This week
Car costs
IRS says total cost per mile averages $0.70. Wear + maintenance at $0.10-0.15 is typical for gig-compatible vehicles. Add more for luxury cars.
True take-home hourly
$15.79
Gross $23.21/hr · after gas, car wear, SE tax, and federal tax
Weekly waterfall
Weekly car cost
$110.70
Hourly (gross)
$23.21
Gap: gross vs. true
$7.42
What the app doesn't subtract for you
What the app doesn't subtract
Gas is the obvious cost
But it's only 30-40% of the real cost per mile. Use the MPG and local gas price to get an accurate draw on each mile driven.
Wear + maintenance is the silent killer
IRS says total cost per mile is $0.70 on average. Tires, brakes, oil, depreciation — every mile eats into the car's resale value. A reasonable floor is $0.10-$0.15/mi for compact cars.
Self-employment tax hits harder than W-2
15.3% SE tax on top of federal — you pay both halves of FICA as a 1099 worker. A $30/hr gross rate is often less than a $20/hr W-2 job once everything's netted out.