My Boss 1099s Me, Am I Really an Independent Contractor? (2023)
If your boss gives you a 1099 tax form each year, does that mean you are an independent contractor? What if you signed an independent contractor agreement? What if you submit invoices to your boss to be paid?
The answer may surprise you.
Every year millions of workers are misclassified as independent contractors, illegally denying them a slew of legal protections: minimum wage, overtime, meal breaks, rest breaks, mileage expense reimbursement, and other rights provided by state and federal labor codes. By one account, the federal government estimates that it loses $3-4 billion annually in tax income and employment tax revenues due to worker misclassification. That represents only a small fraction of the actual wages lost by the hard working employees who are victims of this common form of wage theft.
When workers are cheated out of even a small portion of their wages, it can lead to unpaid bills and sleepless nights for them. Sometimes the employers who engage in worker misclassification simply don’t know the law. All too often, however, they know exactly what they’re doing and should be punished. Fortunately, misclassification triggers a wide range of civil damages, hefty penalties, tax liability, and sometimes even criminal charges against the employer.
Below is the legal test for determining if you are misclassified as an independent contractor:
California’s Multifactor Test to Determine Classification
California courts look for 10 signs of an independent contractor relationship, as first established by the California Supreme Court in the 1989 case of S.G. Borello & Sons v. Department of Indus. Relations. The signs or “factors” must be viewed together as a whole, with no one particular factor controlling. If your answer to any of the following 10 questions is “yes”, then a judge may find that you are an employee, not an independent contractor, and you may be entitled to a hefty award of damages and penalties. Obviously, the more yeses you answer, the better your chances. It is important to note that misclassification of the employment relationship is a question of fact that must be determined either by a judge in a bench trial or by a jury in a jury trial.
Factor 1-Right to Control:
Does your employer have the right to control how you do your work? This is hands down the most important factor to be considered. Whether your employer actually exercises the right to control your work is irrelevant, rather it is whether or not your employer has the right to control the manners and means of accomplishing the work you perform (in other words, control over the details). Some amount of freedom of action does not turn you into an independent contractor so long as your employer has general supervision and control over how you do your work.
Factor 2-At Will:
Is your employment relationship at will? An employment relationship where the employer can fire you at any time for any (or no) reason suggests you are an employee rather than an independent contractor. Unless you have a contract or union agreement with your employer, you are probably an at-will employee, like almost every other employee in California.
Factor 3-Part of the Regular Business:
Is the work you do part of the regular business of your employer? If your employer is a retailer and you do sales, or if your employer is a restaurant and you do the cooking or serving, then your work is part of the regular business of the employer and you are probably an employee, not an independent contractor. If on the other hand, you just paint the outside of the restaurant, or you install and maintain the computers and internet for the retail store, then your work is incidental to the employer’s regular business and you may be an independent contractor.
Factor 4-Equipment, Tools, Place of Work:
Does your employer supply you with equipment, tools, and a place to work? If you are a painter and your employer provides the paint and brushes, or if you are a graphic designer and your employer provides you with a computer and workstation, you are probably an employee, not an independent contractor.
Factor 5-Pay by Hour or by Job:
Are you paid by the hour rather than by the job? For this, you should take a look at your paystub (or invoice). Does it show an hourly rate for you? If so, then you may be an employee, not an independent contractor.
Factor 6-Only Occupation or Business:
Is the work you do for your employee your only occupation or business? If you have other jobs, or you run your own business outside of work, then the answer is no and you may be an independent contractor, not an employee,
Factor 7-No Specialized or Professional Skill:
Can the work you do for your employer be done without a specialized or professional skill? In many cases, you need to look at whether the kind of work you do requires a certain type of certification, license or degree. If so, you may be an independent contractor.
Factor 8-Supervision:
Does the kind of work you do usually require a supervisor watching over you? True independent contractors can usually work alone without needing a supervisor to look over their shoulder. For example, web designers who make websites for businesses usually work by themselves, without supervision from their clients. If you need to be supervised, then you are probably an employee, not an independent contractor.
Factor 9-Long Period of Time:
Is the work you do meant to be performed over a long period of time? Independent contractors usually work on short-term assignments with a defined end date. If your employment has no defined end date (quitting, being fired or being laid off don’t count, of course), then you are probably an employee, not an independent contractor.
Factor 10-Belief:
Do you and your employer believe and act like you have an employer-employee relationship? If your employer issues you a W-2, puts you on their payroll, or treats you like an employee in front of customers and co-workers, then you are probably an employee, not an independent contractor.
So how did you do on the test? Keep in mind, your score is only a rough indicator of the likelihood a judge or jury will find that you are misclassified as an independent contractor. That having been said, if you answered “yes” to even one of the above questions, you should definitely consider talking with a labor lawyer or attorney. Ask for a free, confidential consultation. You could be owed thousands of dollars for illegal misclassification.
Kevin Panahi, Esq, is the author of this guest post. Kevin is a Bay Area employment attorney and author of Recovery My Wages, a Bay Area wage and hour law blog.
