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.

I went through something similar when I started doing Shipt deliveries while on unemployment. The ESD agent told me the same thing about it being "employment" instead of self-employment, which had me really confused too. After doing some research and talking to other gig workers, I learned that all these delivery platforms (Instacart, Shipt, DoorDash, etc.) classify their workers as independent contractors in Washington state. You'll get a 1099 at the end of the year, not a W-2. For your weekly claims, definitely report it as self-employment and make sure you're tracking your earnings by the week you actually worked, not when the money hits your account. I keep a simple spreadsheet with dates, hours worked, and gross earnings to make filing easier. One tip: don't rely on just calling ESD for clarification on stuff like this. Their agents sometimes give conflicting information. The written guidelines on their website are usually more reliable, or you can check with the gig platform's tax resources - they usually have clear info about contractor status.

I'm new to gig work and unemployment but this thread has been incredibly helpful! I was actually considering signing up for Instacart this week and had no idea how complex the reporting could be. Based on what everyone is saying, it sounds like the key points are: - Report as self-employment, not regular employment - Use gross earnings before any fees/expenses - Report for the week you worked, not when paid - Keep detailed records One question though - when you say "gross earnings," does that include tips from customers? Or just the base pay from Instacart? I want to make sure I understand exactly what needs to be reported before I start. Also, has anyone had issues with ESD asking for proof of your gig work income later on? Just wondering what kind of documentation I should be keeping beyond the basic earnings records.

This is such a frustrating but common issue with ESD agents giving conflicting information! I do Instacart on weekends while collecting unemployment and had to figure this out the hard way too. You're absolutely right to question what that agent told you - Instacart drivers are 100% independent contractors (self-employed) in Washington state, not employees. Here's what I've learned from my experience: 1. Always report as "self-employment" on your weekly claim 2. Report your total gross earnings including tips, bonuses, and all payments before any deductions 3. Report earnings for the week you actually worked the hours, not when Instacart pays out 4. Your unemployment benefit gets reduced by 75% of whatever you earn (so if you make $100, your benefit drops by $75 that week) I keep screenshots of my weekly earnings from the Instacart shopper app and track everything in a simple notebook. Haven't had any issues with ESD questioning it when reported correctly as self-employment. The key is ignoring what individual agents tell you over the phone and following the actual written guidelines. Too many of them don't understand how gig work is classified. Good luck with the deliveries this weekend!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! I started doing Instacart last month while on unemployment and the conflicting information from ESD agents is driving me crazy. I've talked to three different agents and gotten three different answers about how to report it. What finally helped me was finding the actual Washington State Department of Labor & Industries classification guidelines online. They clearly state that app-based delivery drivers are independent contractors, not employees. The confusion seems to come from agents not being properly trained on gig economy work. For anyone starting gig work while on unemployment, here's what I wish someone had told me upfront: - Download a mileage tracking app (I use MileIQ) since you'll need this for taxes - Take screenshots of your weekly earnings summary from the app every Sunday - Report everything as self-employment income, including tips and any bonuses - Remember that even if you only work a few hours, you still need to report the income The system is definitely confusing but once you get into a routine it's manageable. Just don't trust everything the phone agents tell you - always double-check with the written guidelines on their website.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I was literally about to call ESD tomorrow to ask about this exact same thing before starting with Instacart next week. Reading everyone's experiences has saved me from potentially getting the same wrong information from an agent. It's really concerning how many people have gotten conflicting advice from ESD representatives about gig work classification. You'd think they would have standardized training on something as common as delivery apps by now! Based on all the advice here, I'm planning to: - Report everything as self-employment from day one - Keep detailed records with screenshots from the app - Track my miles for tax purposes - Report gross earnings including all tips and bonuses One thing I'm still wondering about - has anyone had experience with ESD ever questioning or auditing their gig work income reporting? I'm a bit paranoid about making sure I do everything perfectly from the start to avoid any issues down the road. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. This community is so much more helpful than trying to navigate ESD's phone system!

I'm jumping in as someone who's been doing various gig work (Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats) while on unemployment for about 6 months now. The agent you spoke with was absolutely wrong - all these platforms treat their workers as independent contractors, not employees. Here's my tried-and-true process for reporting gig income: 1. Log into your weekly claim and select "self-employment" 2. Report your TOTAL gross earnings for that work week (including base pay, tips, bonuses, everything) 3. Report it for the week you actually worked, not when the payment cleared 4. Keep screenshots of your weekly earnings from each app you use I learned the hard way that some ESD agents really don't understand gig work classification. I got burned early on by following bad advice from a phone rep and had to spend weeks sorting it out. Now I just follow the written guidelines and ignore what individual agents tell me unless they can point me to specific documentation. The silver lining is that with the 75% earnings deduction rule for self-employment, you can still collect partial benefits even when doing decent gig work. Just stay under your full benefit amount if you want to receive something that week. Pro tip: Download the Stride app for automatic mileage tracking - you'll need it for taxes and it makes everything so much easier than manual tracking!