To the store for a batch
Heading to the store for a batch you accepted while working.
For Instacart drivers
Track every Instacart mile you actually drive.
Full-service Instacart shoppers drive more than the app credits. The miles to the store for a batch, between batches, and out to customers are deductible. MileShield logs them and produces an IRS-ready Schedule C.
As a full-service Instacart shopper, you are a 1099 contractor, and mileage is your biggest deduction. (In-store shoppers are generally employees, so this page is for full-service shoppers who drive.) The platform's mileage view is narrow: the driving between batches and stores, and the drive back from a far delivery, are business miles the app does not fully account for.
Grocery delivery involves a lot of this uncounted driving: heading to a store across town for a batch, delivering to several customers on a spread-out route, repositioning to a busier store. At the 2026 rates of 72.5 cents through June 30 and 76 cents from July 1, it adds up quickly.
| Business miles in 2026 | Mileage deduction | Approximate tax saved |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $7,425 | $1,710–$2,260 |
| 20,000 | $14,850 | $3,420–$4,530 |
| 30,000 | $22,275 | $5,130–$6,790 |
Tax saved is for the 12% to 22% federal brackets, combining self-employment tax with income tax after the 20% qualified business income deduction. State tax would add to the savings.
What counts
Deductible miles for Instacart drivers.
These are business miles the IRS lets you deduct. MileShield records each shift as one continuous log, so none of them fall through the gaps.
Store to customer
Each delivery leg from the store to a customer's door.
Between batches
Repositioning to your next store or a busier area while working.
Multi-stop batch driving
Every mile across a batch with multiple drop-offs.
Return from a far delivery
The drive back toward the area where you keep working.
Fuel stops while shopping
A gas stop during an active shift counts.
What usually does not count: the drive from home to your first store and home after your last delivery, which the IRS generally treats as commuting. Our deadhead miles guide explains where the line falls.
Common questions
Instacart taxes, answered.
Does Instacart track my mileage for taxes?
Instacart may provide a mileage estimate, but it does not fully capture the driving between batches, repositioning, or driving for other apps, all of which can be deductible for full-service shoppers. The IRS expects your own contemporaneous log, and you can file with your own records when they show more business miles than the app reported.
What miles can I deduct as an Instacart shopper?
For full-service shoppers, business miles include driving to the store for a batch while you are working, store-to-customer delivery legs, driving between batches and stores, the drive back from a far delivery, and fuel stops during a shift. The drive from home to your first store and home after your last delivery is generally commuting and does not count.
How much can an Instacart shopper save on taxes?
At the 2026 rates of 72.5 cents per mile through June 30 and 76 cents from July 1, a shopper logging 20,000 business miles spread across the year deducts about $14,850. That lowers combined self-employment and federal income tax by roughly $3,400 to $4,500 in the 12% to 22% brackets, before any state tax savings.
Are Instacart tips taxable?
Yes. Customer tips are part of your Instacart income on Schedule C and are subject to self-employment tax. For 2025 through 2028, workers in eligible occupations may also deduct qualified tips from income tax; confirm whether your shopping and delivery work qualifies with your tax software or preparer.
Want the deeper version? Read our Schedule C walkthrough, our guide to quarterly estimated taxes, or the deadhead miles guide.