Amazon Flex or an Amazon delivery partner job?
There are two ways to deliver Amazon parcels. Flex is self-employed, in your own car, a block at a time. A Delivery Service Partner job is with a separate company that provides the van and usually sets a full day. They are different jobs with different tax.
Last checked 29/09/2026.
Amazon Flex is Amazon's own app for self-employed drivers. Delivery Service Partners, or DSPs, are separate companies contracted by Amazon to run delivery routes with their own staff and Amazon-branded vans. Both deliver the same parcels.
Side by side
| Amazon Flex | Delivery Service Partner | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you work for | Amazon, as a self-employed contractor | The DSP company |
| Status | Self-employed | Set by the DSP; often employed |
| Vehicle | Your own car, van or e-bike | Usually a van provided by the DSP |
| Hours | Blocks you choose | A full route, usually a long day |
| Pay | Fixed per block, weekly on Wednesday | Day rate or wages, set by the DSP |
| Costs | All yours: fuel, insurance, wear | Usually the DSP's, if employed |
| Tax | Self Assessment | PAYE if employed |
Which suits whom
Flex suits someone who wants to work a few blocks around other commitments and already has a suitable car. A DSP job suits someone who wants full days, a van provided and, on an employed contract, holiday pay and sick pay without running a business. The tax is simpler on PAYE and there are no vehicle costs to track.
If a DSP offers a self-employed contract, you are in the same position as any courier: your own insurance, your own tax, your own records. Ask which it is before you start.
Doing both
A PAYE job normally uses up your £12,570 personal allowance, so Flex profit on top is taxed from the first pound at 20% or more, plus Class 4 National Insurance above the lower profits limit. Tax when you have a PAYE job as well shows how the two fit together on one return.
Sources
Common questions
- Are Amazon DSP drivers self-employed?
- It depends on the company. Delivery Service Partners are independent businesses, and many employ their drivers on PAYE with holiday pay and a pension, while others engage drivers as self-employed. Your contract with the DSP decides it, not Amazon.
- Can I do Amazon Flex and work for a DSP?
- Nothing in principle stops it, but a DSP day is long. If the DSP job is employed, it uses your personal allowance, so any Flex profit on top is taxed from the first pound through Self Assessment.
About the author
Issac Davies, Founder of JoltMile
Issac Davies drives for gig apps in the UK and built JoltMile to show drivers what a shift actually pays once fuel, insurance and tax come off. Every guide here is checked against HMRC and gov.uk guidance, and is information rather than tax advice.
Track this automatically
The JoltMile app works this out from your own shifts, and keeps the figures ready for Self Assessment. Your first 10 shifts are free.
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