United States · Gig work · Instacart
Instacart shopper earnings calculator.
A batch pays a base amount plus tips, and heavy orders add a flat extra. The hours you spend shopping and the miles you drive decide what is left. Enter a shift to see earnings per hour after the cost of the miles.
Twelve batches at $8.00 batch pay and $5.00 in tips, three of them heavy with a $2.00 add-on, over 5 hours and 60 miles, bring in $162.00. The 76-cent IRS rate on those miles is $45.60, leaving $116.40, or $23.28 an hour. These inputs are an illustration.
Your numbers
Your result
How this is calculated
- Pay and tips. Instacart's shopper community post of July 20, 2023 says the smallest batches pay at least $4 and more complex ones may pay $10 or more, that heavy item pay of at least $2 is added when a batch has items of 8 lb or more totalling 50 lb or more, and that 100% of customer tips go to the shopper. That post is more than three years old, so the amounts on this page are inputs you set from your own app, not Instacart's current rates. Total before costs is the number of batchs times the pay and tip you type for each, plus any add-on you enter.
- Car cost. Miles driven times the IRS business standard mileage rate for the half of 2026 you pick: 72.5 cents for January 1 to June 30 and 76 cents for July 1 to December 31. The IRS rate is an average cost per business mile, so it is used here as a stand-in for what the miles cost you, not as your own receipts.
- After car cost. Total before costs minus car cost minus your other costs. Dividing by the hours you were logged in, by the batchs and by the miles gives the three rates in the result.
Worked example: 12 batches, 3 heavy, 5 hours, 60 miles, 76-cent rate
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| 12 batches at $8.00 | $96.00 |
| 3 heavy add-ons at $2.00 | $6.00 |
| 12 tips at $5.00 | $60.00 |
| Total before costs | $162.00 |
| 60 miles at 76 cents | $45.60 |
| After car cost | $116.40 |
| Per hour over 5 hours | $23.28 |
| Per batch | $9.70 |
Without the three heavy add-ons the same shift would bring in $156.00 and leave $110.40, so heavy pay is worth $6.00 here. That is small beside the $45.60 the miles cost at the IRS rate.
What this does not cover
- Income tax and self-employment tax. The after-car-cost figure is a cash estimate; the IRS mileage rate can also reduce taxable profit, which is a separate calculation (see the gig driver profit calculator).
- Actual gas, repairs and depreciation on your own car. If they differ from the IRS average, your real margin differs from this estimate.
- Time between batchs that you were not logged in, and any bonus paid weeks later.
- Local pay rules. Some cities set their own minimum pay, which this tool does not apply.
Method and assumptions
All inputs are yours except the two IRS mileage rates. The tool multiplies, adds and divides; it does not estimate how much Instacart will pay you. The example inputs are made-up round numbers chosen to show the arithmetic, not typical or average pay.
Results vary with your market, vehicle and schedule. This page uses the numbers you enter; it does not predict what you will earn or owe.
Sources
- Instacart Shopper Community: Creating new ways to earn (published July 20, 2023), retrieved October 26, 2026
- IRS: Standard mileage rates (72.5 cents to June 30, 76 cents from July 1, 2026), retrieved October 26, 2026
Cite this page: TNAADO Tools, "Instacart shopper earnings calculator," tools.tnaado.ca/us/instacart-shopper-earnings-calculator/, figures retrieved October 2026.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedThe 70 cents per mile I used for my 2025 shifts still applies to the miles I drive for Instacart in 2026.
What the source saysThe IRS standard mileage rates page lists 70 cents per mile for 2025. For 2026 it lists 72.5 cents for January 1 to June 30 and 76 cents for July 1 to December 31. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What does Instacart pay per batch?
Its July 2023 post says at least $4 for the smallest batches and possibly $10 or more for complex ones, plus tips, and that pay can be higher with batch size and complexity. Current amounts show in the app, so type your own averages here.
What is heavy pay?
The same post says heavy item pay of at least $2 is added to a batch when it contains items of 8 lb or more totalling 50 lb or more, on top of the batch minimum. Shoppers can opt out of heavy batches.
Do tips go to the shopper?
Instacart says 100% of customer tips go directly to the shopper and that tips are separate from, and in addition to, its batch pay.
Why value miles when I might claim them on my taxes?
The IRS rate stands in for what the miles cost so the per-hour figure is not overstated. Whether and how you deduct miles is a tax question; the IRS standard mileage rates page and your preparer decide that.
Does the time in the store count as hours?
Yes for this tool: enter all the time you were logged in. Per-hour earnings that leave out shopping and waiting time look higher than the time you actually gave up.
Estimate only
This is an educational estimate built from the numbers you enter and the published figures listed under Sources. Fee schedules change, so check the live page before you rely on a rate. It is not tax, legal or accounting advice. Instacart pay varies by market, batch and time of day.