Dasher Contract Violations FAQs

Overview

At DoorDash, we’re committed to maintaining a reliable, accurate, and trustworthy experience for customers, merchants, and Dashers alike. A key part of that commitment is ensuring that Dashers perform deliveries honestly and in good faith, as outlined in the Independent Contractor Agreement.

Behaviors that compromise this standard — including but not limited to inaccurately reporting a store as closed when it is open, misusing the Red Card, failing to deliver an accepted order, or intentionally inducing a customer or merchant to cancel a delivery — negatively impact merchants, delay customer orders, and erode trust in the platform.

Dashers who engage in these behaviors may receive a Contract Violation (CV). While a single violation generally does not result in deactivation, repeated or severe incidents — or patterns of behavior suggesting misuse or fraud — may lead to deactivation in accordance with the Service Provider Platform Access Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I know if I have received a contract violation?
A: If you received a contract violation notification in your Dasher app, you can click on it to view more details and also provide more information about the delivery in question. We’ll take the details into account in reviewing your case. DoorDash has a specialized team that works to identify reports from fraudulent dashers, so those will not count against Dasher accounts.
Please note that our Support Team will not be able to provide any details regarding the violation.

Q: Can I provide more details to DoorDash to explain a Violation that I received?
A: If you have received a contract violation, you can provide additional details by navigating to the Rating tab and selecting the Contract Violations section. Click on the violation delivery and then choose "Provide Additional Details" to share more information about the delivery. 

Q: Am I going to be deactivated?
A: At this time, one contract violation does not constitute grounds for deactivation. However, multiple violations could lead to deactivation. For more information on our Service Provider Platform Access Policy, visit the official page here.

Q: I was deactivated for a Contract Violation. How can I appeal?
A: Your deactivation email will include details regarding how you can appeal. Please note that you won’t be able to submit an appeal by contacting Dasher Support. You must follow the link in the deactivation email or the in-app Start appeal button as outlined here.

Q: Will contract violations impact my Dasher pay?
A: You will be paid for all services actually performed. Contract violations will not affect pay on future offers, but repeated instances may lead to deactivation.

Q: If I am notified about a contract violation in the Dasher app, will it impact my customer ratings, my Dasher Rewards status, my ability to do Drive orders, or my ability to use Dasher app features?
A: No, contract violations will not directly impact your ratings, rewards, or drive orders. And you will keep access to app features such as Fast Pay, scheduling, and Dash Now (when available), as normal.

Q: How do I know if I have received a contract violation?
A: If you received a contract violation notification in your Dasher app, you can click on it to view more details and also provide more information about the delivery in question.

Never Delivered Violations

You’ll receive these notices when you mark a delivery as completed in the Dasher app, but the customer reports that they never received their order. It will appear in your Rating tab as a Never Delivered Contract Violation.

When you mark an order as delivered, the customer immediately gets a notification in the app that their order has arrived. So if you mark the order as complete too early (like when you’re still parking your car), the customer may see the notification before the food actually arrives at their door and therefore prematurely report an issue. As a result, do not mark the delivery as complete until you have actually completed the delivery. Another recommendation is to proactively communicate with customers. Watch the videos in this article to hear more.

Additionally, customers can choose between a “Hand it to me” or “Leave it at my door” delivery options. It is important to read the delivery instructions to check which selection your customer made because the delivery completion steps differ. Failure to follow the steps below may cause your account to be reviewed for deactivation. 
See the required steps below.

Lateness-Based Violations
A delivery is considered late when the amount of time taken to travel to the merchant and/or to the customer (e.g., 20 minutes) exceeds the estimated time, taking into account factors outside of your control (e.g., wait time at merchant). It is NOT based on the suggested arrival times in the app (e.g., 1:00PM). 

We use Google maps to calculate how long each delivery should take, taking into account reasonable and safe travel times and real-time traffic conditions. We also take into account your chosen transportation type (i.e., car, bike or scooter). Learn more about vehicle types, including how to update yours, here.

Take, for example, that our estimates indicate that it should take 20 minutes for the Dasher to arrive at the merchant and another 20 minutes to arrive at the customer based on real-time conditions. A Dasher accepts the delivery opportunity at 5:00PM, and the app indicates that the Dasher should arrive at the merchant by 5:20PM and at the customer by 5:40PM.

• The order will not be considered late if the Dasher arrives at the merchant by 5:30PM and the customer by 5:50PM. 

Wait time at the Merchant during pickup does not count against Dashers because calculations are based on estimated travel time. Late orders due to batching (i.e., multiple stacked orders), DoorDash system outages, or other extenuating circumstances are not considered contract violations and are also excluded from this process. 
If you need to report an emergency during delivery, please follow the instructions here.To avoid a lateness violation, you can Pause a Dash if you need to take a break, or decline any delivery offered to you if you’re unable to complete the delivery in a timely fashion. Remember that wait time at merchant pickup does not count toward lateness. It is based on travel time.
Wrong Order Delivered-Based Violations
When a customer receives an order and the name on the receipt and/or the order ID does not match their specific order, they may report that they received the wrong order. In this case, the Dasher did not confirm that the order that they picked up/dropped off matched the order they were dispatched to deliver. Customers will confirm that they received a delivery that was ordered by a different customer by uploading a photo of the receipt or details of the incident to DoorDash support. Our support team will then be able to verify that the customer received an order meant for a different customer.

