Companies such as Uber and Instacart stand to save a ton of money on labor costs — up to 40 percent, according to one study — by continuing to classify their workers
as independent contractors rather than as employees.
By paying workers
as independent contractors when they should be paid as employees, federal, state and local governments potentially miss out on tax revenue they would otherwise collect; this tax gap was the focus of a special report to Congress in 2011 and continues to be an area of focus today.
Back in April, Uber settled class - action lawsuits with drivers in Massachusetts and California in an agreement that has Uber paying drivers up to $ 100 million but preserving the right to treat
them as independent contractors.
At Sid Simone Solutions, a promotional staffing and marketing company, everyone is hired
as an independent contractor.
Companies such as Uber, Deliveroo, and TaskRabbit view those selling their services over the platform
as independent contractors who do not get to enjoy the benefits that proper employees have.
Consider yourself warned: The U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service are cracking down on companies that misclassify employees
as independent contractors to avoid paying employment taxes.
Hired
as independent contractors, mystery shoppers are «posers» operating in stealth - like fashion to assess your business operations.
If a third - party is paying you to mine coins, then you may be receiving payment
as an independent contractor and you would be responsible for self - employment taxes.
Sounds like this is violating people's right to privacy when they are individuals
as independent contractors.
(
As independent contractors, currently drivers take on all the risks and costs associated with maintaining, fueling, and insuring their cars).
Never has the U.S. government been more interested in whether a worker is properly classified
as an independent contractor or W - 2 employee as right now.
To stay out of hot water with the IRS, be sure the workers you classify
as independent contractors meet the IRS definition of an independent contractor.
Sometimes, Uber doesn't get its way, as happened when the California Labor Commission's Office ruled that a driver who had sued the company be treated as an employee as opposed to
as an independent contractor.
If the IRS finds you've misclassified an employee
as an independent contractor, you'll pay a percentage of income taxes that should have been withheld on the employee's wages and be liable for your share of the FICA and unemployment taxes, plus penalties and interest.
If there is a long - standing practice in your industry in treating certain workers
as independent contractors, you probably can follow suit.
You can't treat some as employees and others
as independent contractors.
Their concern is that many businesses classify workers
as independent contractors when they're actually employees.
The bottom line is this: If a worker isn't hanging out their «shingle» to perform the same duties for others, it'll be difficult to classify that person
as an independent contractor.
Workers who actively manage their own business where you don't exercise control over their «comings and goings» will most likely qualify
as independent contractors.
Those that do will have have to do so
as independent contractors, not as employees.
But when you have a legitimate basis for classifying a worker
as an independent contractor, go ahead.
A: The IRS is most likely looking for workers you've classified
as independent contractors.
Caution should be exercised when classifying virtual employees
as independent contractors.
The government contends that it loses millions, quite possibly billions, of dollars each year on workers who've been classified
as independent contractors but who haven't voluntarily paid self - employment taxes.
The first guideline — released in July 2015 on a now - deleted page of the DOL's website — addressed the issue of misclassifying employees
as independent contractors.
She recently got a consulting gig and the client will pay her $ 50,000
as an independent contractor.
The cofounder and CEO of Thumbtack has kept a close eye on the rise of the «gig economy» — or on - demand, short - term, unskilled jobs where employees are usually referred to
as independent contractors — and he doesn't see how it could provide people with meaningful sources of income long - term.
ROBB SPEARMAN: For those realtors in my office who've gone from a full - time job where they have health benefits into a commission - type paying position
as an independent contractor, it's a key issue for them.
Many startups, like Uber and Lyft, have brought on their drivers or workers
as independent contractors, or more generally known as 1099 employees because of the 1099 form they fill out for the IRS.
Clients pay between $ 3,500 and $ 15,000 per family to use the service, and Crosby plans to open up a second revenue stream this fall by licensing the Wevorce software to lawyers, counselors and accountants — professionals who currently work for the company
as independent contractors.
Some drivers of those companies argue they've been misclassified
as independent contractors and want full employee status.
Two years ago, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to give taxi and ride - sharing drivers classified
as independent contractors the ability to unionize.
The statement from attorney Shannon Liss - Riordan, says the settlement will allow Uber to continue recognizing those drivers
as independent contractors, not employees, and pay $ 100 million.
«Uber partners with entrepreneurial drivers and
as independent contractors, they are responsible for following appropriate local requirements,» said a spokesperson in a statement sent to SFGate.
For instance, in 2015, the housecleaning start - up Homejoy publicly said that the four lawsuits it faced from workers who claimed they were misclassified
as independent contractors were «the deciding factor» in the reason it shut down.
«On one hand, Uber argues that it has properly classified every single driver
as an independent contractor,» Chen wrote.
If the company can scale its business for growth, it becomes more flexible in being able to accept a large opportunity that comes along by quickly adding more resources (such
as independent contractors).
One study by economist Elaine McCrate found that any reduction in wages associated with the benefit of flexibility is modest at best and, in fact, many jobs with greater flexibility have higher wages.137 Furthermore, the volatility of earnings for many independent contractors would offset any compensating wage differentials, because workers can not compare the value of flexibility to higher earnings when they aren't able to predict their earnings
as independent contractors.138
But she quickly took issue with Uber's policy of classifying drivers
as independent contractors.
This includes money you earned from an employer, or
as an independent contractor.
In California, Uber faces class - action lawsuits from drivers saying they were misclassified
as independent contractors.
If you're self - employed, be prepared to provide a copy of a profit and loss statement, along with references to verify your employment status if you're working
as an independent contractor.
As an independent contractor, I've opened a Solo 401k (aka KEOGH 401k, Self - Employed 401k, One - Participant 401k), which is meant for a business owner with no employees.
The CRA will ignore an individual's designation
as an independent contractor if there are indications that the individual is actually an employee in terms of tax purposes.
The state's new «ABC» test will make it more difficult for companies to defend classifying workers
as independent contractors.
Nevertheless, taxpayers may be tempted to establish
themselves as independent contractors, further increasing the number of conflicts with the IRS on this issue.
In 2013, the U.S. government will carefully scrutinize businesses that may be falsely categorizing on - the - job employees
as independent contractors.
All participants are designated
as independent contractors and except for the beauty advisors who sell primarily at retail through party plans and doortodoor methods, are permitted to, and do, sell or attempt to sell at both wholesale and retail.
Disclosure: 1) Nikia Wade compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports
as an independent contractor.
Home - based computing and the ability for people to easily communicate globally has led many to consider home - based businesses or work
as independent contractors.