive program
- Customer base shrinking as migration to Uber Eats continues
✅ Requirements to Deliver for Postmates
Since Postmates now runs through Uber Eats, you sign up via the Uber Eats Courier app. Requirements depend on your delivery vehicle type.
- Must be 18+ years old
- Valid driver's license (or just 18+ for bike delivery)
- Any vehicle, bicycle, or scooter
- Pass background check (vehicle drivers)
- Smartphone (iOS or Android)
- Auto insurance if using a vehicle
How to sign up: Go to the Uber Eats Courier sign-up page (not the old Postmates site). Once approved, you'll see both Uber Eats and any available Postmates-branded orders in your market through the same app and the same earnings wallet.
🚀 How to Maximize Your Postmates/Uber Eats Earnings
Since Postmates operates through Uber Eats, the same optimization strategies apply across both order types. Here are the most effective tactics for maximizing your delivery earnings:
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1
Take advantage of non-restaurant delivery orders Postmates' legacy strength was non-restaurant delivery - alcohol, convenience stores, and retail. These order types often carry higher delivery fees (customers pay a premium for convenience) and tend to tip more generously. When you see these order types in the Uber Eats app, they're often worth prioritizing over standard restaurant orders at the same pay level.
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2
Work Boost zones during peak meal windows Uber Eats applies Boost multipliers to specific geographic zones during high-demand periods. A 1.5x Boost in a restaurant district during dinner rush dramatically increases your per-delivery earnings. Check the Uber Eats app's earnings map before your shift and position yourself inside active Boost zones rather than adjacent to them.
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3
Complete Quest promotions every week Uber Eats offers Quest bonuses - complete a certain number of deliveries in a week and earn a cash bonus. These bonuses can add $30-$100+ per week on top of base earnings. Check your Promotions tab every Monday for new Quest targets and structure your weekly hours around hitting the threshold most efficiently.
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4
Use Instant Pay to stay motivated and liquid Uber's Instant Pay feature lets you cash out your earnings to a debit card within minutes for a small fee ($0.85 per cashout). For drivers who are building a gig income from scratch, the ability to access earnings daily can be a significant quality-of-life improvement over waiting for weekly transfers.
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5
Pursue Uber Eats Pro status for real cost savings Uber's Pro program offers gas discounts, EV charging perks, and other benefits that directly reduce your operating costs. Gold tier requires maintaining an 85% acceptance rate and a 4.85+ rating. Diamond tier - the top level - provides the most substantial benefits. For full-time couriers, the gas discount alone can be worth hundreds of dollars annually.
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6
Track all business mileage from day one Every mile driven for deliveries is deductible at $0.67/mile in 2026. A courier driving 250 miles per week can deduct over $8,700 annually. The Stride app tracks automatically in the background - install it before your first delivery and let it run every shift. Missing deductible miles is a common and entirely avoidable tax mistake.
📜 Tax Implications for Postmates Drivers
Postmates/Uber does not withhold taxes. You'll receive a 1099-K from Uber and owe self-employment tax plus income tax on net earnings after deductions.
What You Owe on $25,000 Gross (Estimated)
These are rough estimates. Your actual liability depends on your state, filing status, and deductions. Use our free 1099 tax calculator for a precise estimate.
Calculate My TaxesKey Deductions for Postmates/Uber Eats Drivers
- ✓ Business mileage ($0.67/mile standard rate, 2026)
- ✓ Phone and data plan (business use percentage)
- ✓ Insulated delivery bags and equipment
- ✓ Car washes and vehicle maintenance
- ✓ Uber's service commission (deductible as a business expense)
- ✓ 50% of self-employment tax paid
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The Complete Guide to Postmates Driver Earnings in 2026
Postmates was one of the original on-demand delivery platforms - founded in 2011, it pioneered the idea of delivering anything from anywhere, not just food. Before DoorDash became dominant and before Instacart existed, Postmates was the app people used to order from restaurants that didn't have their own delivery, pick up dry cleaning, get alcohol delivered in an hour, or have almost any local purchase brought to their door. That versatility was genuinely unique and built a loyal customer base, particularly in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Uber Acquisition: What Changed and What Didn't
Uber acquired Postmates in 2020 for $2.65 billion, and the integration into Uber Eats has been gradual but consistent. From a driver's perspective, the most important change is that all Postmates deliveries now flow through the Uber Eats Courier app. There is no separate Postmates driver app anymore. When you go online on the Uber Eats Courier app in a market where Postmates still operates, you may receive orders that are technically Postmates orders - but you'd never know unless you looked carefully at the order details. The earnings, payout, and rating systems are fully unified.
For customers, the Postmates brand continues operating as a separate app in cities like Los Angeles, where it still has meaningful market presence. Customers place orders through the Postmates app and the order is fulfilled by an Uber Eats driver. This means that as a driver in LA, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, or Chicago, you're drawing from a larger combined order pool (both Uber Eats and Postmates customers) than you would if the platforms were completely separate.
The Non-Food Delivery Advantage
One of the aspects of Postmates that survived the Uber acquisition is the non-food delivery capability. Uber Eats has expanded into grocery, alcohol, convenience, and retail delivery through a series of partnerships, and these order types - which were core to Postmates from the start - are now available across the merged platform. For drivers, this means more delivery opportunities outside of lunch and dinner rush windows. A flower delivery at 10 AM or an alcohol order at 9 PM doesn't follow the same demand curve as restaurant food, which can help fill gaps in your earnings schedule.
Is It Worth Signing Up for Postmates in 2026?
The honest answer is: signing up for Postmates in 2026 means signing up for Uber Eats, with Postmates as an additional order source in certain markets. If you're in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, or Chicago, adding Uber Eats (and by extension, Postmates orders) to your delivery portfolio is worthwhile. If you're in a smaller market where Postmates never had a strong presence, the Postmates brand adds little - but the Uber Eats platform itself is worth evaluating on its own merits for your area.
For drivers already on DoorDash or Grubhub, adding Uber Eats (Postmates included) gives you an additional order stream without meaningfully increasing the complexity of your operations. Many drivers run two or three delivery apps simultaneously, accepting the best available order at any given moment. In markets where Postmates historically had strong customer penetration, this combined order pool can add meaningful volume during off-peak windows.