Independent Contractor Reclassification

One of the most heavily contested issues among business owners and the Internal Revenue Service/Employment Development Division is the classification of individuals in your employment as “independent contractors” or “employees.” The former does not require any tax withholdings to be made by the employer and, therefore, the reclassification of workers as employees may result in back withholding taxes being assessed as well as substantial interest and penalties for failing to pay employment taxes. If the EDD decides to reclassify multiple workers, this could result in significant liability owed to the State of California  

The IRS uses a twenty factor test for classifying workers, which the Employment Development Division has adopted as well in making its determinations. Generally these factors fall into three categories: 1) Behavior Control, 2) Financial Control, and 3) The Type of Relationship between the employer and the worker. For more information, please see: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1779.pdf.

There is no set formula or combination of factors that will automatically classify a worker as an employee or an independent contractor. The law is extremely nuanced and the federal and state governments have been increasingly aggressive in classifying independent contractors as employees. Your intent to hire workers as independent contractors is simply not enough. Therefore, it is important to have an experienced tax attorney represent you in independent contractor disputes before the government. Reclassification can result in thousands of dollars in increased tax liability. Better still, our law firm can help you draft independent contractor agreements as a preventative measure to curtail liability before it arises. Although no agreement is “airtight,” a free consultation can help better define your workers’ role according the guidelines and will help minimize exposure should the tax authorities pursue action against you.

Please contact our office for further  assistance or to schedule a free consultation.