Australia · Delivery pay guide · 2026
Menulog Driver Pay Australia 2026: Earnings with the $31.30/hr Minimum
Menulog is now covered by the Fair Work road transport determination, which guarantees riders $31.30/hr for engaged time from 1 July 2026 — the same floor as Uber Eats and DoorDash. Here is what that translates to per shift, per week, and after the costs platforms do not reimburse.
Menulog is covered by the $31.30/hr ruling
The Fair Work road transport determination that took effect on 1 July 2026 sets a minimum rate for engaged time on food-delivery platforms. Menulog, Uber Eats and DoorDash all fall under it. The floor applies to engaged time — the window from accepting an offer to completing the delivery — not to time spent logged in and waiting. Platforms must reconcile payouts to the floor.
What a Menulog shift pays
| Shift length | Gross (platform payout) | Net after running costs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-hour dinner peak | $110 - $145 | $75 - $110 | Single dinner rush; the highest-earning block per hour on Menulog. |
| 6-hour lunch + dinner | $170 - $220 | $110 - $165 | Two peaks with a quiet gap between; typical casual shift. |
| 8-hour full day | $230 - $300 | $140 - $210 | Lunch + dinner across a metro zone; long dead miles between peaks. |
| 20-hour week (part-time) | $560 - $720 | $350 - $500 | Four to five evening shifts; the realistic part-time pattern. |
| 35-hour week (full-time) | $980 - $1,250 | $600 - $870 | Lunch + dinner six days; vehicle wear is the main drag on net. |
Figures assume a metro zone (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) with peak demand. Gross is the platform payout including the $31.30/hr floor reconciliation; net subtracts fuel, vehicle wear, insurance and gear.
Menulog vs Uber Eats vs DoorDash
| Platform | Regulated floor | How it works in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Menulog | $31.30/hr floor | Now under the Fair Work determination; guaranteed minimum on engaged time. |
| Uber Eats | $31.30/hr floor | Same determination; payouts reconciled to the floor each block. |
| DoorDash | $31.30/hr floor | Same determination; plus an optional tiered incentive on top. |
| Airtasker (tasks) | No floor — $30-50/hr | Task marketplace, not delivery; pay is whatever you quote per task. |
On the regulated floor the three delivery apps are identical; the real difference is order volume by zone, which determines how much of your logged-in time is actually paid engaged time.
What comes out before tax
Platforms reimburse none of these. They are deductible against your Menulog income at tax time, but they hit your cash flow every week.
Scooters near the low end; cars and utes at the top.
Set aside per km; the line most new riders forget.
Commercial use must be disclosed to the insurer.
Plan with enough data for the mapping app.
The honest weekly maths
A full-time 35-hour Menulog week returns about $980-1,250 gross, which becomes $600-870 after running costs — call it $31,000-45,000 a year. The lever that moves that number most is not the platform rate (it is regulated) but the share of your logged-in hours that are engaged time. Multi-apping across Menulog, Uber Eats and DoorDash is how active riders push engaged-time share from roughly 60% to 80%+, which is where the real pay uplift lives.
Menulog driver pay — FAQ
How much does Menulog pay per hour in Australia?
From 1 July 2026, Menulog delivery riders are guaranteed at least $31.30 an hour for engaged time under the Fair Work road transport determination — the same regulated floor that applies to Uber Eats and DoorDash. Engaged time is the period from accepting a delivery offer to completing it, so the floor does not cover time spent waiting for an order. In practice, busy dinner shifts push effective hourly earnings above the floor; quiet daytime blocks sit at or just above it.
How much can a Menulog driver make in a shift?
A 4-hour dinner peak typically pays $110-145 gross ($75-110 after fuel and vehicle wear); a 6-hour lunch-and-dinner shift pays about $170-220 gross ($110-165 net). A full 35-hour week across lunch and dinner six days a week lands at roughly $980-1,250 gross, or $600-870 after running costs. The headline numbers track the $31.30 floor on engaged time, with the upside coming from back-to-back offers during peak.
Is Menulog covered by the $31.30 minimum wage?
Yes. Menulog is a food-delivery platform and is covered by the Fair Work road transport determination that took effect on 1 July 2026, alongside Uber Eats and DoorDash. The determination sets a minimum rate for engaged time and requires platforms to reconcile payouts to that floor. Airtasker, Amazon Flex and other non-delivery gig work are not covered by the same determination.
Menulog vs Uber Eats pay: which pays more?
On the regulated floor they are identical — both must pay at least $31.30/hr for engaged time. The real difference is order volume in your zone: Uber Eats has more restaurant partners and more consistent demand in most Australian metros, so its riders spend less time waiting and more time on engaged (paid) time. Menulog tends to pay slightly more per drop on average but has fewer drops per hour in many zones. Net weekly pay is usually within $50-100 of each other for the same hours.
What costs come out of Menulog earnings?
Fuel or electricity ($50-120/week for a car, less for a scooter), vehicle wear and tyres ($30-80/week), commercial-use insurance ($20-55/week), and phone data plus gear like a hot bag or esky ($10-25/week). These are not reimbursed by the platform — they are deductible against your Menulog income at tax time, but they come out of your cash flow week to week. Most active drivers lose roughly 30-40% of gross to running costs before tax.
Is Menulog worth it full-time in 2026?
It can be, but only as part of a stack. At the $31.30 floor plus peak upside, a 35-hour week on Menulog returns about $600-870 after costs, or $31,000-45,000 a year — viable as a core income but tight in a capital city. The highest-earning delivery riders run Menulog alongside Uber Eats and DoorDash to minimise unpaid wait time, switching apps to whichever is offering the next order. Single-app full-time is the lowest-leverage way to do delivery.
Compare every delivery gig honestly
The Gig Worth Calculator models Menulog, Uber Eats and DoorDash — plus 15 other platforms — after fuel, vehicle wear, insurance and tax, and tells you which one is actually worth your hours.
Open the Gig Worth Calculator →Earnings figures are indicative, drawn from the Fair Work road transport determination (effective 1 July 2026) and Australian rider reports; actual results vary by zone, hours and vehicle.