How to appeal a gig app deactivation

Appeal through the route your deactivation notice names, file one submission that answers the reason the platform gave, and attach evidence that speaks to that reason. Deadlines and decision times differ by platform, and some reasons, such as a rating below Wag's minimum, have no appeal at all.

How to appeal a gig app deactivation

Start with the notice, because the appeal has to answer what it says. Lyft describes the sequence: the account is flagged and put on a temporary hold during review, and drivers can submit evidence and request a call with the investigating agent.

What a deactivation notice says

The first message can be a block rather than a final notice. Uber Eats couriers whose selfie doesn't match, or where fraud is detected, are temporarily blocked from going online, and the account may be deactivated after review. Read any notice for three things: the reason, the appeal route and any deadline, and save a copy before you reply.

What one appeal should contain

Name the reason in your first sentence, then give facts and evidence for that reason only. Uber says a person reviews every appeal, so give dates, the order of events and the document that proves each point. What helps depends on the reason:

• Safety or conduct: DoorDash lists violence, impairment, harassment, unsafe driving and crime as grounds for immediate deactivation. Uber accepts police reports and dashcam video or audio with an in-app appeal.
• Fraud or location: DoorDash names multiple accounts, GPS spoofing and reused personal information under fraud. Explain the specific trips or logins that were flagged.
• Accidents: DoorDash says an accident may lead to deactivation depending on the facts, so put the facts first.
• Service standards: Amazon Flex measures Safety, Reliability, Delivery Quality and Customer Service. Say which one the notice cites and answer that one.
• Vehicle problems: Uber names unapproved vehicles or failing to maintain vehicle safety as grounds, and accepts third-party documents such as mechanic receipts.

If the notice gives no reason

Grubhub says it will give notice of deactivation, but other terms leave room for a thin explanation: Taskrabbit may deactivate on a confirmed or suspected breach, and Wag may suspend an account during an investigation. Check the platform's own policy for its list of grounds and answer the ones that fit your facts.

One appeal or several

Lyft allows one appeal per permanent deactivation, and an upheld decision ends it. The in-app appeal button lets you provide new information, so lead with what Lyft didn't have when it decided.

What you can attach

DoorDash says deactivated Dashers get appeal instructions that apply to violations of the contractor agreement or access policy. Attachments are limited to 5 photos or documents of 25 MB each and 2 videos of 250 MB and 90 seconds each, and you can review what you submitted afterward.

Appeal deadlines and where each platform sends you

Each platform sets its own window and route. Some give you a year, some two weeks, and several publish no appeal process at all, so check your platform's row before the deadline passes.

Send appeals only through the platform's own channel

Scammers pay to place fake customer-service contact details in search results and then offer to 'resolve' a problem for wired money or gift cards. They may also seek personal information or remote access. Use the channel the platform itself names:

If you gave personal information to an impostor, the FTC points to IdentityTheft.gov for a free recovery plan. How to spot side-hustle scams covers fake support contacts in more depth.

When there is no appeal, and what denied means

Low ratings are a listed ground at several platforms, and each sets its own line:

• Lyft: suggests concern below 4.8, an average of the last 100 rides.
• Uber: ratings below the city minimum, measured as an average of the last 500 rider ratings.
• Wag: caregivers below 4.75 are subject to deactivation.
• Grubhub: a minimum it sets by market and does not publish.

Pay owed after deactivation also varies by platform. Wag says completed services are paid out even if the caregiver is deactivated. The checklist turns these cases into questions to ask about your own platform.

Can you appeal more than once?

Some platforms allow a re-filing and some stop at one appeal. DoorDash lets a denied appeal be re-filed after a wait, if eligible, while Lyft stops at the single appeal described above.

Can you open a replacement account?

Don't open a second account to get around a deactivation. Uber lists duplicate accounts among fraud examples, and Alignerr's rules prohibit duplicate accounts and say it logs screen activity.

Deactivation from expired documents or lapsed insurance

Uber names expired documents and Real-Time ID Check failures among its deactivation reasons, and Lyft lists missing driver documents. When the notice names a document, the fix is a new upload, not an appeal. Uber's help pages explain why a document is rejected or flagged expired and where to upload and list upload problems to avoid when you resubmit.

A failed ID or background screening is a different problem: DoorDash lists failing screening at any time as grounds for deactivation.

Massachusetts and Seattle deactivation rights

Seattle

• Who is covered: workers with at least 25% of their work in Seattle in the past 180 days, or an incident that occurred in Seattle. The ordinance took effect Jan 1, 2025 and does not cover earlier deactivations.
• What companies must do: the city's labor office says the ordinance requires companies to set up a process to challenge a deactivation. DoorDash gives Seattle Dashers 90 days, and Uber says Seattle couriers can challenge within 90 days of notice.
• Where it stops: from Jan 1, 2025 through May 31, 2027, the city's labor office enforces only procedures, not whether the reason was permissible.
• Help: the office says it helped over 30 workers get reactivated and lists 206-256-5297. It can investigate retaliation at any time and points workers to the Fair Work Center.

Massachusetts

• The Attorney General's settlement with Uber and Lyft includes anti-retaliation protection for drivers who complain to the AG, plus in-app live chat support.
• Restitution covers drivers who drove in Massachusetts between Jul 14, 2020 and Jul 2, 2024.
• The settlement is with Uber and Lyft, so it does not speak for other platforms.

Other states and cities may have their own rules. Your state labor agency or city labor office is the place to look.