Supporting you during the Coronavirus

The uncertainty caused by the coronavirus is being felt across the world. But we know it’s especially concerning for anyone who relies on our platform to make a living. That’s why we are providing financial assistance to anyone who drives or delivers with Uber and is diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in individual quarantine by a public health authority due to their risk of spreading COVID-19. This assistance is now available worldwide.

This is a moment of great challenge, but we are here to support you.

—Andrew Macdonald, Senior Vice President, Rides and Platform

We will provide you with financial assistance for up to 14 days if you actively drive or deliver with Uber and get diagnosed with COVID-19 or are personally placed in quarantine by a public health authority due to their risk of spreading COVID-19.

The circumstances surrounding COVID-19 are changing rapidly and we expect they will continue to do so over the coming weeks and months ahead. To ensure we are responsive to this reality, this policy is effective until April 6, 2020, at which time we will reassess the situation and release a go-forward policy.

In order to ensure we can provide support to those who need it most, we will provide financial assistance to you if any of the following happen:

Additionally, you must have taken at least one trip on the Uber platform in the 30 days before March 6, 2020, when our global financial assistance plan was announced.

As a platform for flexible work, some people drive or deliver with Uber on a regular basis, while others may only do a few trips over several months. To ensure our financial assistance fairly meets the needs of everyone who uses our platform to earn, the amount of assistance you receive will be based on your average daily earnings over the last six months. If you have been on Uber’s platform for less than six months, your average earnings will be based on how much you have earned in the time between your first trip and March 6, 2020.

To help understand what this means for you, we’ve broken down an estimate of the financial assistance drivers in New Zealand who had different daily earnings over the last six months could expect to receive. The table below show how their varying average daily earnings impacts the amount of financial assistance they would receive:

*shorter time period used if first trip was more recent

Every eligible driver in New Zealand will receive a minimum payment of $80, even if they have only done one trip.

As the example above shows, the flexibility of Uber’s platform means that people who drive and deliver can have dramatically different average daily earnings. We believe this policy lets us fairly support both people who use the platform once in a while to supplement their income, as well as those who primarily rely on our platform to pay their bills.

You can submit documentation here. We will work to review and process your request as quickly as we can.

In order for Uber to confirm your eligibility, you will need to submit either:

If a public health authority directly notifies Uber that a driver or delivery person has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or otherwise potentially exposed to the virus, we will automatically enroll them in our financial assistance program and they will not have to provide any additional documentation.

After we confirm eligibility, in most instances you will receive the financial assistance in your account within 2-5 business days. We will work speedily to review and confirm all submitted documentation so that anyone who is eligible receives their assistance as soon as possible.

You will be able to file a claim for financial assistance for COVID-19 up to 30 days after the date of your diagnosis or the date when your individual quarantine came into effect. Again, this policy is effective until April 6, 2020, at which time we will reassess the situation and release a go-forward policy.

In each country, we will be working with policymakers including, where necessary, relevant public health officials to confirm your eligibility should you seek assistance through this program.

If you are in Europe and have confirmed sickness, you may be eligible for benefits through “Partner Protection” coverage from AXA. If your financial assistance is provided by AXA, Uber will top up the difference to ensure you are covered from day 1. Details on Partner Protection are here.

If you’re found eligible for assistance, Uber will temporarily restrict your account access for the same period in which you’re receiving assistance. If your account access is restricted due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or mandated individual quarantine due to your risk of spreading COVID-19, you will be unable to complete trips during this time in order to limit the risk of transmission to others.

If we were to fully cease operations in a city or country due to COVID-19, we will work with local governments to understand how best to support drivers and delivery people. We do not intend for the policy described above to be applicable in any case of a broader suspension of Uber’s operations in a location or city.

The above details summarize our global approach to financial assistance for drivers and delivery people should they become diagnosed with COVID-19 or get placed in individual quarantine by a public health authority. Individual countries may have specific requirements needed to comply with local laws, regulations or business practices on issues such as documentation from medical providers, public health orders, or taxation of financial assistance payments. Specific country requirements are not covered on this site, and the eligibility criteria and assistance details provided below are subject to Uber’s need to make such country-specific adjustments. Given circumstances are changing rapidly, we also may modify this approach, including the amount of assistance given and the criteria, as conditions change.

Our priority remains helping keep the communities in which we operate safe and healthy. As a reminder, you can find resources and regular updates on our response to coronavirus on our website .