Confused about reporting Instacart income to ESD - Self-employment or employer?

I've been doing Instacart while on unemployment for the past few months. You definitely need to report the income, but the agent is wrong - Instacart drivers are independent contractors (self-employed), not employees. When filing your weekly claim, you select "self-employment" and report your GROSS earnings (before expenses) for the week you performed the work, not when you get paid. You'll need to keep track of your miles and other expenses for tax purposes, but for ESD weekly claims, you only report the gross amount. Just make sure you're accurately reporting which days you worked.

i do doordash not instacart but its all the same thing for unemployment. your a 1099 worker not w2. thats self employment and u report what u make before expenses. some weeks i dont even report if i only make like $50 cause its not worth the headache lol

The ESD agent was definitely wrong!!! I had THE EXACT SAME ISSUE last year. I was doing Uber Eats which is basically the same thing as Instacart. I reported it as regular employment at first because that's what someone at ESD told me to do, and it completely messed up my claim!!!! Then I got a different agent who fixed it and explained that gig work like Instacart, Uber, DoorDash etc. is SELF-EMPLOYMENT. You need to report the gross amount (before fees and expenses). The system is SO BROKEN that even their own agents give out wrong information. I swear half of them don't know what they're talking about.

I'm not an Instacart driver but my daughter is and she had to file a Schedule C for taxes because its self-employment. My understanding is that gig workers like that are independent contractors not employees. Hope that helps!

I've been dealing with this exact issue! It was impossible to get clear information from ESD directly. After weeks of trying to call and getting nowhere, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to finally reach an agent who properly understood gig work. They have this video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent I spoke with confirmed that Instacart and similar gig work should be reported as self-employment, and you need to report your gross earnings before expenses or platform fees are taken out. Also important: report earnings for the week you WORKED, not when you get paid.

The confusion probably comes from California's AB5 law that classified gig workers as employees, but that's not the case in Washington. Here, Instacart shoppers are definitely independent contractors (self-employed). When reporting your earnings, you should: 1. Select "self-employment" on your weekly claim 2. Report gross earnings before expenses 3. Report earnings for the week you performed the work 4. Keep detailed records of all income and expenses Since your benefit amount is reduced by 75% of your reported earnings, tracking properly is important. For example, if you earn $100 from Instacart, your weekly benefit would be reduced by $75.

anyone know if u can just pause ur claim for a week if u make too much on gigs? like if i know im gonna make more than my benefit amount can i just not file that week and resume next week?

To provide some clarity on this issue: Under Washington state regulations, gig workers for platforms like Instacart, Uber, DoorDash, etc. are classified as independent contractors (self-employed), not employees. When reporting this income on your weekly claim, you must: - Select the self-employment option - Report gross earnings (before expenses, fees, or taxes) - Report for the week you performed the work (not when paid) - Keep detailed documentation of your earnings The ESD system will reduce your weekly benefit amount by 75% of your reported earnings. If your earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you won't receive benefits for that week but can continue claiming in future weeks. This is different from regular W-2 employment where you report 100% of your earnings. The distinction is important for proper benefit calculation.

Just be careful about how many hours you're working too!!! Remember you have to be available for full-time work to qualify for benefits. If you're spending too many hours on Instacart they might decide you're not available for regular employment and disqualify you. I think the magic number is less than 17 hours per week but DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT.