What documentation does ESD need for Instacart self-employment earnings? Help!

When I did DoorDash last year, ESD wanted me to upload proof of my earnings. I sent them screenshots from the app showing my weekly pay summary and that worked fine. Make sure it clearly shows the dates that match your reporting period. They're just verifying you reported the correct amount.

They typically need documentation that shows: 1. Your name 2. The dates you worked 3. The amount you earned 4. The company name (Instacart) The best documentation would be: - Weekly earnings statements from Instacart - Any 1099 info (though you probably don't have this yet) - Bank deposits showing payments from Instacart I recommend uploading multiple forms of proof if possible. They're just verifying you're accurately reporting income while on benefits.

OMG they made me upload so much stuff when i did amazon flex!!! took FOREVER to get paid cuz they kept saying my docs werent good enough. such a mess.

I had this exact problem with Instacart last month! They want the earnings summary that shows your total earnings for that week. Make sure it shows your name somewhere too. The weekly deposit confirmation email from Instacart works perfect - it has all the info they need. If you can't find it, check your spam folder!

In addition to what others have said, make sure you're setting aside money for taxes. ESD doesn't withhold taxes from your benefits, and Instacart doesn't withhold taxes from your earnings either. As a self-employed person, you'll need to pay quarterly estimated taxes if your combined income is high enough. I learned this the hard way!

anyone else get tired of tryingn to call esd a million times just to ask simple questions like this??? took me 3 DAYS to get through about my self employment question last month

One more thing - if you keep doing Instacart while on unemployment, you'll need to report these earnings each week. Make sure you're keeping detailed records of exactly what you earn each week based on ESD's weekly claim period (Sunday through Saturday). Many gig workers get confused because payment might arrive on a different week than when the work was performed, but ESD wants you to report based on when you performed the work, not when you got paid.

Also, don't forget to report your work hours to ESD! This is separate from reporting your earnings. They need to know how many hours you worked with Instacart each week. This affects your weekly benefit amount calculation.

For tracking gig work hours, I use a simple spreadsheet that tracks: - Time I start the app and make myself available - Active delivery time - Waiting time between orders ESD considers all of this as work time, even when you're waiting for orders. If the app is on and you're available, you're technically working according to their guidelines. This is really important because if you work too many hours, you might not be eligible for benefits that week regardless of how little you earned.