SkipTheDishes is a Canadian food-delivery network that pays couriers per offer, plus 100% of in-app tips, in cities where it has restaurants and an open courier zone. As of October 2026, Skip’s own pages do not publish typical courier earnings or order counts by city. The practical difference between two Canadian cities is whether your zone is accepting couriers and whether the restaurants in that zone are busy in the hours you can work. Ontario and British Columbia add a legal pay floor for engaged delivery time. Waiting between offers is not that time.
Details are from Skip’s courier application, Inside Track, and help-centre pages, checked for this review. Where those pages disagree, the checklist inside the Courier App for your zone wins. The three-app comparison is Uber Eats vs DoorDash vs Skip. The start-up steps are food delivery in Canada.
Is SkipTheDishes available to couriers across Canada?
Skip’s application page says couriers deliver throughout Canada and that you apply in the zone where you want to work. It also says Skip mainly runs a closed network, matching the number of couriers to the orders it expects, so too many people are not online for too few orders. You submit the hours you want by midnight Wednesday. The next day Skip emails a schedule and updates it in the app. When a zone is busy you may get an “open run” without a booked shift. Open runs are not guaranteed. If your preferred zone is closed, Skip says it cannot transfer an account you opened in a different zone. Apply only where you will actually deliver.
That is the regional fact Skip will state. It does not publish how many orders Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, or a smaller city produced last month. Two couriers on the same app can have different nights because the restaurants and the schedule cap are local. Judge your zone with your own log, using how to work out your real hourly rate.
What do you need to deliver with Skip in Canada?
Skip’s pages do not use one age everywhere. The application page says you need to be 18 or older, an iPhone or Android phone with data, a bike or an insured car, and a bank account. It may also ask for proof of work eligibility: a birth certificate, a passport, a Certificate of Indian Status, or a work or study permit. The help-centre article Becoming a Courier instead says the age of majority in your province, a reliable vehicle, a driver’s licence, vehicle insurance, vehicle registration, proof of work eligibility, and a background check, plus a smartphone, direct deposit, and thermal bags. The age of majority is not 18 in every province. If the two pages disagree for your city, follow the checklist in the app.
You need a food-delivery bag. Skip says there is no obligation to buy a Skip-branded bag. A commercial-grade bag you already own can be submitted for approval during sign-up. A phone mount and a bag are the usual first purchases. A thermal bag from Amazon.ca is one place to look. The gear list is food delivery gear.
| Requirement | What Skip’s pages say |
|---|---|
| Age | 18+ on the application page. Age of majority on the help-centre article. Confirm in the app |
| Vehicle | A bike or an insured car on the application page. The help centre also asks for licence, insurance, and registration for a vehicle |
| Phone | Apple or Android with data. The application page names iOS 15.5 or later |
| Bag | Your own commercial-grade bag can be approved. A branded bag is optional |
| Work eligibility | Birth certificate, passport, Certificate of Indian Status, or a work or study permit, if asked |
| Zone | Apply in the zone you will use. A closed zone is not transferred later |
How does Skip pay couriers in Canada?
Skip pays Transit Pay plus 100% of customer tips. How Courier Pay Works says Transit Pay depends on estimated driving distance and time, tips are never used to subsidize Transit Pay, and tips are not pooled. You see the total, the pickup, the drop-off, and the estimated distance before you accept. Courier pay basics says the same thing and adds that promotions depend on how busy your location is. Skip’s Bill 88 page says there is no fixed rate per kilometre. Distance is one input to Transit Pay.
Skip does not publish a Canadian average hourly rate. An offer is the gross amount for that delivery, not your pay for the whole hour you were logged in. Declining or not finishing deliveries can mean fewer offers later. Skip says couriers with higher acceptance rates may receive more offers, and that alcohol or Shop + Pay orders are shown only to couriers who meet extra requirements. Alcohol delivery needs the certification Skip describes, including ID checks. That is Skip’s account of its own system, not a provincial statute.
Ontario and B.C. pay floors
Skip’s Bill 88 page says that in Ontario and British Columbia it reviews active delivery time each week, from accept to complete, and adds a top-up if eligible pay for that time is under the provincial minimum. Tips are excluded. Waiting between offers is excluded. In B.C., Skip says a distance expense allowance is calculated on active delivery distance and paid weekly. Skip’s own example on that page uses $17.20 as a hypothetical minimum. Do not treat $17.20 as the current Ontario rate.
The provincial pages are the floor:
- Ontario: the Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act requires at least the general minimum wage per work assignment or pay period, tips excluded. Ontario’s general minimum wage is $17.95 from October 1, 2026 (Ontario).
- British Columbia: at least $21.89 per hour of engaged time from June 1, 2026, plus at least $0.35 per kilometre for delivery using transport other than walking (B.C.).
Skip’s page says a B.C. distance allowance is paid. The $0.35 figure is the province’s, not a number Skip prints as its own rate. Read the weekly statement.
Illustrative example
Assumed numbers, using Ontario’s published minimum. Not a Skip offer and not an average night.
