Is TaskRabbit worth it for taskers?
TaskRabbit is unusual among gig platforms in that its fee lands on the client rather than on you. That sounds like the best possible deal until you look at what actually erodes a tasker's hourly rate, which is not commission.
Quick answer
According to TaskRabbit's own documentation you keep 100% of the hourly rate you set, plus all tips, because the service fee is charged to the client on top of your rate rather than deducted from it. Third-party reviews frequently describe commission coming out of tasker earnings at anywhere from 15% to 35%, so check your own invoice rather than trusting either account. Taskers commonly report 20 to 50 dollars an hour, with skilled trades at 40 to 80 and new taskers with few reviews nearer 18 to 28. The number that matters is what survives afterwards: once unpaid travel between jobs and self-employment tax are accounted for, a stated rate of 45 to 55 dollars commonly nets out around 18 to 32.
Where a 50 dollar hourly rate actually goes
| Typical effect | Who carries it | |
|---|---|---|
| Your stated rate | 50.00 | Paid to you |
| Platform service fee | Added on top of your rate | The client |
| Unpaid travel between jobs | Large, varies by city | You |
| Self-employment tax | Substantial | You |
| Typical net on a 45 to 55 rate | About 18 to 32 | You |
Step-by-step
- 1
Check your own invoice before believing any figure, including this one
TaskRabbit's support documentation states that taskers keep 100% of their rate and that the service fee is charged to the client. A great many third-party reviews describe a 15 to 35% commission taken from taskers. Those cannot both be describing the same thing, and the fee structure also varies by category and market. Look at one of your own completed invoices and see which describes your situation.
- 2
Understand that the client pays more than your rate either way
Whether the fee comes off your side or is added to theirs, the client's total is higher than the number you set. That matters because it is the total, not your rate, that they compare against a local tradesperson quoting directly. Pricing as though your rate is what they see will make you look cheaper than you actually are to them.
- 3
Price the travel, because nobody else will
This is where the money actually goes. An hour's work with forty minutes of travel either side is not an hour's work. In dense cities taskers can stack jobs; in spread-out ones they cannot, and the same stated rate produces wildly different real earnings. Work out your genuine earnings per hour away from home rather than per hour billed.
- 4
Set aside for tax from day one
You are self-employed here, and the gap between a 50 dollar stated rate and an 18 to 32 dollar net is mostly travel and tax rather than platform fees. Putting a fixed percentage aside as each payment lands prevents the classic first-year problem of a tax bill arriving against money already spent.
- 5
Build reviews fast, because early rates are the worst rates
New taskers with few reviews report the bottom of the range, around 18 to 28 an hour, and move up as their history builds. That means the early period is the least profitable and the most important. Take the jobs that generate good reviews quickly rather than holding out for a rate you cannot yet command.
- 6
Use it to fill gaps, not to be your whole business
Once you have a reputation, work that comes to you directly carries no platform fee, no algorithm and no rate ceiling. The taskers who do best treat the platform as a way to stay busy between direct jobs, and build somewhere customers can find and rebook them without it.
Tips & best practices
- The fee is not the main thing eroding your rate. Travel time and tax are, and only one of those is under your control.
- Stack jobs geographically wherever you can. Two jobs in one neighbourhood beat two across a city at the same rate.
- Your first ten reviews are worth more than your first ten rate rises. Get them quickly, then raise.
Common questions
Does TaskRabbit take a cut of what I earn?
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TaskRabbit's own documentation says you keep 100% of your hourly rate and all tips, with the service fee charged to the client on top. Many third-party reviews describe commission of 15 to 35% from tasker earnings instead. Check a completed invoice of your own, as structures also vary by category and market.
How much do taskers actually earn?
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Commonly 20 to 50 dollars an hour, with skilled trades reaching 40 to 80 and new taskers with few reviews nearer 18 to 28. After travel and self-employment tax, a 45 to 55 dollar stated rate typically nets out around 18 to 32.
Why do new taskers earn less?
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Rates and visibility both improve with reviews and completed history. The first stretch is the least profitable, so building a review record quickly matters more than holding out for a high rate early.
Is TaskRabbit better than Thumbtack?
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Different models. Thumbtack charges you per lead whether or not you win the job. TaskRabbit's fee structure centres on the completed task and, per its own documentation, sits on the client's side. TaskRabbit suits hourly task work; Thumbtack suits quoted project work.
Do I keep tips?
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Yes, tips go to you in full. Since they are unaffected by any fee structure, they are the most valuable part of a job and worth actively earning through communication and turning up when you said you would.