DoorDash requirements for drivers who already work full time

The short answer

To drive for DoorDash you must be at least 18 (19 in 13 states, and 21 for new applicants in California). You also need a Social Security number and a smartphone, and you have to pass a background check. Car Dashers need a valid US driver’s license and personal auto insurance, and any make, model or year of car is accepted. In select cities you can deliver by bike with a state ID or passport instead of a license. You apply in the app, and most background checks clear within a day, though one to two weeks isn’t unusual.

Time cost: one evening to apply, then roughly 4 to 6 hours a weekend around the lunch and dinner rushes. Weeknights are optional.

Every requirement in one place

DoorDash’s official requirements page is short, which helps if you already have a day job. You don’t interview, there’s no minimum number of shifts, and in DoorDash’s words, “There are no car year requirements.” The page doesn’t ask for a minimum number of years of driving experience either. What you need depends mostly on how you plan to deliver.

However you deliver, you need a Social Security number and an iPhone or Android phone, and you have to agree to a background check that includes a national criminal check and an SSN trace. Walking isn’t listed as a delivery option in the US.

If you’re also weighing up ride-hailing, our guide to Uber requirements for evening and weekend drivers covers the same ground for Uber.

The age rules, state by state

In most states the minimum age is 18. In Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and West Virginia it is 19. California sets the minimum at 21 for new applicants, and Dashers who were already active there aren’t affected. Older blog posts sometimes give different state lists, so go by DoorDash’s own pages.

Alcohol has a separate rule. To deliver it you must be 21 or older, and some states add a compliance module, a delivery permit or an extra background check. DoorDash tells you if any of these apply. At drop-off you scan the customer’s physical ID in the app, and alcohol can never be left at the door. If you’d rather not deal with any of this after a long week, you can opt out of alcohol orders in your Dasher preferences, and your other orders aren’t affected.

How the background check works

DoorDash uses third-party providers, including Checkr, and its background check FAQ explains the process. You get a criminal history report, plus a motor vehicle report if you’ll drive a car, motorcycle or scooter. Most checks finish within a day, but DoorDash says one to two weeks “is not uncommon” because DMV and county offices can be slow. A “Consider” review usually takes about 5 business days, and DoorDash says it can’t speed the process up.

If something on your report could disqualify you, you’ll get a Pre-Adverse Action notice with a copy of the report, and you have 14 days to dispute it. Errors are disputed through the Checkr Candidate Portal, which can take up to 30 days. DoorDash doesn’t publish a list of offenses that rule you out, so be wary of sites that claim to know the exact cutoffs. Checks can also be rerun after you’re approved, and Checkr offers continuous monitoring that can report new offenses.

Signing up, step by step

You can do the whole application on a weeknight after dinner:

1. Register on the DoorDash Dasher sign-up page with your zip code, email and phone number.
2. Download the Dasher app.
3. Choose your vehicle type. The app only shows the options available in your area, so this is also how you find out whether bike delivery is offered near you.
4. Upload a government ID and take a selfie.
5. Consent to the background check.
6. Choose how you want to be paid.

DoorDash mails a free welcome kit with a hot bag and a Red Card after your first completed delivery, and it takes 3 to 7 business days to arrive. Bring an insulated bag from home for your first shift. Any new-Dasher offers in your area are covered in our post on DoorDash promo codes and new Dasher bonuses.

Account sharing is grounds for deactivation, and DoorDash runs real-time selfie checks to catch it. If your partner wants to dash too, they need their own account, even if you share the car.

How pay and scheduling work once you’re approved

Each offer shows a guaranteed minimum payout before you accept it. According to DoorDash’s pay explanation, base pay runs from $2 to $10 or more depending on estimated time, distance and how desirable the order is. Dashers keep 100% of tips, and promotions such as Peak Pay and Challenges vary by person, place and time. In select cities, Earn by Time pays a guaranteed minimum rate for active time, plus tips. The catch is that you can decline only one offer per hour, a second decline ends your session, and once you switch modes you have to wait at least an hour before switching back.

