Know what
you’re owed.
New York City law provides powerful pay rights protections to app-based delivery workers. Use this free toolkit to check your earnings with our Pay Calculator, spot hidden wage violations, and learn how to recover money you are owed.
Effective April 1, 2026. Adjusts every April for inflation. Your tips are paid on top — never counted toward this.
NYC guarantees app-based food and grocery delivery workers a minimum pay rate before tips, weekly payment, transparent pay statements, the right to keep their tips, and protection from unjustified deactivation. These rules apply whether you work for Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, Relay, Instacart, or another covered app, and whether the company labels you an employee or independent contractor. If you’re being underpaid, an experienced NYC wage and hour attorney can help you recover what you’re owed.
Minimum pay rate
$22.13/hour before tips — guaranteed for your trip time.
Weekly pay & clear statements
Paid on time, every week, with a pay statement you can read.
Your tips are yours
Tips are paid on top of the minimum — never counted toward it.
Protection from deactivation
No unjustified deactivation — and the right to appeal.
Run your week through the pay calculator
As of April 1, 2026, NYC’s minimum pay rate for delivery workers is $22.13 per hour before tips, with annual adjustments for inflation. The rate applies to your trip time at minimum, and your tips must be paid on top of it — never counted toward it. Use the calculator below to compare what you actually earned against what NYC law requires. If the result shows a shortfall, you may be owed back pay and additional penalties.
Total hours you were logged in and available, plus trip time.
Your base/trip pay only. Do not include tips here.
Tips must be paid on top of the minimum — they never count toward it.
This is an estimate for general information only, not legal advice. Your actual recovery depends on your records and the facts of your case.
The ways apps shortchange drivers — and what each one means
Tap any issue to learn more. Each has a full guide.
You’re paid below NYC’s minimum pay rate, your weekly pay arrives late, or your app deducts fees it isn’t entitled to. Wage theft costs delivery workers millions every year. Read the full guide →
Your tips were hidden, withheld, or counted toward the minimum pay rate instead of being paid on top of it. Apps that suppressed tips have now been ordered to stop and to pay workers what was lost. Read the full guide →
Most delivery workers are classified as independent contractors, but NYC’s pay protections still apply. If you’re misclassified, you may also be owed overtime, benefits, and other employee protections. Read the full guide →
You’re not being paid for time spent waiting between trips, navigating the app, or completing deliveries before deactivation. Whether on-call time counts depends on which pay method your app uses. Read the full guide →
Four steps to build a strong claim
Document everything
Save weekly pay statements, screenshots of online status and trip history, customer receipts showing tips, and any messages with the app’s support team. The more records you keep, the stronger your case.
Talk to an attorney
A wage and hour lawyer at Lipsky Lowe can review your records, calculate what you’re owed, and pursue your claim in court or before DCWP. Wage cases proceed at no out-of-pocket cost to the worker.
Know what you can recover
You may be owed back pay for unpaid wages and tips, $200 for each late payment, and up to three times the unpaid amount in liquidated damages. Apps that violate the law may also be ordered to pay your attorney’s fees.
File with DCWP
We can help you file a complaint with the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (here), or, in the alternative, pursue a lawsuit to recover what you are owed and other damages.
NYC law protects you from unjustified deactivation
Apps can only deactivate you for a stated reason, must provide that reason in writing, and in most cases must give advance notice before permanently removing you from the platform. You have the right to appeal — both through the app’s process and through DCWP — and the app cannot withhold pay for deliveries you already completed before the deactivation.
- A written reason is required before you’re permanently removed.
- You keep the right to appeal — and to be paid for completed deliveries.
- Deactivated for setting a legal limit, or for a pay complaint? That may be illegal retaliation. Save the notice and call an attorney.
Questions from NYC delivery drivers
Don’t see yours? Ask us directly — consultations are free and confidential.
As of April 1, 2026, NYC’s minimum pay rate for app-based food and grocery delivery workers is $22.13 per hour before tips. The rate adjusts every April 1 for inflation.
Yes. As of January 26, 2026, grocery delivery apps must pay the same minimum rate, follow the same tip rules, and meet the same transparency requirements as food delivery apps.
Most app delivery workers are classified as independent contractors. NYC’s delivery worker protections apply to you either way, but if you’re misclassified as a contractor, you may also be owed overtime and other employee benefits.
No. Tips belong to you and must be paid in addition to the minimum pay rate. Apps that suppress, hide, or count tips toward the minimum are violating NYC law.
No. Retaliation for raising a pay complaint, joining a workers’ organization, or filing a complaint with DCWP is illegal under NYC and state law. Save any related messages and contact an attorney if it happens.
NYC’s delivery worker laws protect you regardless of immigration status. You have the same right to the minimum pay rate, tips, and protection from retaliation as any other delivery worker, and DCWP does not check immigration status.
We’ll calculate what you’re owed — and pursue it.
For over 40 years, we’ve represented New York workers in wage and hour cases against employers and platforms of every size. If you suspect an app or restaurant employer is shortchanging you, we’ll review your records, calculate what you’re owed, and pursue your claim — often at no out-of-pocket cost to you. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation.
