What I’d Track After a Holiday Uber Eats Weekend
Gary WhittakerJack Righteous • Uber earnings worksheet • Updated October 21, 2026
A holiday shift may look impressive in your app while leaving less money than expected after waiting, vehicle costs and unpaid kilometres. Use this worksheet to compare actual operating profit per hour—not earnings screenshots—whether you deliver with Uber Eats or carry passengers with Uber.
Choose an Uber opportunity
Compare passenger driving and deliveries
Uber Driver — passenger rides
Use an eligible four-door car and meet rideshare screening, insurance, licence and local rules.
Check passenger-driver signup →Referral code: p7sthx1
Uber Eats — delivery
Use an eligible local transport method and track actual food or shopping-order economics.
Check Uber Eats delivery signup →Referral code: mjcfdbc
Referral disclosure: I may receive a referral benefit if Uber treats the signup as eligible. Local offers and required work vary; approval, payouts and income are not guaranteed.
1. Six numbers worth recording after every shift
1. Gross app earnings
Use the app's earnings statement for the shift, including tips already counted. Don't add those tips a second time.
2. Online time vs active time
Record when you went online and offline, not just minutes spent on accepted trips.
3. Business kilometres
Track all relevant work-related kilometres and distinguish paid trip distance from unpaid repositioning.
4. Vehicle and delivery costs
Fuel or charging, maintenance, wear, parking, tolls and other appropriate expenses.
5. Waiting and cancellations
Record restaurant preparation, shopping, pickup waits and time spent online without completed offers.
6. Income tax/GST-HST reserve
Keep tax reserves and applicable sales-tax obligations separate from operating costs and profit calculations.
Uber provides daily and weekly delivery totals plus details in its app, but you still need your own vehicle and time records. Source: Uber Canada: tracking earnings.
2. Keep operating profit and tax reserves separate
Estimated operating profit before tax = gross earnings (including tips counted once) − estimated operating costs.
Estimated operating profit per online hour = operating profit before tax ÷ total hours online.
A tax reserve is not an operating expense in the calculation above. Once you estimate your operating profit, set aside an appropriate amount separately for income taxes and any sales-tax obligations. How much you should reserve depends on your tax situation.
Avoid counting tips twice: if your Uber earnings total already includes tips, don't add them again. Keep temporary referral bonuses or guarantees on a separate line so you don't mistake a one-time incentive for normal pay.
3. A reusable one-shift worksheet
Shift date: __________ City/zone: __________
Work type: Passenger rides / Uber Eats food / Shop & Deliver
CA$ ________
________ hours
________ km
CA$ ________
________
________ minutes
Estimated operating profit: CA$ __________
Profit per total online hour: CA$ __________ / hour
Separate tax reserve estimate: CA$ __________
You can copy these fields into a notebook or spreadsheet after each shift. Keep actual receipts and app records for business reporting; this simple worksheet is not a substitute for formal tax records.
4. Compare holiday shifts with normal weekends
Canadian Thanksgiving 2026 was October 12. To review October 9–12, compare shifts against similar non-holiday days: same area, similar hours and the same work type wherever practical.
- Compare weekday dinner with weekday dinner—not a holiday six-hour shift against a normal one-hour test.
- Keep restaurant pickup, grocery shopping and passenger trips distinct; their delays and operating costs differ.
- Compare profit per total online hour alongside total shift profit, not just the single highest tip or trip.
- Exclude one-off incentives when assessing what you could reasonably repeat.
For a delivery-specific longer sample, use the 25-Delivery Profit Test. For the October holiday comparison see passenger rides vs Uber Eats at Thanksgiving.
5. Canadian income tax and GST/HST matter
The Canada Revenue Agency says gig workers should report self-employment income and keep supporting records for earnings and eligible expenses. Passenger rideshare and delivery may have different GST/HST registration obligations: commercial passenger rideshare generally requires registration from the start, regardless of the $30,000 small-supplier threshold that may otherwise apply to delivery-only income. Québec also has provincial tax considerations.
Use the CRA gig-economy tax guide and CRA rideshare registration guidance to check which rules apply, then see Uber Driver Taxes 2026 for a broader starting point.
6. Comparing Uber passenger rides with deliveries
If you qualify for both Uber passenger driving and Uber Eats, compare them using the same recordkeeping method but track their expenses separately. Passenger driving often involves stricter vehicle, insurance, inspection and licensing requirements, while restaurant and grocery orders add different waiting and shopping costs.
Use the Uber Driver and Uber Eats comparison guide to choose the correct signup path. The better opportunity is the one for which you qualify and can achieve a sustainable net result.
Choose an Uber opportunity
Compare passenger driving and deliveries
Uber Driver — passenger rides
Use an eligible four-door car and meet rideshare screening, insurance, licence and local rules.
Check passenger-driver signup →Referral code: p7sthx1
Uber Eats — delivery
Use an eligible local transport method and track actual food or shopping-order economics.
Check Uber Eats delivery signup →Referral code: mjcfdbc
Referral disclosure: I may receive a referral benefit if Uber treats the signup as eligible. Local offers and required work vary; approval, payouts and income are not guaranteed.
