Questions218· page 4 of 4
Questions TLC drivers ask
Quick answers to specific questions. Each answer starts with the short version, then explains the details and links to the full guide.
NYC taxi zones, taxi stands, relief stops, neighborhoods and events: where trips start and end, with data.
Driver pay rules, surcharges, fees, and the money side of driving for hire in NYC.
Pay & feesAm I Covered by the Black Car Fund?Uber, Lyft and black car drivers: yes. Yellow, green and livery: no. Check your work type, the 20-hour rule for free benefits and where livery drivers go.Read Pay & feesCan a Taxi Owner Charge Me for Repairs or Maintenance?On a NYC taxi shift or weekly lease, maintenance is the owner's cost. Crash damage only with a written negligence agreement, and refunds if insurance pays.Read Pay & feesCan Drivers Get the Saver's Credit in 2026?Lower-income drivers who save in an IRA or solo 401(k) can get up to $1,000 back. The 2026 Saver's Credit tiers by filing status and which accounts count.Read Pay & feesCan Drivers Without Insurance Use NYC Care?Yes, if you live in NYC and can't get or afford insurance. NYC Care isn't insurance, fees start at $0 and it doesn't ask immigration status. How to sign up.Read Pay & feesCan Green Cabs Charge the LaGuardia Surcharge?Yes, on street-hail trips to LaGuardia: green cabs add $5.00 under Rule 82-26. Yellow taxis add it to and from LGA. Pre-arranged green trips work differently.Read Pay & feesCan I Lease a Taxi for Less Than a Full 12-Hour Shift?A fleet may offer you a shorter, pro-rated taxi shift but doesn't have to. If the cab is late from the last shift, it must cut your price under Rule 58-21.Read Pay & feesDo Taxi & Uber Drivers Earn Social Security Credits?Yes, if you report your driving income. In 2026 each $1,890 of net earnings is one credit, up to 4 a year. Why filing Schedule SE matters for your retirement.Read Pay & feesDo Uber Drivers in NYC Earn Minimum Wage?No hourly wage is guaranteed. NYC sets a per-trip minimum for Uber and Lyft, built in 2018 to equal $17.22/hr after costs. How it works and what it means.Read Pay & feesDoes the Taxi Driver Pay the Congestion Surcharge?No. Passengers pay the $2.50 NYS congestion surcharge and 75-cent MTA toll, and TLC says the surcharge can't come out of driver pay. How to check your payout.Read Pay & feesHow Many Trips Does a NYC Yellow Taxi Do per Day?About 15 a day in 2025: 131,133 yellow trips a day across 8,722 taxis on the road (TLC data). Down from 39 in 2010 and 22 in 2019. What the number means.Read Pay & feesHow Much Can a Taxi Owner Charge Drivers for Credit Cards?A NYC taxi owner may charge you at most $7 a shift or $49 a week for credit card processing, and no other card or TSP fees. The rules, fines and refunds.Read Pay & feesHow Much Do NYC Yellow Taxi Drivers Make?TLC: full-time yellow cab drivers gross a median of about $60 an hour; average farebox per driver was $48,698 in 2024. What is left after the lease.Read Pay & feesMust I Enroll in Drivers Benefits Before I Get Hurt?Yes. Black Car Fund disability, critical illness and $100,000 death benefits pay only if you enrolled first. Which ones need it, timing rules, how to enroll.Read Pay & feesWhat Is a Flex Fare Taxi Trip?A Flex Fare is an upfront, binding taxi price booked in a TLC-licensed e-hail app. The meter stays off. What it changes for drivers, tips and airport trips.Read Pay & feesWhat Is the $1 Taxi Improvement Surcharge For?The $1 improvement surcharge on every taxi trip funds wheelchair-accessible taxis and pays their drivers. Where it goes and why it leaves your card pay.Read Pay & feesWhen Does the Taxi Rush Hour Surcharge Apply?NYC taxi $2.50 rush surcharge: trips starting after 4 p.m. and before 8 p.m. on weekdays, not holidays. Plus the $1 overnight rule, $5 JFK rush and weekends.Read Pay & feesWho Pays the 50-Cent MTA Tax in a Taxi?The passenger pays the 50¢ MTA tax on the meter; the owner, agent or green-cab base owes it to the State. Which trips have it and how it leaves your card pay.Read
Income tax, 1099s, deductions, mileage, sales tax and other tax basics for NYC taxi and for-hire drivers.
