Shopping for Instacart gives people the flexibility to make their own schedule, working when they want, where they want.
But as independent contractors, the lines are blurred for issues like sick days or vacation days. If you’re not an actual employee and you have no “boss,” how do you report this information?
What is the Instacart vacation policy and how do you navigate it as a gig worker? I have the information you need.
What Is Instacart’s Vacation Policy In 2024?
Instacart maintains separate vacation policies for their shoppers and their corporate staff. Shoppers can opt to set vacation time in the Shopper app, but the nature of the gig is such that they can simply not schedule any shifts for the duration. Corporate employees, on the other hand, receive unlimited PTO.
To learn more about setting a vacation on the Instacart Shopper app, taking just a day off, how easy it is to stop working for Instacart and much, much more, keep going!
How Do You Set A Vacation On Instacart?
If you would like to let Instacart know that you will be taking an extended period off in order to go on vacation, you can alert them in the Shopper app.
WikiHow offers a quick tutorial on how to do this.
According to their guidelines, you can go into the Shopper app and navigate to the scheduling page.
You’ll select Hours, and at the bottom of the screen that pops up, find where it says Set vacation.
If you have hours scheduled during your intended vacation time, they’ll be cancelled.
Then you choose your start and end dates for the vacation and tap “Done.”
That’s it! Instacart has made it very simple and easy to take an extended time away from shopping, without worrying about being disturbed.
Can You Work For Instacart While On Vacation?
No matter where you’re traveling to, if Instacart operates in that area, you can ostensibly pick up shifts, even if you’re on vacation.
Of course, that means you can’t actually have set yourself as being On Vacation (in the app).
But if you opted to just take the time away without formally letting Instacart know, then you can certainly try to pick up shifts – and a little extra cash – away from home.
You might even exceed expectations, if you’re vacationing somewhere with a higher cost-of-living than your home town.
What Is Instacart’s PTO?
Instacart has come under fire, accused of poor treatment of shoppers, but you can’t say the same about their corporate employees.
Instacart’s corporate staff receive unlimited paid time off (PTO), a move more progressive companies are starting to make in the interest of their employees’ mental health.
If you like the freedom of gig work but don’t mind being more locked into a daily schedule, consider applying for a job with Instacart corporate as part of their Flex Remote program.
You’ll be a full-fledged employee, with access to PTO (among other benefits), but get to work from the comfort of your own home.
Can You Take A Day Off Instacart?
If you don’t want to shop a certain for Instacart, you can simply not schedule it – you are in control of your own schedule.
However, if you are signed up for a day already and find you don’t want to work it or can’t, you have a six-hour window before your shift starts to cancel.
If you cancel within that six-hour period, however, you will likely incur a reliability incident.
Can You Stop Working For Instacart At Any Time?
According to most commenters on this thread, you don’t actually have to contact Instacart if you want to quit working for them – you can just stop.
If you’re sure you’re done, you can also cut up, shred or toss your Shopper card, too.
However, if you want your account deleted, you will have to contact Instacart support and ask them to do it. There is no “delete account” function on the app.
Does Instacart Give Holiday Pay?
There are many upsides to being classified an independent contractor, but the major downfall is lack of company benefits, including holiday pay.
Full-service Instacart shoppers are independent contractors and are therefore not entitled to holiday pay, even if they work on a holiday.
Normal payment rates apply, and that’s even if you can schedule for a holiday (or receive any batches); many stores close on major holidays, like Christmas.
However, in 2020 Instacart did issue holiday bonuses, up to $500, to their most active shoppers.
Instacart’s corporate benefits, for their full-time office staffs (Instacart has multiple hubs), do include paid holidays, as indicated by Comparably.
To know more, you can also read our posts on Instacart rehire policy, Instacart background check, and does Instacart hire felons.
Conclusion
The vast majority of Instacart’s workers are full-service shoppers, contract workers, and they are therefore not entitled to any paid vacation time.
However, shoppers can stop scheduling shifts at any time, and they do have the ability to schedule vacation time in the Shopper app just to let Instacart know.