PA UC confusion about gig work (DoorDash/Grubhub) income reporting - anyone successfully doing this?

I did UberEats while on UC last year and it was a headache! The system is designed for traditional employment, not gig work. You need to report your NET earnings (after expenses) each week you file. Keep really good records of all your expenses (gas, car maintenance, etc). Report yourself as self-employed when it asks for employer info. Most importantly, you must report your earnings for the week you WORKED, not when you got paid - that trips up a lot of people.

i do doordash on uc right now. its not that complicated lol. just put self employed on the form and the money u make THAT WEEK. dont overthink it

The UC system is still stuck in 1995 I swear. Had something similar happen with my Etsy shop. The rep kept asking for my "boss's phone number" 🙄

This is a common confusion point with PA UC and gig work. Here's exactly what to do: 1. When reporting earnings, enter "Self-employed" for employer name 2. Use your home address for the employer address 3. For earnings, report your GROSS income minus allowable business expenses (gas, mileage, etc) 4. Keep detailed records of all earnings and expenses 5. Report income for the week you performed the work, not when paid The threshold is indeed $260/week before your benefits are reduced proportionally. Anything over $413 would make you ineligible for that week. Make sure you're still completing your work search requirements too, as gig work alone doesn't satisfy this.

Ugh I tried to explain my Instacart gig work to a UC rep last month and she kept saying I needed to provide pay stubs!! I tried 2 tell her it doesnt work that way but she wouldnt listen at ALL. i gave up & just wrote 'SELF-EMPLOYED - GIG WORK' on the weekly certification form.

This is a tricky area. I've dealt with so many people getting hit with overpayment notices because they calculated their gig earnings incorrectly. I recommend keeping a detailed spreadsheet with these columns for each week: - Gross earnings - Miles driven (x $0.655 per mile in 2023/2024) - Other expenses (with receipts) - Net profit (what you report) Also, remember that partial benefit weeks still count against your total benefit weeks. Sometimes it's better to just work full-time gigs for certain weeks and not claim UC for those weeks, then return to UC if gig work dries up.

I know exactly what you mean!!! I've been doing Grubhub on the side and the UC people act like I'm speaking a foreign language! One time I waited 4 HOURS on hold to talk to someone about how to report it, only to get disconnected! I almost threw my phone through the window!!!!

Another important thing: if you're doing gig work while on UC, you should still be able and available for full-time work and actively applying for jobs. If you turn down regular employment to keep doing gig work, that could disqualify you from benefits. PA UC requires you to be seeking permanent full-time work.

Does anyone know if we're supposed to report cash tips from delivery apps? Some customers give cash in addition to in-app tips...

btw guys make sure ur not making over the limit. my buddy got slapped with a $4000 overpayment cuz he was making too much on doordash some weeks but still claiming full uc. they caught him in an audit.

Just want to add my experience - I've been doing gig work (mix of DoorDash and Uber) while on UC for about 6 months now. The key things that have worked for me: 1) Always report NET income after business expenses, 2) Keep a running log of miles driven each day (I use an app called MileIQ), 3) When the online system asks for employer info, I put "Self-Employed Delivery Driver" as job title and my home address. The most important thing is being consistent with how you report it every week. I've never had any issues with overpayments doing it this way. Also pro tip - if you have a really good week where you might go over the $260 threshold, you can always just not claim that week and save your UC benefits for slower weeks.

I've been doing gig work (mostly DoorDash and some Uber Eats) while on UC for about 4 months now. The confusion with the reps is real - I had one ask me for my "supervisor's contact information" for DoorDash! Here's what I've learned: Keep meticulous records of EVERYTHING. I use a simple notebook where I write down daily earnings, miles driven, and any expenses. For the weekly certification, I report my net earnings (gross minus mileage at $0.655/mile and other legitimate business expenses). When it asks for employer info, I put "Self-Employed - Food Delivery Services" and use my home address. The key is consistency - report the same way every single week. Also, don't be afraid to ask for a supervisor if you get a rep who clearly doesn't understand gig work. I've found that the more experienced reps usually get it. One last thing - always err on the side of reporting MORE income rather than less if you're unsure about something. Better to get slightly lower benefits than deal with an overpayment nightmare later.

I've been dealing with this exact same frustration! Been doing gig work (DoorDash and Shipt) while on UC for about 3 months now. Here's what finally worked for me after tons of trial and error: When the system asks for employer info, I put "Self-Employed - Independent Contractor" as the job title and my home address. For earnings, I report NET income after deducting mileage (I track every single mile with Stride app - it's free and automatic). The biggest thing that helped was calling and specifically asking to speak to someone in the "self-employment unit" - apparently they have reps who actually understand gig work! Regular reps kept asking me about W-2s and hourly wages which obviously don't exist for us. Also learned the hard way that you HAVE to report earnings for the week you worked, not when you got paid. DoorDash pays on Tuesdays but if I worked Saturday-Sunday, that income goes on the previous week's certification. Keep detailed records of everything - date, platform, gross earnings, miles, expenses. I got paranoid about audits after reading horror stories on here, but having good records gives me peace of mind. The $260 threshold is your friend - I try to stay right under it most weeks so I can keep getting partial benefits while job hunting.

I've been doing this for about 8 months now with DoorDash and Instacart while on UC. The confusion with reps is SO real - I actually started keeping notes on which reps "get it" vs which ones don't, so I can ask for specific people when I call back! Here's my system that's worked without any issues: I track everything in a Google Sheet - date, platform, gross earnings, miles driven, gas receipts, other expenses (insulated bags, phone mount, etc.). For reporting, I use NET earnings after all business deductions. The mileage deduction alone usually brings me comfortably under the $260 threshold. Pro tip that saved me: When you first start reporting gig income, call UC and tell them you're starting "self-employment as an independent contractor in food/grocery delivery." They'll make a note on your file, and future reps will see that instead of being confused. Also, if you get a rep who doesn't understand, just say "I need to speak with someone who handles self-employment cases" - don't waste your time trying to educate them. One more thing - I always file my weekly certification on the same day each week and at the same time, using the exact same wording for employer info. Consistency is key with their system. Haven't had a single overpayment or audit issue doing it this way.

I've been doing gig work (UberEats and DoorDash) while on UC for about 5 months and totally understand the frustration with reps! Here's what's been working for me: I created a simple weekly tracking system where I log gross earnings, total miles, and calculate my net income after the standard mileage deduction ($0.655/mile). When reporting to UC, I always use "Self-Employed Food Delivery" as employer and my home address. The key thing I learned is to be super consistent with your reporting format every single week - same wording, same calculation method. I also discovered that calling early morning (around 8 AM) gets you better reps who actually understand gig work. For expenses, I only deduct mileage to keep it simple and avoid any audit complications. Been staying comfortably under the $260 net threshold this way and haven't had any overpayment issues. The partial benefits really help bridge the gap while job searching!

I've been doing gig work (mainly DoorDash and some Grubhub) while on UC for about 7 months now and can totally relate to the rep confusion! Here's what finally clicked for me: treat it like any other self-employment when talking to UC. When they ask about your "employer," just calmly explain that you're an independent contractor providing delivery services, and they usually get it better than trying to explain what DoorDash is. My weekly routine: track everything in a simple app (I use Everlance), report NET earnings after mileage deduction, and always use "Independent Contractor - Food Delivery" when filing. The $260 threshold is calculated on your net income, so mileage deduction is your best friend here. One thing that really helped was printing out a simple explanation sheet about gig work to reference when talking to reps - it keeps me from getting flustered when they ask weird questions like "who's your supervisor" (happened to me too!). Also, if you get a completely clueless rep, don't be afraid to politely end the call and try again - some of them genuinely just don't have the training for this stuff yet. The system definitely isn't built for modern gig work, but once you find your groove with consistent reporting, it gets much easier. Hang in there!

Does anyone use the Stride App? I have read through these comments and a few people have suggested manual inputing their income and expense data into a spreadsheet. I use Stride. As soon as I get my 1st order of the day, I turn on the app and have it track my mileage. When I'm done, I input my earnings for the day. And, voila good to go. The app does the calculation for the mileage deduction if you so choose. If you prefer to be a bit more meticulous, you can manually enter all expenses instead of using the mileage deduction. Also at any point, you can have a records spreadsheet sent to your email. There are many other features in the app these days, that I rarely use, as I feel it's become a bit bloated, but as a simple mileage tracker and record keeper, it's pretty awesome.

I've been doing DoorDash while on UC for about 3 months and finally got it figured out after a lot of trial and error! The key thing that helped me was calling UC and asking specifically for someone who handles "independent contractor" cases - apparently they have reps who actually understand this stuff, unlike the regular ones who kept asking me for my "boss's phone number" 🤦‍♀️ Here's my system: I track everything with the Stride app (turns on automatically when I start driving), report NET earnings after mileage deduction, and always put "Self-Employed - Independent Contractor" for employer info with my home address. The most important thing is staying consistent with your reporting format every single week. Also learned that you report income for the week you WORKED, not when you got paid - that was tripping me up initially. I try to keep my net earnings around $240-250 so I stay safely under that $260 threshold but still get decent partial benefits. It's actually working out pretty well while I job hunt since the flexibility lets me schedule interviews easily! One last tip - if you get a completely clueless rep, just politely say you need to speak with someone else. Don't waste your time trying to educate them about what gig work is!

