Kansas City Gig Workers: Taxes Without the Headache
From the Plaza to Overland Park to the Northland, thousands of Kansas Citians drive for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and Amazon Flex. Most of them are surprised by their first tax bill. Here is a local, no-jargon game plan.
The five-minute version
You are self-employed, so nothing is withheld.
Every dollar you earn is taxable, even without a 1099.
Your miles are your biggest deduction, so track them.
Set aside about a quarter of every weekly payout.
Pay estimated taxes four times a year.
Kansas City specifics
Crossing State Line Road all day? Your state return is based on where you live; income earned in the other state may also need to be reported there, with a credit to prevent double tax. Keep each app's earnings summaries.
Kansas City, Missouri earnings tax: KCMO residents, and people who do work inside KCMO, may owe the 1% city earnings tax on self-employment profit. No platform withholds it for you.
Long highway miles add up. A driver who logs 15,000 business miles a year on I-35, I-70 and I-435 can have a mileage deduction worth thousands of dollars at the IRS standard rate.
What to save every week
If you take home $800 a week from the apps, moving $160 to $240 into a separate savings account every Friday keeps tax season calm. Adjust once you see how big your mileage deduction is.
Driver deduction checklist
Business miles (log them daily or use an automatic tracker)
Parking and tolls on trips
Phone and data plan (business share)
Insulated bags, mounts, chargers, cleaning supplies
Platform fees included in your gross earnings
The full national guide, with IRS sources, is here: Taxes for Uber, DoorDash and Instacart Drivers. If you also have a home office for your gig business, read Working From Home in Kansas City.
General information, not tax advice for your specific situation. Confirm current rules with the IRS, your state department of revenue, and the City of Kansas City.
About the author
Robert Allen Bautista is a Kansas City tax preparer and accountant. He spent four years at PwC in IT audit and tax, served as Chief Accountant at a CPA firm, holds an M.S. in Accounting, and is a CPA candidate. He has worked with 350-plus individual and small business clients and writes plain-English tax guides in English and Spanish.
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