Delivering for Evri: the full guide
Evri couriers are self-employed and paid per parcel, once a month. You choose between Evri Flex and Evri Plus, which trades a five-day commitment for holiday pay, a pension and guaranteed earnings. Here is how it works and what it means for your tax.
Correct for the 2026/27 tax year. Last checked 29/09/2026.
Evri, the business that used to be Hermes, is the biggest self-employed courier network in the UK. In October 2025 it merged with DHL eCommerce UK, which now runs as Evri Premium, a network of DHL. For couriers on an ordinary Evri round, nothing about the contract changed because of it.
Evri Flex or Evri Plus
| Evri Flex | Evri Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Set your own availability, 1 to 7 days | 5 or more days a week, including Saturday or Sunday |
| Paid holiday | No; arrange a substitute | Up to 28 days, with cover arranged if planned properly |
| Pension | No | Auto-enrolment: you pay at least 5% of invoiced earnings, Evri adds 3% |
| Guaranteed earnings | No | Above the National Living Wage while on your round |
| Other | Pick up extra rounds when available | Parental leave, GMB-agreed pay for non-parcel tasks, accident and sickness cover through Onsi for a fee |
| Tax | Self-employed | Self-employed |
Evri Plus grew out of the "self-employed plus" deal Evri struck with the GMB union, and it is the arrangement most full-time couriers are better on. It does not make you an employee. You still invoice, nothing is deducted, and you still file a return.
What you need
- A full, valid driving licence. A licence from another country works for your first 12 months in the UK, then must be exchanged.
- To be over 18, with the right to work in the UK and no unspent criminal convictions. A DBS certificate is not needed to start, but Evri can ask for one.
- Access to a medium or large car or a van, with a valid MOT and insurance covering courier work. It does not have to be yours.
- An iOS or Android phone for the Courier Community App, which handles the application, the contract, training and later your invoices.
How pay works
You are paid per parcel delivered or collected, not per hour. Rates vary by round and parcel type and Evri says every courier can negotiate theirs. Nothing is paid for fuel or mileage; that is yours to claim from HMRC. The hourly figure Evri advertises is an average across rounds and says nothing about yours, which depends on how tightly the drops are packed.
Admin caused by Evri's own errors, such as mis-banded parcels, duplicate barcodes or parcels not ready at the delivery unit, can be claimed back at up to £10 a day.
Insurance
Two layers. First, your own motor policy has to cover courier work; ordinary social, domestic and pleasure cover does not. Second, you need third-party cover while making deliveries and collections for Evri's clients. Evri arranges a top-up policy for that through Marsh at £1.35 a day, charged only on days you work. Both are business costs, though motor insurance cannot be claimed on top of the mileage rate.
A day on the round
- Download the day's manifest in the delivery app.
- Collect your parcels from your local delivery unit. Couriers in remote places may have them dropped off instead.
- Scan and load in delivery order, and set a schedule, which tells customers when to expect you. Deliveries can run until 9pm.
- Deliver, recording the reason for any failed delivery.
- Keep failed parcels somewhere secure overnight and try again on the next round.
Parcels are capped at 17kg unless you agree otherwise, and some contain alcohol.
Substitutes, holidays and growing
You have an unconditional right to send a substitute, which is how an Evri Flex courier takes a holiday. You can also take on drivers of your own and run several rounds with a Territory Manager's help. At that point you are running a business that pays people: what you pay them is your expense and their income, and if they work like employees rather than as independent subcontractors, you may owe PAYE. Take advice before you hire.
Tax
You are self-employed on either option. Your turnover is everything Evri pays, including holiday pay under Evri Plus. Against it you claim business miles, at 55p for the first 10,000 and 25p after, or your actual vehicle costs, plus the insurance top-up, phone and similar. Parcel rounds rack up miles quickly, so many full-time couriers pass the 10,000-mile threshold during the year.
If a courier contract is ended by Evri, the app is switched off and you cannot rejoin. Download your invoices each month so that losing the app does not mean losing your records.
Sources
Common questions
- How often does Evri pay couriers?
- Monthly, by BACS, with no tax or anything else deducted. Invoices are in the Courier Community App. Monthly pay means the first payment can take several weeks to arrive, so plan your fuel money for the gap.
- What is Evri Plus?
- Evri Plus is the option for couriers who commit to five or more days a week, including a Saturday or Sunday. It adds up to 28 days of paid holiday with cover arranged, a pension with an Evri contribution, parental leave and guaranteed earnings above the National Living Wage.
- Do I need extra insurance to deliver for Evri?
- You need your own motor insurance that covers courier work, and third-party cover while you deliver. Evri sells a top-up policy with Marsh for that at £1.35 a day, charged only on the days you work.
- Can I use a hire car or van for Evri?
- Yes. You do not have to own the vehicle, but it needs a valid MOT and insurance that covers you for courier work. Any reasonably sized, reliable car or van is accepted.
- Can someone else do my Evri round?
- Yes. Evri couriers have an unconditional right to send a substitute, which is how holidays are covered, and you can take on your own drivers to grow into more than one round.
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.
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Shift log · True hourly rate · Estimated tax: the JoltMile app works this out from your own shifts. Your first 10 shifts are free.
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