Earnings
Your earnings, explained
Learn everything you need to know about getting paid with Uber. Find out how to maximize your earnings, what goes into trip fares, and how to track what you take home each week.
Maximizing your earnings
As an Uber driver, you control how you earn. Go online when you're ready, and accept trip requests that align with your strategy. Here are 4 ways that can help you make the most of your time online:
Heatmap
Use the in-app rides heatmap to identify where it’s busy, what wait times to expect, and areas where you could earn extra.¹ Look for the shortest estimated wait times in red, followed by orange, and then yellow. Surge is shown in purple on the rides heatmap. Any trip you get in the purple area while surge pricing is available will include extra earnings that will be included in your fare.
Promotions
Quest: Earn more for completing a certain number of trips in a specified amount of time. Go to Menu in the Driver app, then Opportunities to see available Quests and opt in to participate.
Boost+: Earn extra on top of base fares by completing trips that start in a certain area within a specific time window. Go to Menu, then Opportunities to see if you’re eligible for Boost+ and to sign up. These are offered occasionally.
Reservations
Riders can schedule trips ahead of their desired pickup time, which can help you plan your day.
Events
Large events—like concerts or sports—can increase trip requests. Go to Menu in the app, then open the Opportunities section to track upcoming events and see estimated peak times.
Trip fares
Here is some information to help you understand how trip fares are calculated:
Upfront Fares
In most cities, see how much you’ll make and where you’ll go before you accept a trip. Upfront Fares are based on a number of factors, including base fares, estimated trip lengths and durations, pickup distance, and surge pricing. Any applicable adjustments, as well as tips from riders, are added after the trip.
Per-minute and per-mile fares
In some cities, you’ll earn a base fare plus the time and distance you travel. Your earnings will be calculated and displayed at the end of every trip.
Delayed ride guarantee
For most trips, if a trip lasts longer than 5 minutes past the original estimated time, your fare will automatically increase to reflect the time and distance of the trip.
Wait Time Fee
After you arrive at a pickup, you’ll earn extra for longer wait times. Per-minute fees start if your rider hasn’t entered the vehicle after 2 minutes for most trips, or 5 minutes for Uber Black and Uber SUV.
Tolls
When your vehicle is charged a qualifying toll or surcharge during a trip, the toll amount is charged to your rider and paid to you.
Cancellations
When a rider cancels after a certain time period and after you’ve started driving toward them, they’re charged a cancellation fee and you’re paid for the inconvenience. For most trips, the time period is 2 minutes after you accept; it’s 5 minutes for Uber Black and Uber SUV, and 1 hour before pickup for Reserve trips.
Tracking earnings
Explore how much you’ve made and where it came from. The Earnings Hub in the Driver app offers multiple tools to help you track your earnings clearly and confidently, including these:
Session summary
After going offline, you’ll receive a summary of the time you were just online, including how much you earned and the number of trips you were offered and completed.
Weekly summary
At the end of each week, your Earnings Hub will show a snapshot of your activity, including total earnings, completed trips, and number of hours you were active.
Weekly statement
In the Earnings Hub within the driver web portal, view or download an in-depth breakdown of the transactions that led to your weekly earnings.
Fare breakdown
For every week you drive, you can see how much of that week’s fares went to you, Uber, and costs like commercial auto insurance and government fees.
Fare breakdown
Like the millions of Uber rides that happen every day, customer fares go to more than one place. Here’s how weekly fares break down:
A portion of the customer fare is allocated toward the estimated cost of government-mandated commercial auto insurance and other operational costs.² This covers you and your riders while on a ride.
City fees
Fares pay for tolls, airport and other government-required charges, and other fees.
Amount Uber keeps
We keep the difference between what a customer pays and what a driver earns on a trip, excluding tips, tolls, and certain fees, taxes, and surcharges. It changes each trip and week based on things like promotions to encourage rider demand, available drivers, and more.