You can schedule dashes ahead or tap “Dash Now”, but Dash Now only works when your area needs more Dashers. If you only have a fixed window, schedule your dashes ahead. DoorDash says the busiest times are lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and dinner (4:30 to 8 p.m.). Dasher Rewards looks at your acceptance rate, completion rate and customer rating. You’re allowed to decline offers, but a low completion rate or rating can cost you access to perks or your account.

What a weekend evening might pay

Gridwise, an earnings tracking app, found that the average Dasher earned $12.43 gross per active hour in 2025, and that figure leaves out waiting between orders. Here’s an example with our assumptions labelled. Say you dash the Saturday dinner rush for 3.5 hours and are on an order 70% of that time (our assumption). That’s about 2.45 active hours, or roughly $30 gross at the average rate.

Gridwise also says vehicle costs can approach $1 per mile once depreciation is included. If the shift covers 25 miles (also our assumption), most of that $30 could go on fuel, wear and lost value. Local tips, promotions and distances can push it either way. Some places set pay floors. California’s Prop 22 guarantees 120% of local minimum wage for active time, plus $0.37 a mile in 2026, and New York City’s minimum pay rate for app delivery workers is $22.13 from April 1, 2026. We’d use the national average as a cautious starting point. For a fuller look at the trade-off, see DoorDash on weekends: is it worth it next to a day job?

Weekly payouts arrive by free direct deposit 2 to 3 business days after each Monday to Sunday week ends. Fast Pay costs $1.99 per cash-out, up to once a day, once you have 25 lifetime deliveries and 14 days active, plus a non-prepaid debit card that has been on file for 7 days. DoorDash Crimson, a free banking account, pays out instantly after each dash.

Before you start: your day job

Before you apply, check your employee handbook or contract for clauses on “outside employment”, “moonlighting” or conflicts of interest. Rules vary by employer and state. A California employment law firm notes that employers there can often legally fire someone over a second job, especially when there’s a written policy or the side work hurts their performance. Delivery rarely competes with an office job, but it could if you work for a restaurant group or another delivery company. Never accept offers during work hours, and don’t run the Dasher app on a company phone.

Taxes on top of a paycheck

DoorDash doesn’t withhold tax. You’ll get a 1099-NEC if you’re paid $2,000 or more (for payments made after December 31, 2025), but you owe tax on all of it either way, and the IRS expects gig income to be reported even without a form. If your net self-employment earnings reach $400, you also owe self-employment tax of 15.3%.

Your W-2 job makes this easier. If you expect to owe $1,000 or more, you’d normally need to make estimated payments, but the IRS says salaried workers can ask their employer to withhold more instead by filing a new Form W-4 with an extra amount. Log your miles from your first shift. The IRS standard rate for 2026 is 72.5 cents a mile from January to June and 76 cents from July to December. This is general information and not tax advice, so check your own figures with a tax professional.

Your own car is the gap

During active deliveries, DoorDash’s liability insurance covers up to $1,000,000 in damage to third parties in most states. It only applies when you’re at fault, and it doesn’t pay to repair your own car. Many personal auto policies count delivery as business use and may deny claims, so call your insurer before your first shift, especially if the car is on a shared family policy.

Will this wear you out?

Dashing takes less mental effort than most side work, so it can suit a tired Saturday. The cost shows up in other ways: driving after a full work week, hunting for apartment numbers in the dark, and waiting in restaurant lobbies. Short, fixed blocks are easier to sustain than sessions where you plan to stop once it gets slow. Demand shifts with holidays, weather and the school calendar, so judge it on a month of results rather than one quiet night.

A realistic weekend schedule

On Saturday, keep the morning and early afternoon for family and errands, dash the dinner rush from 4:30 to 7:30, then eat at home. On Sunday, dash a lunch block from 11 to 1:30 and leave the rest of the day free, apart from ten minutes logging miles and earnings. That comes to about 5.5 hours and still leaves both mornings and one full evening for yourself.

Scaling it gently

Before adding hours, try earning more per hour. Stick to peak windows, keep your completion rate healthy so Dasher Rewards works for you, and test Earn by Time if your city has it. If you still want more, add one weeknight dinner block before you give up another weekend afternoon. Some people also compare apps at this point, and our DoorDash vs Instacart comparison may help.