OvernightThe importance of correctly classifying workers as employees or independent contractors has never been greater. It is no longer just businesses seeking to cut costs by hiring independent contractors. The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 created a 20% income deduction for business owners, incentivizing employees to become independent contractors.
The definition of the employer-employee relationship, however, has not changed and cannot be circumvented by agreement between business and worker.
Additionally, many states are broadening the employer-employee definition as they attempt to make gig workers (such as those working for Uber) and independent sellers (such as those selling Tupperware) employees. Misclassification of employees can literally bankrupt a business. To protect yours, learn to properly navigate the Employee vs Independent-Contractor classification process.
If the IRS finds the relationship between a business and workers treated as independent contractors to be incorrect, the IRS can (and will) retroactively reclassify those workers as employees. If a business misclassifies a single employee it will face years of back taxes, unfiled or amended payroll returns, and amended income tax returns. Misclassifying more than a handful, however, can be the death-knell for many businesses. They will owe a crushing amount of unpaid employment taxes, tax filings, and amended income tax returns. They may also be liable for benefits employees did not receive while misclassified.
Our Independent Contractor vs. Employee course covers everything you and your employees need to know to correctly classify workers, avoid reclassification, and minimize the cost of reclassification if and when it occurs.
The Independent Contractor vs. Employee Course contains 2 hours of video broken up into eight easily-navigated lessons as well as 20 resources including links to law review articles, court judgements and IRS documents.
All courses and articles are for informational purposes only and do not constitute tax advice. Taxes are complicated - do not act on course information without consulting a professional. Always refer to treasury regulation before making any tax decision. Read the full disclaimer.