If Instacart deactivated your shopper account, the Instacart appeal form most people search for isn’t actually a form at all. The appeal starts with the deactivation email sent by Instacart’s Financial Risk and Account Security team: you reply to that email with the information and evidence requested, and your case enters the review queue. There is a separate web form for account security issues like takeover or phishing, but it isn’t the right tool for a standard policy-based deactivation. Everything runs through email, and no dashboard shows your appeal’s status.
Start by Identifying Why You Were Deactivated
The reason behind the deactivation shapes everything you’ll put in your reply. Instacart’s Community Guidelines give the company broad authority to suspend or remove account access, and the listed violations are explicitly “not comprehensive.”1Instacart. Instacart Community Guidelines Common triggers include customer reports of missing or undelivered orders (sometimes just one or two complaints), a cancellation rate above 15 percent, and unauthorized purchases on the Instacart payment card — including replacement items the customer didn’t approve, which can be treated as fraud.
Policy violations carry the harshest consequences. Co-shopping (bringing anyone with you on a delivery, including a child or partner) is grounds for immediate termination. Delivering alcohol without scanning the customer’s ID typically results in instant deactivation. Using third-party batch-grabbing bots violates the terms of service. A failed identity verification selfie check will lock your account, though that one is sometimes reversible.
Background checks are a separate track. Instacart uses Checkr, and new records appearing on your report can change your eligibility at any point, not just at sign-up. Background-check deactivations are generally considered permanent at the Instacart level, but you have a separate dispute path with Checkr if the report is wrong.
Read the deactivation email carefully. The specific reason stated there tells you what evidence will actually matter.
How to Submit Your Appeal
The deactivation email from the Financial Risk and Account Security team is your entry point. Reply directly to it with whatever information the team asks for, and the review begins once you’ve sent your response.2Instacart. Account Deletion and Deactivation
Check spam and promotions folders if you don’t see the email in your primary inbox; it may come from an address you haven’t received mail from before. If you genuinely can’t find it, Instacart’s help center points you to its support channels, though options for deactivated shoppers are limited.
Instacart does not publish a timeline for appeal decisions, and no online portal shows real-time progress. Watch your inbox: the decision will arrive by email.
What to Include in Your Reply
Treat your reply as a short case file. Identify yourself, explain what happened, and attach proof. The deactivation email will tell you what the team specifically needs, but a stronger evidence package improves your chances regardless of what’s requested.
Identifying Information
Include the email address and phone number tied to your shopper profile so the team can match your reply to the correct internal record.3Instacart. Instacart Appeal Form If your contact details changed recently, list both old and new to avoid a mismatch that delays processing.
Evidence That Matches the Reason
The evidence that actually helps depends on why you were deactivated:
- Missing or undelivered order complaints: screenshots of delivery confirmation photos showing the drop-off location, timestamped GPS logs from Google Maps or a navigation app, and photos of house numbers or other property features confirming you were at the right address.
- Customer interaction disputes: saved chat transcripts between you and the customer or Instacart support that show the conversation as it actually happened.
- Technical errors: screenshots of app glitches, error messages during checkout, or connectivity issues that caused a failed delivery or forced cancellation.
- Identity verification failures: a clear, well-lit selfie taken under conditions similar to the verification prompt, with a note explaining any factors (lighting, glasses, a haircut change) that may have caused the mismatch.
Attach files in common formats like JPEG, PNG, or PDF. Name each file descriptively — for example, “delivery-photo-123-Main-St-Jan15” — so the reviewer can connect it to the specific order without guessing.
A Factual Written Explanation
Keep your narrative specific. State the date and approximate time of the incident, name the batch or order if you know it, and walk through what happened in chronological order. Reference each piece of evidence as you mention it. Skip emotional appeals and vague statements like “I always follow the rules.” The reviewer is comparing your account against internal data and customer reports, and concrete details carry far more weight than general character claims.
When the Account Security Form Is the Right Tool
Instacart does maintain a web form at shoppers.instacart.com/secure_forms/account_security, and it often gets confused with the deactivation appeal process. This form is for account security issues — suspected account takeover or reporting a phishing scheme — not for appealing a policy-based deactivation.3Instacart. Instacart Appeal Form It asks for your full name, profile email, phone number, the last four digits of your SSN or TIN, a description of the security issue, and the most recent date you could access your account.
If someone else gained unauthorized access to your account and committed the violations that got you deactivated, use this form alongside your email reply to explain that the flagged behavior wasn’t yours. For standard deactivations based on your own shopping activity, customer complaints, or policy violations, the email reply is the correct channel.
Disputing a Background Check
If your deactivation stems from a background check flagging new or inaccurate records, an appeal to Instacart alone may not be enough. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to dispute inaccurate information directly with Checkr. File through Checkr’s candidate portal at candidate.checkr.com or by submitting a request through its support page.4Checkr. Candidate Disputes
Once you file, Checkr pauses any adverse action process, updates your report status to “Dispute,” and notifies Instacart’s compliance contact. The reinvestigation typically takes up to 30 days, or up to 45 days if you provide supporting documentation. If Checkr finds the information was inaccurate, it updates the report and notifies both you and Instacart, which can clear the way for your Instacart appeal to succeed. If Checkr confirms the original report was accurate, your options narrow considerably.4Checkr. Candidate Disputes
Possible Outcomes
Instacart communicates the final decision by email. There are two outcomes:
- Approved: your account reactivates, and any pending refund requests can process.
- Denied: your account stays deactivated and associated refund requests are also denied.
Instacart’s help center lists only these two results, with no mention of conditional reinstatement or probationary periods.2Instacart. Account Deletion and Deactivation
If Your Appeal Is Denied
A denied appeal generally ends the internal process. From there, Section 9 of the Independent Contractor Agreement requires that covered disputes between you and Instacart be resolved through binding arbitration under JAMS Comprehensive Arbitration Rules rather than in court.5Instacart. Independent Contractor Agreement
One exception matters. You had 30 calendar days from the date you signed the agreement to opt out of arbitration by sending written notice to contractor-opt-out@instacart.com, or by mail to Maplebear Inc., c/o Legal Team, 50 Beale Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94105.5Instacart. Independent Contractor Agreement If you opted out within that window, you preserved your right to go to court. If you didn’t, arbitration through JAMS is your path.
Before formal arbitration, the terms require an informal step. You send a written description of the dispute to Instacart’s Legal Department at the San Francisco address, personally signed, including your name, account email, a detailed description of the dispute, and the specific relief you’re seeking. Instacart then has 60 days to respond and attempt to resolve it before you can proceed to formal arbitration.6Instacart. Instacart Terms
Getting Your 1099 After Deactivation
Deactivation doesn’t erase your tax obligations. If you earned $600 or more in a calendar year, Instacart must still issue you a 1099-NEC. For recent tax years, these forms are not available through Stripe Express; you need to contact Instacart directly.7Stripe. Guide to 1099 Tax Forms for Instacart Shopper
If you can still log into the Shopper help center, you can access tax documents there. If your login no longer works, try the “I no longer have access to this phone number” option on the login screen to authenticate by email instead. If that fails, contact Instacart support to verify your identity and request the form. The IRS receives a copy of your 1099 regardless of your account status, so don’t let a locked account cause you to miss reporting the income.