The DoorDash deactivation policy ends a driver’s access to the platform for one of three reasons: falling below the performance minimums, breaking the platform’s conduct or fraud rules, or failing a rerun of the background check. The two performance numbers that matter are a 4.2-star customer rating and a 90% completion rate. If your account is deactivated, you have up to a year to appeal (90 days in Seattle), and in most cases arbitration is your only formal option after that.
What Gets You Deactivated
DoorDash tracks three performance metrics. Your customer rating has to stay at or above 4.2 stars. Your completion rate, the share of accepted deliveries you actually finish, has to stay at or above 90%. The third is lateness, and it doesn’t work on a fixed clock. A delivery counts as late when your travel time to the merchant or customer exceeds the estimate DoorDash calculates from Google Maps and real-time traffic. Repeated late deliveries can trigger contract violations that lead to deactivation.1DoorDash. Dasher Ratings Explained
Two exclusions are worth knowing. Time waiting at the restaurant for an order to be ready does not count against you; the lateness calculation covers travel time only. Orders delayed by stacked batching or DoorDash system outages are also excluded.2DoorDash Support. Dasher Contract Violations FAQs
Performance isn’t the only path off the platform. Conduct violations frequently trigger immediate, permanent deactivation with no warning. Safety-related conduct includes physical altercations, harassment, threats, stalking, and behavior that endangers a customer, merchant, or bystander, and it can reach off-platform incidents that come to DoorDash’s attention.3DoorDash Support. Seattle Deactivations Policy and Fraudulent Use
Fraud is the other broad category. It covers gaming promotions, incentives, or referrals; falsifying delivery information by marking an incomplete order as delivered, spoofing GPS, or falsely reporting a store closed; using the Red Card for anything other than the customer’s order; creating duplicate accounts or reusing personal information tied to an existing one; and accepting offers with no intent to deliver. Each can result in immediate deactivation without any progressive discipline.3DoorDash Support. Seattle Deactivations Policy and Fraudulent Use
Account sharing sits in its own category and is one of the fastest ways to be permanently removed. DoorDash uses real-time selfie verification, government ID checks, and machine learning to detect unauthorized access, and it prompts drivers to re-verify at random intervals, sometimes right after a delivery. Login anomalies, suspicious patterns, or inconsistent account details trigger an identity check, and failing or refusing it means you cannot continue dashing.4DoorDash. DoorDash Further Strengthens Safeguards Against Account Sharing
Background Check Deactivations and Your FCRA Rights
Your initial background check isn’t the end of the story. DoorDash reruns checks in some circumstances and also uses continuous monitoring through its vendor, Checkr, that can flag new offenses after your original screening. If a new record surfaces that no longer meets DoorDash’s eligibility criteria, the account is deactivated.5DoorDash Support. Dasher Background Check FAQ
When deactivation is based on a consumer report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you specific notice rights. Before taking adverse action, the platform must provide you with a copy of the report and a written summary of your rights. After the adverse action, you must receive notice identifying the consumer reporting agency, a statement that the agency did not make the decision, and notice of your right to a free copy of your report and to dispute inaccuracies within 60 days.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. US Code Title 15 Section 1681b
Background check errors are common, and disputing an inaccuracy with the reporting agency can sometimes reverse a deactivation. If you were deactivated based on a background check and never received these notices, the platform may have violated federal law.
How to Appeal a Deactivation
There are two appeal paths, and DoorDash decides which one you use. Your deactivation email will tell you whether to appeal in the app or submit a separate Appeal Form.7DoorDash Help. How to Appeal Dasher Account Deactivations
In-App Appeals
Log into your Dasher account and tap “Start appeal.” An “Add details” section is where you explain why the account should be reactivated. Complete this section fully before submitting, because once you tap “Submit appeal,” you cannot add more information. If the first appeal is denied, you can file a second appeal after waiting 90 days by tapping “Start new appeal.”7DoorDash Help. How to Appeal Dasher Account Deactivations
Appeal Form
Some deactivations require a separate Appeal Form, and the deactivation email will say so. After you submit it with supporting details, a specialized team reviews and responds by email. DoorDash doesn’t publish a review timeline, and the form path does not appear to offer the 90-day second-attempt option that in-app appeals do.7DoorDash Help. How to Appeal Dasher Account Deactivations
Deadlines and What Makes an Appeal Work
You have up to one year from the deactivation date to appeal. Drivers in Seattle have 90 days.7DoorDash Help. How to Appeal Dasher Account Deactivations
The review team is comparing your explanation against internal logs, so specifics that match those logs are what moves an appeal. Gather screenshots of completed deliveries with timestamps and location data. If you use a separate navigation app, its travel history can independently show your route and arrival time. Save any messages with the customer or DoorDash support about the incident. In your written explanation, include the order number, the exact date and time, and what actually happened. Skip the emotional appeals and the broader complaints about the platform.
