Amazon Flex drivers are independent contractors, and Amazon does not withhold federal or state taxes from your block pay. That is a meaningful difference from a traditional delivery job: the amount you see for a completed block is closer to gross revenue for a small delivery business than to a paycheck, and it still has to cover self-employment tax and income tax before you know what you actually kept.
Unlike some rideshare and delivery apps, Amazon Flex pay is generally structured around scheduled delivery blocks rather than individual customer tips, so most of your income shows up as a block-based payment rather than a per-order gratuity. Amazon reports this income on Form 1099-NEC once you cross the applicable reporting threshold for the year, but you are required to report all Flex income even if you do not receive a form.
Mileage is one of the most valuable deductions for a Flex driver, since the job is built entirely around driving between a delivery station or warehouse and customer stops. Miles driven while actively working a block - including the driving between stops - generally count as business mileage, while the commute from home to the delivery station and back is typically treated as ordinary commuting and is not deductible. A simple mileage log kept during each block is the easiest way to support this deduction later.
Self-employment tax applies to Flex income the same way it applies to any other 1099 driving work: you are responsible for both the employee and employer portions of Social Security and Medicare tax, a combined 15.3% on net profit, in addition to regular federal income tax. Because blocks can vary week to week depending on availability and demand, income can be uneven, which makes it easy to underestimate the total tax due if you are only thinking about a single strong week.
Because nothing is withheld, quarterly estimated tax payments are often necessary for regular Flex drivers. A practical approach is to total up your block pay for the quarter, subtract mileage and other business expenses to estimate net profit, then apply an estimated tax rate to that profit rather than to the gross amount Amazon paid you.
Vehicle wear, phone data usage for the Flex app, and any delivery bags or equipment you purchase can also factor into your deductible expenses. Keeping block schedules, mileage logs, and receipts organized throughout the year makes both tax time and quarterly planning far less stressful.
Run a quarterly estimate, calculate your SE tax, or use the mileage deduction calculator to turn your block-driving log into a deduction estimate.
Related guides: DoorDash driver taxes and Instacart shopper taxes.