Earn by Time can cover the wait on an accepted delivery, but it does not pay the advertised hourly rate for your entire shift. Earn per Offer gives you a guaranteed minimum for each offer before you accept. Which works better depends on the actual pay, tips, miles and time in your market.
My original October 2024 test left me describing lower tips and longer trips on Earn by Time. That was my experience, not a controlled comparison proving one mode always wins. I still think you need to test comparable shifts before deciding.
What changes between the two modes
| Pay mode | How base pay works | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Earn per Offer | You see a guaranteed minimum for the offer before accepting. | Pickup waits can stretch the time needed to earn that amount. |
| Earn by Time | The active hourly rate applies while completing an accepted delivery. | Waiting between offers is different from active delivery time. |
DoorDash’s pay explanation defines active time from accepting an offer until completing it, with tips and applicable promotions added. Check the rate and availability shown in your app. Sources checked September 10, 2026.
A $16 active rate does not guarantee $16 for every hour out
Illustrative example, not a current DoorDash rate or my earnings: suppose you spend four hours on a shift, with three hours of active delivery time at $16 per active hour. That produces $48 in base pay. Add $12 in finalized tips and the shift totals $60.
Divide $60 by the four hours you committed to working: $15 per hour before expenses. Dividing only by the three active hours would show $20, but would leave out the other hour.
Now compare an Earn per Offer shift over the same four hours. If it also paid $60, the gross hourly result would be the same. Mileage and other costs could still make one shift better than the other. An attractive active rate alone cannot settle the question.
Worked comparison: higher pay can still leave less money
These are invented shifts to demonstrate the calculation, not my earnings or a DoorDash pay forecast. Both take four hours. For this example only, use $0.30 per mile as an assumed vehicle cost. Replace it with your own estimate, including fuel, maintenance and wear. This is not a tax mileage rate.
| Measure | Earn by Time | Earn per Offer |
|---|---|---|
| Total shift time | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| Total pay, including finalized tips | $72 | $68 |
| All work miles | 80 miles | 50 miles |
| Assumed vehicle cost at $0.30/mile | $24 | $15 |
| Pay minus assumed vehicle cost | $48 | $53 |
| Per total shift hour, before taxes and other costs | $12.00 | $13.25 |
Earn by Time brought in $4 more, but the extra 30 miles added $9 in assumed vehicle costs. Earn per Offer left $5 more over the same four hours. Reverse the mileage or payouts and the result could reverse too.
The break-even number: with those same hours and miles, the Earn by Time shift would need $77 in total pay to match the other shift’s $53 after assumed vehicle costs. That is $9 more gross pay than the $68 Earn per Offer shift.
For your own comparison, calculate (total pay minus estimated vehicle costs) divided by total shift hours. Include the drive back to your work area. Keep parking and tolls separate if your per-mile estimate does not include them, and subtract those too. Repeat across similar shifts before choosing a mode.
Check the decline and unassignment rules
DoorDash’s Earn by Time guide says you can decline or unassign one offer per hour; a second can end the session. Declining while already on a delivery is an exception to that limit. Unassigning generally means no pay for time spent on that delivery and can affect completion rate. Check the current app instructions before acting.
The same guide says tips may be less frequent in this mode. That supports treating tips as a variable, but it does not prove my old theory that other drivers’ declines caused the particular offers I received.
A slow restaurant is only one part of the decision
A 20-minute restaurant wait feels different when the active time is paid. But that does not automatically make the full trip worthwhile. Look at the distance, the final drop-off and how long you wait for the next offer.
Do not compare the best order from one mode with the worst order from the other. Record several similar shifts and see what the full day looks like.
Use the free tracker for your own DoorDash test
Download the weekly shift tracker (Excel, 7 KB). It calculates each shift’s hourly return after tracked costs and received pay per mile.
- Label the mode. In the App(s) / market column, enter “DoorDash Earn by Time” or “DoorDash Earn per Offer” with your work area.
- Enter the whole shift. Use total hours including time waiting for offers and repositioning, not only the active hours in the app. Enter decimal hours, such as 4.5 for four hours and thirty minutes.
- Separate received and pending pay. Include received tips once in received pay. Keep estimates in pending pay until they settle.
- Compare similar rows. Use the same cost method for both modes and compare similar days, hours and areas. The weekly total combines all entered shifts; it does not split results by pay mode.
If you switch modes during a shift, label it “Mixed” unless you have separate time, mileage and pay records for each segment. A mixed shift cannot establish which mode produced the better hourly return.
Use the delivery-offer guide for the numbers to track. If you prefer choosing individual offers, read why I pass on cheap Uber Eats orders and my DoorDash acceptance-rate account.
Cover image: an app screen included with the original October 2024 article, showing $14.50 per active hour plus tips. It is a historical example, not today’s rate for your area.