It is, of course, an understatement to say that there are several tests and lists of criteria to characterize an employee as an employee or independent contractor developed under the Internal Revenue Code for tax purposes, under other federal laws for other regulatory purposes, and under state law for purposes that otherwise arise. (The scope of Michigan or other state laws exceeds this note.) Once a decision has been made (either by the corporation or the IRS), the next step is to file the appropriate forms and pay the associated taxes. In determining whether the person providing the service is an independent worker or contractor, account shall be taken of any information demonstrating the degree of control and independence. In the past, a «20-factor test» was used to assess workers to determine whether they were CIs or employees. These factors have been divided into three general categories for the IRS`s review of the specific situation: You are not an independent contractor if you provide services that can be controlled by an employer (what is done and how is it done). This also applies if you are granted freedom of action. It is important that the employer has the right to control the details of the provision of services. OVERVIEW Properly characterizing employees as independent contractors or employees is an issue that cuts across many areas of substantive state and federal law, particularly federal tax law. IRS Publication 15-A, Employer`s Supplemental Tax Guide (2020) (December 23, 2019), www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15a.pdf («Pub. […] The IRS uses common law principles to determine whether an employee is a COI or an employee.

This IRS review applies to federal employment taxes — federal income tax, FICA taxes on Social Security and Medicare, and federal taxes on unemployment. The IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center provides a variety of resources for small businesses as well as independent independent contractors. If you have a reasonable basis for not treating an employee as an employee, you may not have to pay labor tax for that employee. To obtain this relief, you must file all required federal information statements on a basis consistent with your employee`s salary. You (or your predecessor) must not have treated an employee who held a position substantially similar to that of an employee for periods beginning after 1977. See 1976, Section 530 Employment Tax Relief Requirements PDF for more information. Persons such as doctors, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers, accountants, contractors, subcontractors, public stenographers or auctioneers who operate in a business, business or independent profession in which they offer their services to the public are generally independent contractors. However, whether these individuals are independent contractors or employees depends on the facts.

The general rule is that a person is an independent contractor if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not what is done and how it is done. The income of a person working as an independent contractor is subject to self-employment tax. If you are an independent contractor, you are self-employed. To find out about your tax obligations, visit the Self-Employed Tax Centre. The Internal Revenue Service reminds small businesses of the importance of understanding and correctly applying the rules for classifying an employee as an employee or independent contractor. For federal labour tax purposes, a company must investigate the relationship between it and the employee. The IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center on the IRS website provides useful resources. However, your income as an employee may be subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare Tax) and income tax withholding. Note that it can take at least six months for a decision to be made, but a company that continually hires the same types of workers to provide certain services should consider filling out the SS-8 PDF form. Looking at the following factors, you should be aware that the IRS does not specifically look at a factor, but one factor may be enough to cause the IRS to determine that an employee is an employee. There is no «magic number» of factors that determine status. The DOL determines employee status by checking whether there is an «employment relationship» between an employee and an employer.

If this relationship exists, the employee is considered an employee under the provisions of the Fair Labour Standards Act (RSA). These provisions include rules on the minimum wage, overtime and youth workers. . . .