Where State and Local Law Adds Protection
Most gig drivers in the United States have no statutory protection against arbitrary deactivation, because the independent contractor agreement gives DoorDash broad discretion to end the relationship. A few jurisdictions have changed that.
California
Under Proposition 22, a platform cannot terminate a driver’s contract unless the reason is specified in the contract itself, and it must provide an appeals process for terminated drivers.8California Secretary of State. Proposition 22 – Protect App-Based Drivers and Services Act You are not guaranteed to win an appeal, but the platform cannot deactivate you for a reason that doesn’t appear somewhere in the agreement, and it must give you a formal way to contest.
Seattle
Seattle’s App-Based Worker Deactivation Rights Ordinance goes further than any other U.S. jurisdiction. Platforms must give drivers 14 days’ written notice before deactivation, except for egregious misconduct or legal compliance situations that justify immediate removal. The notice has to include the specific reason, the particular incident, and all records the company relied on.9Seattle Office of Labor Standards. App-Based Worker Deactivation Rights Ordinance DoorDash must also investigate before deactivating, show the violation more likely than not occurred, apply rules consistently, and keep the action reasonably proportional to the violation. Drivers can challenge deactivation through the internal process regardless of where the incident happened. Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards has limited enforcement authority for some provisions through June 2027.10Seattle.gov. SMC 8.40 Notice of Rights
New York City
New York City has strong pay protections for delivery workers but does not currently regulate deactivation. The city’s delivery worker laws explicitly exclude onboarding and deactivation from their requirements.11NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Delivery Worker Laws: Frequently Asked Questions A bill introduced in 2025 (Int 1332-2025) would require just cause, progressive discipline, and 72-hour notice, but it has not been enacted.
If the Appeal Fails: Arbitration and the 30-Day Opt-Out
The Independent Contractor Agreement requires that virtually all disputes, including wrongful termination, pay, and discrimination claims, go through individual arbitration rather than court. A class action waiver bars collective actions, and the arbitrator has no authority to hear class claims or award relief to anyone but you individually. Before formal arbitration, both sides must participate in an informal dispute resolution conference by phone or video, with written notice sent first and 60 days to schedule.12Senate.ga.gov. DoorDash Independent Contractor Agreement
The single deadline that traps most drivers: new contractors can opt out of mandatory arbitration by mailing a signed letter to DoorDash’s General Counsel within 30 days of the agreement’s effective date. The letter must go by First Class Mail to 303 2nd Street, South Tower, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94107. Email opt-outs are invalid. Each letter can cover only one contractor. Past 30 days, you’re bound by the arbitration clause for the duration of the agreement.12Senate.ga.gov. DoorDash Independent Contractor Agreement Opting out preserves your right to file in court, including small claims for smaller amounts. If you didn’t opt out, arbitration is your only formal avenue unless the arbitration provider declines to administer the case.
Final Pay and Taxes After Deactivation
Deactivation doesn’t erase earnings you’ve already accrued. Completed deliveries that haven’t paid out should still process on the regular weekly schedule. If earnings don’t appear, contact DoorDash support through your account, which remains accessible for some functions after deactivation, or contact the payment provider.
A tax change matters here. For the 2026 tax year, the minimum earnings threshold for receiving a 1099-NEC rose from $600 to $2,000.13Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC If you were deactivated partway through the year and earned less than $2,000, DoorDash won’t send you a 1099-NEC. The IRS still expects you to report all self-employment earnings. Self-employment tax applies to net earnings of $400 or more, so even a short run before deactivation can create a filing obligation. Keep your own records of deliveries, tips, and reimbursements, because pulling historical data from the app becomes unreliable once account access is limited.