Suppose an Ontario courier’s active time on one delivery is 20 minutes and the offer shows $6 of Transit Pay and a $3 tip. The tip does not count toward the floor. The floor for 20 minutes is (20 ÷ 60) × $17.95 = $5.98. The $6 of Transit Pay is above that slice. Time logged in while waiting for the next offer is not in the 20 minutes. Your real hourly rate uses all logged-in time and your costs. That worksheet is gig app pay after costs.
How do Skip payouts work in Canada?
Skip’s Inside Track pay basics and Bill 88 page say direct deposit is processed every Tuesday for the previous Monday-to-Sunday week, and that a bank may take one to three business days, so the money often shows up by Thursday evening. The help-centre pay article describes the deposit as going out on Thursday for that same Monday-to-Sunday week. Both describe a weekly deposit. The day you should plan around is the one the Courier App and your bank show, not a memory of an older screenshot.
Fast Cash, where the city has it, sends available earnings to a supported debit card for $1.99 a cash-out. Skip says you can use it as often as you like, including weekends, and that deposits often appear within about 30 minutes, depending on the bank. Weekly deposit does not have that fee. A spending account that keeps courier deposits away from rent makes the log easier. KOHO is one Canadian option. Any separate account works.
What are the pros and cons of Skip for Canadian couriers?
Pros
- You see the offer, the distance, and the addresses before you accept.
- Tips are 100% yours and are not used to subsidize Transit Pay.
- A bike is an option on the application page, which matters if you do not want to put a car on the road.
- Ontario and B.C. have legal floors for active delivery time, and Skip describes a weekly top-up.
- Your own commercial bag can be approved. A branded bag is optional.
Cons
- No published hourly rate and no published order volume by city.
- Zones can be closed, and Skip says it will not move you from the zone you applied in.
- The schedule is mostly booked in advance. Open runs are not guaranteed.
- Acceptance rate and unfinished deliveries can change which offers you see.
- Vehicle, fuel, insurance, and phone costs are yours. Waiting time is not engaged time.
- The application page and the help centre do not state the same minimum age. Confirm in the app.
Who is Skip a fit for in Canada?
Skip fits someone who can work the dinner window in a zone that is actually open, and who will submit availability every week instead of expecting the app to be a taxi stand. It is a weaker fit if you need a booked hourly wage for every minute you are out, or if the only zone taking applications is too far away to be worth the drive. Compare the other two apps in Uber Eats vs DoorDash vs Skip and the single-app review Uber Eats for couriers. If the effective hourly stays low for several weeks, when to quit a gig app is the decision page.
How is Skip income taxed in Canada?
Couriers are self-employed for tax purposes. Earnings go on Form T2125. Food delivery uses the $30,000 GST/HST small-supplier test, not the first-fare rule that applies to rideshare. Keep weekly statements and a kilometre log. Vehicle costs are in vehicle expenses for delivery. Tell your insurer you are delivering before the first shift. Skip’s pages describe you as choosing your own hours. They do not replace a personal auto policy.
This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Which guides sit next to this Skip courier review?
The hourly worksheet is your real hourly rate on gig apps. The comparison is Uber Eats vs DoorDash vs Skip. Start-up steps are food delivery, startup costs, and the first week. Gear is food delivery gear.
What are the common questions?
How much do SkipTheDishes couriers make in Canada?
Skip does not publish a Canadian average hourly rate or order counts by city. You see Transit Pay and tips before you accept, and you keep 100% of tips. Your real hourly rate is pay minus costs, divided by every hour you were logged in, including waiting.
What are the requirements to deliver for Skip in Canada?
The application page says 18 or older, a smartphone with data, a bike or an insured car, and a bank account. The help centre says the age of majority, a licensed and insured vehicle, a background check, and thermal bags. Confirm the checklist in the app for your zone.
When does Skip pay couriers?
Skip's Inside Track says direct deposit is processed every Tuesday for the previous Monday-to-Sunday week, and funds often arrive by Thursday depending on the bank. Fast Cash costs $1.99 a transfer where it is available. The help centre has described the deposit as going out on Thursday.
Does Skip guarantee minimum wage in Ontario and B.C.?
Skip says it tops up eligible pay if your average during active delivery time is below the provincial minimum, tips excluded. Ontario's general minimum is $17.95 from October 1, 2026. B.C. lists $21.89 per engaged hour from June 1, 2026, plus a per-kilometre amount. Waiting between offers is not included.
Can I switch Skip delivery zones if mine is closed?
Skip's application page says to apply only in the zone you want, and that it cannot transfer an account if you signed up in a different zone because your preferred one was closed.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- Delivery driver jobs: become a Skip courier — SkipTheDishes
- Courier pay basics — SkipTheDishes
- Bill 88: what you need to know — SkipTheDishes
- Becoming a Courier — SkipTheDishes
- How Courier Pay Works — SkipTheDishes
- Rights and protections for digital platform workers — Government of Ontario
- Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: minimum wage — Government of Ontario
- Minimum wage (including online platform workers) — Government of British Columbia
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency