Companies like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash avoid paying into Social Security for workers whom they don’t consider employees, as workers struggle to put away savings while making small amounts for delivery and other tasks

Dean Rainer finds it hard to believe that anyone would think app-based gig workers can save for retirement.

“I needed a good laugh today,” the 60-year-old who delivers for Uber (UBER) Eats said when asked about his retirement plans. “Thanks for that.”

Rainer estimates that he made about $14 an hour on average doing deliveries about 35 hours a week in Orlando, Fla., before he moved recently to Birmingham, Ala. “It could be lower, but never higher,” he said, citing few tips, high fuel costs and base pay as low as $2 a delivery since he began delivering in March 2021.

“They’ve been two-dollaring me to death,” he said.

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