Tips
You’ll always receive 100% of your tips, and they’re part of your total take-home each week.
Cashing out
Choose exactly how you’d like to get paid: weekly deposits directly into your bank account, or cashing out to your account or a debit card after every trip.
Instant Pay
Cash out your available earnings at any time, up to 6 times per day, for a small fee.³ Funds typically arrive in your account within minutes but can take up to 2-3 business days, depending on your bank.
Weekly deposits
If you don’t request Instant Pay beforehand, funds will automatically be deposited into your account, usually on Thursdays.
Uber Pro Card
Apply for the Uber Pro debit card to get access to your earnings after every trip without having to transfer to your bank.⁴ Plus, get cash back on select purchases like gasoline.
Taxes
When you understand your tax obligations as an Uber driver, you can file with more confidence.
Find resources about your tax responsibilities through our tax season guide,⁵ which provides information such as:
Important tax dates
An explanation of key tax documents (tax summaries and 1099s)
An overview of potential deductions
Frequently asked tax questions
Additional resources for filing your tax return
Additional resources
More ways to earn
Become eligible for new opportunities so you can make the most of your time.
More ways to earn
Become eligible for new opportunities so you can make the most of your time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I view my earnings?
Open the Driver app and choose Earnings. You’ll see your daily and weekly earnings, plus a trip-by-trip breakdown. You can also access your full Earnings Hub for more details, including adjustments, promotions, and upcoming deposits.
How do I cash out what I've earned from driving with Uber?
These are the primary ways to cash out your earnings in the Driver app:
- At any time to your bank account using Instant Pay
- By weekly automatic deposit
- With the Uber Pro Card
How can I increase my earnings as a driver?
Here are a few ideas that may help boost your earnings:
- Complete promotions like Quest and Boost+
- Drive during high-demand times and in busy areas (use the rides heatmap)
- Accept Reserve trips to plan your day in advance
- Explore additional types of trips, like Uber Comfort, or choose delivery if you’re eligible
How much of what a rider pays does Uber keep?
We keep the difference between what a customer pays and what a driver earns on a trip, excluding tips, tolls, and certain fees, taxes, and surcharges. It changes each trip and week based on things like promotions to encourage rider demand, available drivers, and more.
Drive your way in the app
Material provided on this page is for informational purposes only and does not guarantee earnings. Earnings structures may differ by city. Always check your city-specific website for the most accurate details on fares in your city.
¹The heatmap is intended to help you plan, but it doesn’t guarantee trips, earnings, or wait times. Actual earnings and wait times can vary based on conditions like time of day, location, demand, and trip length.
The colored areas on the heatmap show areas where estimated hourly earnings are above the citywide median. These estimated earnings are calculated using a number of factors, including median earnings and real-time supply and demand over the past 28 days of completed trips in that city. They include fares, tips, promotions, and surge, but may not reflect all local variables.
The estimated wait times shown on the heatmap are based on trip requests over the last 30-minute period and are updated every 10 minutes. These estimates may be affected by system delays and will not reflect actual real-time wait times. Potential variations in earnings and wait times shown on the heatmap may additionally occur when shifting between modes.
²Commercial insurance is not provided for commercially licensed or commercially insured drivers, such as those driving black cars, limousines, or taxis.
³Where available. Fees vary by market. Check the app to confirm Instant Pay fees in your market by selecting Earnings, then Cash out and more under Wallet.
⁴Banking services are provided by Evolve Bank & Trust, Member FDIC. The Uber Pro Card is a Mastercard Business Debit card powered by Branch and issued by Evolve Bank & Trust pursuant to a license from Mastercard and may be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted. Uber is not responsible for the products and/or services offered by other companies, or for the terms and conditions (including financial terms) under which those products and/or services are offered.
⁵Please note: Uber does not provide tax advice. We recommend that you seek advice from a tax service like TurboTax or an independent tax professional to understand your possible vehicle-related deductions and the most ideal vehicle tax deduction method for you.
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