TaxesCan I Deduct My Weekly TLC Car Rental on Taxes?Weekly TLC car rent is deductible only under actual expenses, not with the mileage rate. Pub 463's leased-car lock-in, the 20.875% rental tax and receipts.Read TaxesCan I Deduct TLC Fines or Parking Tickets on My Taxes?No: New York State says tickets and summonses are not deductible, and the IRS bars fines paid to a government for breaking the law. What you can still deduct.Read TaxesCan I Use the Standard Mileage Rate for a Taxi?Yes: IRS Pub 463 lets a car for hire such as a taxi use the mileage rate. The exceptions: 5+ cabs at once, first-year choice, leases and past depreciation.Read TaxesCan TLC Drivers Deduct Tolls and Parking?Business tolls and parking are deductible on top of the IRS mileage rate. Why tolls the app or passenger paid back need care, and what parking doesn't count.Read TaxesCar Loan Interest Deduction: Does It Cover My Uber Car?The new $10,000 car-loan interest deduction is for personal-use cars. How TLC drivers can still deduct the business share of loan interest on Schedule C.Read TaxesDo Drivers Who Live Outside NYC Pay NYC Income Tax?No: NYC income tax is for NYC residents. But NJ, Long Island and Westchester drivers can still owe NYS tax, MCTMT or Yonkers tax on NYC driving income.Read TaxesDo I Pay Taxes on Uber Income If I Didn't Get a 1099?Yes. The IRS says gig income is taxable with or without a 1099. Why Uber or Lyft may not send one, where to find your earnings, and the $400 SE tax rule.Read TaxesDo Yellow Taxi Drivers Get a 1099? What to Use InsteadCab drivers may get no 1099 for meter income. Why, which taxi payments can bring a 1099-K or 1099-NEC, and the meter statement NYS asks taxi drivers for.Read TaxesHow Much NYC Income Tax Do Drivers Pay?NYC residents pay 3.078% to 3.876% city income tax on top of state and federal tax. The 2025 rates for single, joint and head of household, with examples.Read TaxesWill I Get a 1099-K or 1099-NEC From Uber or Lyft?App drivers get a 1099-K only over $20,000 and 200 trips, and a 1099-NEC from $2,000 for 2026 payments. What changed, what arrives by January 31, and why.Read
Your rights as a TLC driver: discrimination, deactivation, advocacy groups, and help and assistance programs.
Driver rightsCan My Base or Car Owner Make Me Pay Their Summons?Usually no. TLC rules bar bases, FHV owners and taxi owners from making you pay their summonses, with a few exceptions for parking and red-light tickets.Read Driver rightsCan My Owner or Base Retaliate If I Complain to TLC?No. TLC rules bar taxi owners, FHV owners, bases, green cab owners and Uber/Lyft from retaliating over good-faith complaints: $1,000 + restitution, then $10K.Read Driver rightsDo Yellow Taxi Drivers Get Black Car Fund Benefits?Mostly no. Black Car Fund coverage follows dispatches from member bases, and taxis aren't one. Where taxi drivers' workers' comp comes from, and the app case.Read Driver rightsDoes the Black Car Fund Cover Me on a Street Hail?No. Black Car Fund workers' comp covers injuries on jobs dispatched by a Member Base. Street hails and non-member base jobs aren't covered, even for app work.Read Driver rightsDoes the Black Car Fund Pay for Car Damage?No. The Black Car Fund pays workers' comp for your injuries only: not car repairs, not income lost while the car is in the shop, and not passenger injuries.Read Driver rightsIs There a Union for Uber Drivers in NYC?Yes, you can join NYTWA or the IDG. But no union has a contract with Uber or Lyft that sets your pay. What joining gets you, what it costs, what it can't do.Read Driver rightsMy Base or Fleet Didn't Pay Me for a Trip: What Now?Unpaid for trips you drove? Gather your trip records, ask in writing, then file with TLC's Driver Protection Unit. Small claims and the anti-retaliation rule.Read Driver rightsMy Fleet Won't Return My Security DepositTaxi owners must return a lease deposit within 30 days and itemize deductions; FHV leases must set a return date of 30 days or less. How to get yours back.Read Driver rightsTaxi Broke Down: Do I Still Pay the Full Lease?No. If the cab is out of service through no fault of yours, TLC rule 58-21 says the owner must pro-rate your lease. What counts and how to get money back.Read Driver rightsTaxi WAV Drivers: The $77 Weekly Credit ExplainedIf your taxi owner gets TIF money for a wheelchair-accessible cab, rule 58-21 cuts your weekly lease by $77. Who qualifies, receipts, what to do if missing.Read
Free summons reading
Got a TLC summons?
Snap a photo. We'll explain it in plain English, check the official OATH record, and show your options — free.