If you work as a gig worker with DoorDash and receive unemployment you may be concerned about DoorDash affecting that unemployment. You don’t want to lose your unemployment benefits but you also want to work with DoorDash to make some extra money.
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Does DoorDash Have An Impact On Unemployment Benefits?
Yes, DoorDash can have an impact on unemployment. In most cases, you are allowed to work for a delivery platform like DoorDash part time and still draw unemployment benefits. However, if you were to work full-time you would probably lose your unemployment benefits.
As long as you stick to the part-time hours you should be okay.
This means don’t overdo it by accepting too many orders or working too many days out of the week.
It could cost you your unemployment benefits.
Does DoorDash Count As An Employer?
DoorDash does not count as an employer. When you work for DoorDash as a driver, also known as a dasher, you are a gig worker not a DoorDash employee.
Gig workers are 1099 independent contractors. Therefore, you cannot count DoorDash as an employer. Some think that if they are making a regular income from dashing they can count this as being employed.
However, that’s not true. It’s actually a good thing when you think about it. If you are not employed then you have a better chance of receiving the maximum amount of unemployment benefits.
So no, you cannot count DoorDash an employer because you are a gig worker rather than an employee. DoorDash does not take the place of an employer.
Some delivery platforms may allow you to count them as an employer but DoorDash is not one of those companies. They will have a big problem if you went around telling people you were a DoorDash employee.
Am I Allowed to DoorDash While On Unemployment?
Yes, as mentioned earlier, you are allowed to DoorDash while on unemployment. The only catch is that you have to work only part-time. If you are pulling in full-time hours and income you may be destined to lose your unemployment benefits.
Unemployment is kind of picky and they will not give you a list of things you can and cannot do. So do your research and make sure you are allowed to do DoorDash while on unemployment.
If you don’t care about losing your unemployment benefits then you can go right ahead and work as many hours for DoorDash as you like or can handle.
Check with someone at the unemployment agency to make sure there is nothing stopping you from working for DoorDash.
Things change so often it can be a hard thing to keep up with. One day you may be allowed to work for DoorDash and the next day it may be against some rule.
You don’t want to just go ahead with working for DoorDash and possibly lose your DoorDash earnings. So reach out to people who should know the rules and tricks of the trade.
Do I Have to Report DoorDash Earnings?
Yes, you do have to report your DoorDash earnings to unemployment as well as the state. You don’t have to report your earnings to the IRS unless you make $600 or more from working for DoorDash.
You should definitely get in the habit of reporting your earnings. Even though you are an independent contractor you still owe taxes on your earnings. Failure to report these earnings could result in owing the IRS and other kinds of trouble that you don’t want to deal with.
Don’t think that your earnings are not taxable so you don’t have to report them. If you make any money, especially any amount over $600 you should report this.
I would even say report your earnings regardless of how much you make because you never know how much of a difference it can make.
Can I Get Unemployment While Working With DoorDash?
Yes, you can get unemployment while working with DoorDash. This is true in most cases and circumstances.
Unemployment does not currently say that you are not allowed to work for DoorDash while receiving benefits so I would say yes you can work with DoorDash while being on unemployment.Something to keep in mind is that you may or may not receive maximum benefits while working for DoorDash.
If you want to receive the maximum benefits I would check with unemployment to see if working for DoorDash would affect your getting the maximum benefits for unemployment.
Will DoorDash Affect Unemployment?
Yes and no. Yes, DoorDash can affect your unemployment. If you work more than part-time hours you could lose your benefits but if you work only part-time your unemployment benefits should not be bothered. You should be allowed to work as a gig worker for DoorDash without any problems.