I've been doing gig work (mostly Grubhub and some UberEats) while on UC for about 4 months now and can definitely relate to the rep confusion! What finally worked for me was getting really organized with my record-keeping and finding the right way to communicate with UC about it. My weekly process: I use a simple notebook to track daily earnings and miles, then calculate net income after the standard mileage deduction ($0.655/mile). When filing my weekly certification, I put "Self-Employed - Food Delivery Contractor" as the job title and my home address for employer info. The key is being super consistent with this format every single week. For dealing with confused reps, I learned to immediately ask for someone who handles "self-employment cases" rather than trying to explain what DoorDash is to someone who's never heard of it. This saves SO much time and frustration! The $260 threshold is based on your NET income after business deductions, so that mileage deduction really helps you stay under it while maximizing your earnings. I typically aim for around $240-250 net per week, which gives me a nice buffer and still provides decent partial UC benefits while I continue my job search. One thing that's been crucial - I always report earnings for the week I actually worked, not when I got paid. The apps usually pay a few days later, but UC wants to know about the week you performed the work. Keep detailed records of everything just in case they ever want to see them. Good luck!

I've been doing gig work (DoorDash and Instacart) while on UC for about 6 months now and went through the exact same frustrations with confused reps! Here's what finally made it smooth for me: First, I started using MileIQ to automatically track my driving - it runs in the background and categorizes trips so I don't have to remember to start/stop anything. For record keeping, I have a simple system: screenshot my daily earnings from each app, note the miles MileIQ tracked, and calculate my net income using the $0.655/mile deduction. The game changer was calling UC and saying "I need to speak with someone who handles independent contractor income reporting" right from the start. Regular reps just aren't trained on this stuff, but the specialized ones totally get it. When filing weekly, I put "Independent Contractor - Delivery Services" and my home address consistently every time. For the $260 threshold - that's based on NET income after your mileage deduction, not gross. So if I made $400 gross but drove 200 miles, I'd deduct $131 (200 × $0.655) and report $269 net. Still over the threshold, but much closer to that sweet spot where you keep partial benefits. Pro tip: I keep all my weekly calculations in a simple spreadsheet just in case they ever audit, but in 6 months they've never asked to see detailed records. The consistency in how you report seems to be what matters most to their system. The partial benefits really help bridge the gap while job hunting - hang in there, it gets easier once you find your routine!

I've been doing gig work (mainly DoorDash with some Grubhub) while on UC for about 2 months and this thread is SO helpful! I was getting really frustrated because every rep I talked to seemed completely lost when I mentioned delivery apps. Here's what I've learned from my experience plus all these great tips: I started using the Everlance app to track miles automatically (similar to Stride/MileIQ that others mentioned), and I keep a simple weekly log of gross earnings minus mileage deduction to get my net income. When filing, I always put "Self-Employed - Independent Contractor" and my home address. The biggest revelation from reading these comments is asking specifically for reps who handle "independent contractor" or "self-employment" cases - I had no idea that was even an option! I've been stuck trying to educate regular reps about what gig work is, which is clearly a waste of time. One question for everyone - I sometimes do both DoorDash and Grubhub in the same week. Do you report them as separate employers or combine the totals? I've been combining everything under "Self-Employed - Food Delivery" but wondering if that's the right approach. Thanks to everyone sharing their systems - it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one dealing with this confusion!

I've been doing a mix of DoorDash and UberEats while on UC for about 8 weeks now and finally have a system that works! Reading through all these responses is so validating - I thought I was the only one dealing with reps who act like they've never heard of food delivery apps before. My approach: I use Stride to auto-track miles (just turn it on when I start my first delivery and off when I'm done for the day), keep a simple Google Sheet with weekly totals, and always report NET income after the standard mileage deduction. For the UC system, I put "Self-Employed - Food Delivery Services" as employer with my home address. The absolute game-changer was learning to ask immediately for someone who handles "self-employment" cases when I call UC. Regular reps clearly aren't trained on this stuff, but the specialized ones understand it perfectly. No more 20-minute conversations trying to explain what DoorDash is! I typically aim to keep my net earnings around $240-250 per week so I stay comfortably under that $260 threshold while still getting decent partial benefits. The flexibility has been perfect for job hunting since I can easily schedule interviews without worrying about missing shifts. One tip I haven't seen mentioned - I always file my weekly certification at the exact same time each week (Sunday evenings) using the exact same format/wording. The UC system seems to really like consistency, and I haven't had any issues or audit requests in 2 months of doing this. Hang in there - once you get your system down, it's actually pretty manageable!