As a Dasher, you might ask yourself an interesting question – can someone else DoorDash for me? When you sign up to be a Dasher, you’re signing up as an independent contractor, rather than as an employee. This means, in theory, you could subcontract your services and have someone else Dash for you.
There’s not much reason you’d want someone else to Dash for you though. Even if you did, it’d make your taxes much more complicated.
Instead, a more likely situation is whether you can have someone help you do your DoorDash deliveries. The answer is that DoorDash explicitly allows Dashers to bring a helper or have others accompany them on deliveries. However, they do require that anyone helping with deliveries also have a valid Dasher account and pass the DoorDash background check.
In this post, we’ll go into more detail about whether you can have someone else DoorDash for you and discuss why you would want to do this.
Can Someone Else DoorDash For Me?
DoorDash explicitly states that you can have someone else help you with your DoorDash deliveries. For instance, on the DoorDash website, they state the following:
As an independent contractor, you are free to choose the method by which you perform the delivery. It is entirely up to you to complete the delivery service yourself or to delegate the tasks to your employee or subcontractor. Someone else may drive for you or help you drop off deliveries, however, they must have a valid Dasher account as well. (Source: DoorDash).
This is fairly interesting. According to DoorDash, you can subcontract all of your services to a subcontractor, so long as they have a valid Dasher account and have passed a background check. The independent contractor agreement confirms this information as well, providing the following in Section IX of the agreement:
CONTRACTOR is not required to perform any Contracted Services personally, but may, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the terms of this Agreement, hire or engage others (as employees or subcontractors of CONTRACTOR) to perform all or some of the Contracted Services, provided any such employees or subcontractors meet all the requirements applicable to CONTRACTOR including, but not limited to, accepting the terms of this Agreement, separately completing the process to receive Delivery Opportunities, and being eligible to provide the Contracted Services in the geographic location. (Source: DoorDash).
In practical terms, it’s unlikely you’d make use of this provision, as subcontracting your Dasher account doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’ve never heard of anyone paying people to do their deliveries and there’s not really any way you’d make enough money to be able to pay someone to do the deliveries for you. There’s only one specific use case scenario I could imagine and technically, you’d be violating the independent contractor agreement (more on that in the next section).
I think the most important language from DoorDash is where they say you are free to choose the method by which you perform the delivery. This gives you a lot of options in how you complete your deliveries since you could bring helpers with you or use any vehicle type you’d like to do your deliveries.
Why Would You Want To Do This?
There are a few reasons you’d care about the ability to subcontract your services or have someone else DoorDash for you. The main thing is to have helpers help you with your deliveries or to bring family or friends to keep you company or make your deliveries easier.
Here’s a look at all the reasons you’d want to use helpers with your DoorDash deliveries:
1. Have Company While You’re Working
DoorDash can be an isolating experience, especially if you’re working long hours. Sure, you can have some interaction with customers and restaurant workers, but most of the time, you’re working by yourself.
If you prefer being around others, having someone come with you on your deliveries can make your delivery experience a lot more pleasant.
2. Be More Efficient
Another reason you might want to have someone else with you when you’re doing deliveries is to help with your efficiency. If you’re using a car, for example, having someone with you can make it easier for you to park your car. One person can run into the restaurant or deliver the food while the other person stays in the car.
Having a second set of hands to help you carry large orders can be helpful too. And if you’re unfamiliar with where you’re going, having a navigator help you with directions can also be useful.
3. Spend Time With Family While Working
There aren’t a lot of jobs where you can bring your family with you while you’re working. In theory, you can bring your kids with you while you’re doing DoorDash. If you have young children, you’ll save a lot of money on babysitters if you can bring your children with you while you’re working.
I make use of this most days on my way home from my son’s daycare. We bike commute each day, so on our way home, I’ll always turn on the DoorDash app and see if I can get some orders going back towards my house. I’m able to make a little extra money this way, all while my son is riding with me on our way home from school. I call this monetizing my life – where I get paid to do things I’m already doing.
Interestingly enough, I find that I sometimes get increased tips when I’m biking with my son. Maybe people feel bad for me when they see me with a young kid.
For couples, DoorDash can also be a way to get outside with your significant other. I’ve occasionally done DoorDash with my wife, where we’d bike around the city while doing deliveries. We get some exercise and can explore the city and get paid while we do it.
4. Improved Safety
Another reason you might want to enlist a helper while you’re Dashing is for improved safety. There’s always safety in numbers and if you’re worried about your vehicle being stolen or getting robbed when you’re working, having a second person with you can help with those fears.
5. Rent Your Account To Others
A final thing I’ve heard some people do is to rent their Dasher account to others. This technically isn’t legit and is a violation of your independent contractor agreement depending on how you do it, so I’d caution against this.
A common situation is where someone can’t sign up as a Dasher because they can’t pass their background check. Perhaps they had a DUI in the past that disqualifies them from Dashing.
In this scenario, some people may rent their account to others, allowing the other person to earn income from DoorDash in exchange for a fee or a percentage of the earnings.
My issue with doing this is that, beyond the fact it would violate the independent contractor agreement, it’s also risky to give someone else access to your Dasher account. It also makes your taxes far more complicated since DoorDash will still issue a 1099 in your name. For all these reasons, I don’t recommend renting your Dasher account to others.
Final Thoughts
Can someone else DoorDash for me? The answer is, yes, someone else can DoorDash for you. But most likely, you’re never going to do that because there are few situations where it would make sense.
The more likely situation is to enlist helpers to assist you with your deliveries. Bringing someone with you can improve efficiency, especially if you’re using a car. And it can make the experience a lot more enjoyable.
Candace Cassidy says
I would sure like that. I would like someone’s drive me and then we have a doordasher account as well.