NYCWorkJustice
ES

App-Based Delivery Workers: NYC Minimum Pay & Tip Rules

NYC sets minimum pay standards for delivery workers on apps, protects tips, requires pay transparency before you tap “accept,” and guarantees restroom access when you pick up orders. Enforcement has already returned millions to workers at platforms including Uber Eats, Fantuan, and HungryPanda.

Report a violation — free intake

What NYC law requires

Delivery apps must comply with minimum pay rules, pass tips through to workers without using them to reduce base pay, show total pay before you accept a trip, and let you use restaurant restrooms while picking up food. In January 2026, protections expanded to many third-party grocery delivery workers.

  • Minimum pay rates

    Covered deliveries must meet NYC’s minimum compensation standards, adjusted over time.

  • Tip protections

    Apps cannot cut your base pay because customers tipped, and they must pass the full tip through to you.

  • Restroom access

    When you are picking up a food order, restaurants must allow you to use their restroom facilities, subject to reasonable safety rules.

  • Transparency before you accept

    You should see total pay for a delivery before you accept it — not surprise math after the fact.

Common violations

  • Paying below the legal minimum after accounting for active delivery time and expenses.
  • Using tips to subsidize base pay or hiding portions of customer gratuities.
  • Refusing restroom access or masking true earnings until after you accept a trip.
  • Misclassifying grocery or courier work to avoid newer minimum-pay obligations.

Recent enforcement actions have recovered $5 million or more combined for workers at Uber Eats, Fantuan, and HungryPanda — a reminder that agencies are paying attention.

Your rights — document everything

  • Screenshots of offers, pay summaries, tip lines, and mileage logs are powerful evidence.
  • If pay shown before acceptance does not match what you received, note the date, time, and order ID.
  • Retaliation for cooperating with enforcement or asserting delivery rights is prohibited.

Shorted on pay or blocked from the restroom?

Whether you deliver meals or groceries, NYC rules may protect you. Start a confidential intake and we will help you assess next steps.

Begin your free intake