The company also requires the owner-operator to meet certain contractually agreed-upon delivery deadlines, and her contract includes agreed-upon incentives for meeting, and penalties for missing, the deadlines. The rule reaffirms an economic-reality test to determine whether an individual Whats the Difference Between an Independent Contractor and an Employee is in business for himself or herself—an independent contractor—or is economically dependent on a business for work. Employees, on the other hand, are restricted to equipment and tools owned by their employer and most are required to work in an office or at a specific location.

The Department of Labor regularly audits companies for compliance and an aggrieved contractor can file a lawsuit, including one seeking class-action status. Generally speaking, you must withhold and pay income taxes, social security taxes and Medicare taxes as well as pay unemployment tax on wages paid to an employee. You do not generally have to withhold or pay any taxes on payments to independent contractors.

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Employers get a better deal because of this, as independent contractors can be paid on a per-job basis, rather than as part of an ongoing salary with benefits. Independent contractors can be as much as 30% cheaper to hire than employees are. For example, nearly 40% of psychologists are independent contractors (private practitioners). Private investigators and security personnel members, farmers, translators, and auctioneers are other examples of workers who are often independent contractors.

As your business has different needs, employees’ roles may shift, which can impact classification. There are a number of factors to consider when determining worker classification, but all federal and state factors need to be taken into consideration when deciding. https://quickbooks-payroll.org/ Ultimately, the burden of proof is on the employer, and you should consider what is more beneficial for the employee, not the employer, when making this important decision. Employees are heavily protected by labor laws and, in some cases, by labor unions.

Independent Contractor

Instead, independent contractors are self-employed (also known as a “business for self”); they can operate and work for several clients simultaneously. Not withholding taxes and benefits (or incorrectly withholding them) doesn’t just put an undue burden on employees and contractors. If you “misclassify” a worker and don’t correctly withhold or pay the required amounts, the IRS may flag your business and come after any money owed. • Have policies and protocols in place for the hiring and use of independent contractors. This will prevent your company from using independent contractors in an attempt to circumvent paying benefits, which can cause classification problems for your business.

• Far more employees reported working for money (50%) than independent workers (38%), who often reported working because they wanted to (32%), or at least equally for both reasons.
• An employee can be terminated by an employer for a good cause and without notice, unless the employment is in an at-will state, in which case good cause is not necessary.
• Businesses of all sizes leverage independent contractors, and tech giants like Uber and Google have come under fire for misclassifying workers as contractors instead of employees.
• In a nutshell, employees receive a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and are taxed on this income at the federal and state levels.

If you’re planning on hiring an independent contractor and want to make sure there’s no confusion about how they’re classified, just remember that only the result of their work will be under your control. If you want to be able to dictate the way that the work is carried out, you might want to consider hiring an employee instead. By classifying workers properly, you can be assured that all your tax information will be filed correctly, reducing the likelihood of an audit. Whether you use the Common Law Test, the ABC Test or some other approach based on regulations, make sure that all of your workers are classified correctly so you can continue working toward your business goals effectively. • If you find that you have misclassified workers, then make sure that you correct the misclassification as quickly as possible.

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If the employer intentionally misclassified an employee, it can result in significant liabilities. The full amount of income tax that should have been withheld will need to be repaid. The IRS can assess interest and penalties but only on the amount of the liability of the employer. Now that we’ve looked at the differences between an independent contractor vs. employee, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each form of employment to help you understand which would work best for your small business. However, it’s equally important to determine what the employment relationship will be like, how often they will work for you, how much control you will have, and what their working hours will be. In other words, whether it makes more sense to take them on as an independent contractor vs. employee.