Wrong order delivered violations do not include instances of missing or incorrect contents within the order, and merchants advise that you should never open a sealed bag. However, to avoid delivering wrong orders, you can carefully review the receipt and order information to confirm that you are picking up the correct order will help ensure that customers receive the correct order.

Dashers can take extra care when picking up and dropping off orders that the name and/or order ID match exactly with the customer and order information in the app. This can be particularly helpful when completing a batched order where there are multiple customers.
Inaccurately Reporting Store Closed Violations
A store is considered inaccurately reported as closed when there is no clear evidence that it was non-operational — for example, if the store was open and fulfilling orders, or if the Dasher did not take reasonable steps to confirm its status (such as checking signage, calling the store, or speaking with staff). It’s important to always follow in-app instructions and only report a store as closed when it is clearly not open for business.

You’ll receive these notices when you mark a store as closed in the Dasher app, but we have evidence that the store was open. It will appear in your Rating tab as an Inaccurately Reporting Store Closed Contract Violation.

Make sure that your report is accurate. Only mark a store as “closed” if it is clearly and definitely not operating (e.g., lights off, door locked, signage indicating closure). If you’re unsure, you can try calling the store, checking their posted hours, or asking nearby staff. Don’t mark a store closed to cancel or avoid a delivery — that’s a violation - and be sure to follow in-app prompts to accurately report.

Red Card Abuse Violations
This Policy ensures that instances of Red Card Abuse (RCAB) fraud committed by DoorDash Dashers are identified and addressed, upholding standards of trustworthiness, accountability, and transparency in our delivery operations.

Dashers who are onboard on the platform have access to a physical or virtual Mastercard called Red Card, which is used to shop on behalf of Customers. During Dasher Shop and Deliver (DSD) or Dasher Shop and Stage (DSS) orders. Dashers can use the Red Card to commit overcharge fraud by: 

• Red Card Over Swipes/Extra Swipe: Dasher uses Red Card to purchase items other than/ in addition to what the Customer orders by swiping more than the expected amount and/or swiping multiple times.

• Red Card Swipe/Unassign: Dasher swipes the red card and unassigns themselves from the order / cancels order without intent to deliver.

You’ll receive these notices when you overswipe/ add extra items without Cx approval and/or Swipe and Unassign without a valid reason on a Dasher Shop and deliver order.  It will appear in your Rating tab as a “Red Card overcharged” or “Unassign/Cancelling after using Red Card” Contract Violation.
Causing Customer Cancellations Violations
We consider that a Dasher caused a customer cancellation when there is evidence that their actions (or inaction) intentionally led to the order being canceled. Examples include:

• Going offline for an extended period after pickup.

• Not making progress toward the customer drop-off location, such as driving in circles or moving in the wrong direction.

• Canceling for reasons that do not match the Dasher’s actual behavior (e.g., claiming “merchant canceled” without arriving at the store).

• Using “customer requested” or “issue with drop-off” as a reason when there is no record of customer communication or no attempt to reach the drop-off.

It’s important to always follow in-app instructions, communicate honestly, and make a good-faith effort to complete each delivery. Inducing a cancellation — whether by inaction or misrepresentation — is a violation of policy and may result in a contract violation. You’ll receive these notices when an order is cancelled in the Dasher app, but we have evidence that the Dasher’s actions (or inaction) caused the cancellation. It will appear in your Rating tab as a Causing Customer Cancellation Contract Violation.

To avoid this type of violation, make sure you are not influencing the customer to cancel their order. It’s okay to communicate delays or issues, but you should never encourage, suggest, or pressure the customer to cancel as a way to avoid completing the delivery. If there’s a problem (e.g., long wait time, store delay, item unavailable), follow the in-app prompts and let the system guide you. Only customers can decide to cancel, and your role is to complete the order to the best of your ability.

Order Picked Up But Never Delivered Violations
This policy applies in particular to instances where an order gets canceled for Wrong Dasher Handoff (WDH) reasons, and our systems determine with high confidence that the original Dasher took possession of the order but did not complete the delivery. You’ll receive this violation if our systems detect that you took possession of an order and the order was never delivered to the customer.To avoid Order Picked Up But Never Delivered Violations, make sure to follow the pickup instructions provided by the merchant. After picking up the order, proceed to the customer-designated dropoff location in a safe and timely manner. If an issue arises after pickup that prevents delivery, such as safety concerns or other urgent problems, contact DoorDash Support immediately and follow all in-app instructions.