Base Pay
The fixed rate or minimum payment offered for completing a task or project.
Gig Guides
Learn how different gig platforms work, what records to keep, and how mileage tracking can help you stay organized across driving, delivery, shopping, rental, and service work.
Gig work is income earned outside a traditional employment setup. Instead of receiving a fixed salary from one employer, gig workers are usually paid per ride, delivery, booking, task, project, or completed service.
Gig work can include:
The details change by platform and country, but the pattern is similar: you usually choose when to work, manage your own expenses, use your own tools or vehicle, and keep your own records.
That independence is the main attraction. It is also the part many new gig workers underestimate.
Gig income varies widely. Your earnings depend on your country, city, platform, work type, demand, local costs, competition, vehicle expenses, and how efficiently you work.
A rideshare driver in New York, Toronto, London, or Sydney may face very different rules and costs. A courier in a dense city may complete more deliveries per hour than someone driving long rural routes. A freelancer with specialist skills may earn very differently from someone just starting on a marketplace.
The fixed rate or minimum payment offered for completing a task or project.
Variable income that can significantly boost earnings, especially in delivery and service roles.
The costs you incur, such as fuel, supplies, and software, that reduce your take-home pay.
Earnings often peak during high-demand periods or in specialized niches.
For driving and delivery work, profit per mile or kilometre is often more useful than gross hourly pay. MyCarTracks helps by tracking business trips and producing mileage reports so you can compare with platform income.
For more detail, read How to Track Income and Expenses Across Multiple Gig Apps .
Requirements depend on the platform and your location. Some online gigs need only a laptop, phone, payment account, and skill. Driving, delivery, hosting, care, and local service work usually involve more checks.
Country and city rules matter. Always check the current platform page for your city before buying a vehicle, changing insurance, applying for a licence, or relying on the income.
A good starting point is How to Start Gig Driving: Requirements, Taxes, and Mileage Basics .
If you use a vehicle for gig work, mileage or kilometre tracking can be one of your most important records.
Driving records matter for more than taxes. They help you understand whether a platform is profitable, compare apps, explain business routes, support insurance questions, and separate personal driving from paid work.
This is where MyCarTracks helps. Instead of trying to remember trips later, you can track driving automatically, tag trips by platform, separate business and personal use, and export reports for your records.
Read the Gig Mileage Tracking Guide for the US, Canada, and Europe or Why Gig Workers Need a Mileage Tracking App .
Gig work is not limited to driving. You can earn through many types of platforms, depending on your location and the work you want to do.
Uber, Lyft, Bolt, Turo, BlaBlaCar, HopSkipDrive, and other local rideshare platforms
Uber Eats, DoorDash, Instacart, Shipt, Amazon Flex, Walmart Spark, SkipTheDishes, and regional delivery apps
Taskrabbit, Thumbtack, Rover, Wag, Care.com, and local service marketplaces
Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, Gumroad, writing platforms, design marketplaces, and specialist freelance networks
Each platform has its own earnings model, requirements, documents, and recordkeeping needs. A rideshare driver, grocery shopper, Airbnb host, and freelance designer may all be gig workers, but their records will look very different.
In the United States, many gig workers are treated as independent contractors or self-employed workers for tax purposes. That means platforms may not withhold tax from your payouts, and you may need to report income, track business expenses, keep mileage records, and plan for tax payments yourself.
You may receive tax forms such as 1099-K, 1099-NEC, or 1099-MISC , depending on the platform, payment type, and reporting rules. These forms are helpful, but they are not the whole tax file. You should still keep your own platform statements, bank deposits, receipts, mileage logs, and notes for refunds, fees, tips, bonuses, and adjustments. The IRS says gig economy income must be reported even when it is part-time, temporary, paid in cash, or not reported on an information return.
For vehicle-based gigs, mileage tracking is especially important. Keep records that show the date, miles, destination or route, business purpose, and vehicle used. MyCarTracks can help you record trips automatically, tag each platform, and export reports when you prepare your tax records.
In Canada, gig workers should keep clear records of platform income, bank deposits, receipts, vehicle expenses, total kilometres, business kilometres, and GST/HST records where relevant.
For income tax, Canadian gig income generally belongs in your annual tax file, even if a platform does not withhold tax from each payout. Many self-employed gig workers use Form T2125 records to support business income and expenses. The CRA says Canadian gig workers who are resident in Canada must report and pay tax on self-employment income, and its motor vehicle guidance points to keeping total kilometres, business kilometres, trip destinations, trip reasons, and supporting records.
GST/HST needs special care. Commercial ride-sharing has a specific rule: self-employed commercial ride-sharing drivers generally must register for GST/HST even if they are small suppliers. Delivery-only work can be different, so rideshare and delivery records should not be mixed without checking the correct CRA treatment.
For driving gigs, track kilometres by platform, vehicle, and trip purpose. MyCarTracks can help you separate Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, DoorDash, Instacart, SkipTheDishes, personal driving, and other trips before tax time.
Useful MyCarTracks guides for Canada:
In the United Kingdom, gig workers often need to think about Self Assessment, business records, allowable expenses, mileage records, VAT where applicable, insurance, and local licensing rules.
If you are self-employed as a sole trader or partner, HMRC expects you to keep records of business income and expenses for your Self Assessment tax return. Records can include sales and income, business expenses, personal income, VAT records if you are VAT registered, and other supporting documents.
For vehicle-based work, UK self-employed workers may be able to use simplified expenses or actual vehicle costs, depending on the situation. The important part is to keep a mileage record showing business journeys, private use, vehicle costs, and the business reason for each trip. Read the Self-Employed Mileage Allowance guide for more detail. MyCarTracks can help you track trips automatically, separate business and personal mileage, and export reports for your Self Assessment records.
Rideshare work can add another layer. For example, Uber drivers in the UK may need a private-hire driver licence, a private-hire vehicle licence where required, private-hire motor insurance, right-to-work evidence, driver documents, vehicle documents, and tax records. MyCarTracks has UK-specific Uber and HMRC mileage guides that cover those details.
In Australia, gig workers should keep records of platform income, tips, bonuses, incentives, reimbursements, bank deposits, invoices, receipts, vehicle costs, business kilometres, and GST records where relevant.
For rideshare and delivery work, the tax treatment can depend on what you do through the app. Passenger ride-sourcing is treated differently from delivery-only work. The ATO says ride-sourcing drivers need an Australian Business Number and GST registration from the day they start providing ride-sourcing services, regardless of turnover. Delivery-only work usually starts with the normal GST registration rules unless another rule applies.
For car expenses, Australian drivers should not use US, Canadian, or UK mileage rules. Australia has its own ATO car expense methods, including cents per kilometre and logbook approaches where available. The right method depends on the vehicle, business structure, records, and income year. MyCarTracks can help by tracking trips, separating business and private kilometres, and exporting reports for tax or accountant review.
If you drive passengers with Uber in Australia, check driver eligibility, vehicle rules, inspection requirements, insurance, ABN, GST, BAS, and state or territory passenger-transport documents before relying on the income.
Useful MyCarTracks guides for Australia:
Linked platform cards open their community guide category.