I was hired by my employer after signing an offer letter negotiated through a headhunter. Prior to having the offer letter providedf when i knew it was forthcoming i preemptively let the headhunter know that i wanted to disclose ADA medical issues i deal with so as to begin my employment with transparency and i was well aware that it could have caused the end to my offer and that was why I was disclosing the information because i didnt want to start without knowing it would be for the day to day business or something that couldn’t be accommodated for. The headhunter relayed the details and the offer letter came through. I began my employment and as i had predicted the issues started to crop up and at first it seemed that they were tolerated and we had come up with a feasible workable accommodation. The company consisted of a total of 5 people, at one point a new employee was hired for a completely different position to mine and at some point it became apparent taht this employee did not like that i was able to come and go per the private accommodations i had made with the employer and to which she was not entitled have the details of as she was not an HR rep by her own admission. However she was clearly making some noise about it because at her continued making a ppoint about it to the employer who is not really able to compartmentalize he began to see me alternatively as being disrespectful to him to the business. My health issues were getting worse and i was making him aware the entire time i was never out of pocket but if i was it was because of the ADA medical issues and as soon as i was able i altered the boss as he requested. Then my vehicles transmission failed and i live in a city without mass transit opportunities and this woman used the opportunity to continue to harp on my lack of attendance and he heard that (he being my boss) and seemingly forgot that it was not a choice i was making but rather me being in a very precarious spot of not being able to replace my transmission without the financial abiltiy to gain other vehicles and that this was also exacerbating my declining health status and still i was working from home and on the road and staying very late and ni work missed deadlines fell through the cracks or was not completed accurately but she continued to harp in his ear about my disrespect of not being in the office. He heard sat me down told me im fired or change to independent contractor having no desire to be without employment I chose the latter even though he also cut my pay took me off payroll and direct deposit and limited my hours and that i would not get paid unless i was in the office adn withou\t a vehicle and with limited hours thsi made his very aware of such, difficult financial situation much more strained. Cell Phone went unpaid and acquired exorbitant late fees abd reinstatement fees to be paid out of a defecite in budget that couldn’t accommodate the regular fees in the first place before the deficit and rent was 12 days late and i was subsequently fired. Oh yeah i forgot that woman retroactive to my being changed to independent contractor (which i later foudn out this woman directed My employer to change me to this status telling him that he could control my pay to only hours that he knew i was working and end my health insurance which was all wrong illegal and outside the labor laws CAL Cobra, Labor and employment rights and etc…) cancelled my health insurance knowing thati had an auto immune issue i was having treated often times because hte symptoms were physically obvious and she acknowledged seeing on me. I want to hold her personally liable in a libel law suit and discrimination, harrassment and retaliation suit not the employer because she is the one accountable for all og it and directed my employer to do. Can I sue her individually because there is a paper trail proving her direction is the key to all of this? I would like to only hold her civilly liable as my emplphyer but as an individual outside of the rights to do and making herself individually liable for the civil damages it has caused?
I am a janitorial worker. I have been hired to clean a medical offices that are contracted to the business I’m payed by. They are a janitorial company they supply my tools supplies and provide a regular location I clean after the office is closed alone. I’m told to bill hourly and paid min wage. I’m told to invoice for my work between the 25th and 5th to be paid by 5th I’m told. I’m paid 1x a month. And I’m also a 1099. I think the laws have been slightly adjusted since this was published..but I think I may be a employee.? I don’t know. Help.
Look, I just want to know if I can have my employer pay my business instead of myself as I provide services. I’ve been contracted to manage the operations of a client of theirs, I can work when I want the only agreement is that I serve _x_ amount of hours before their billing cycle close with this client. I provide myself with my own equipment and paid to get my certifications. I’m doing more of the supervising than being supervised. I have power to make decisions and alter the function of operations when it comes to providing services for this client.
Is it possible?
I am a licensed clinical therapist working under a 1099 contract with a behavioral health company. In addition to therapy, I am asked to do all the billing for my clients and, now I am being asked to verify clients insurance status, mediate disputes with insurance companies, explain that additional billing may be necessary over and above insurance coverage and making sure that insurance information is up to date. I have worked for over a year without a new contract. They tried to hold me to a five day billing requirement, but I researched it and found out that Medicare allows billing up to 365 days after the service is provided. I think that I am an employee. What do you think?
It would appear that you are an employee according to at least factors 1, 3, 9, and 10. You could probably get free legal consult with a firm that deals with employee rights.
I work for a hair salon. We also do mobile jobs where we go to clients’ homes. I was hired as an I.C but get paid hourly when working at the salon and get to keep all tips. When I do mobile jobs I get paid by commission. I have to write up my own invoices and pay goes through an app that goes to the owner. I have to take my invoices to the owners home bc she does not always remember to pick them up from the salon and payday is on Wednesdays every week but I never get my checks on time, usually a few days after and sometimes I need to ask for my pay. Am I being missclassified?
Hello,
I’m a COVID tester in California. My employer had me fill out a 1099. I clock in & out on an app called connect teams. I recently asked for more hours, they gave me 6hr shift M-W as a sales associate and was told to test 50 patients in 1 week and if I accomplish that, I’d remain the extra hrs. Now my employer is saying that I will not get paid for those days (M-W) until I reach the 50 tests. He already said I will not be paid for the Tue & Wed I’ve already worked. What should I do?
Even though you filled out a 1099, that alone does not determine whether you are an employee or a 1099 contractor. Based on what you describe, there is a strong likelihood you are actually an employee and are owed wages. We’d be happy to discuss your situation further. You can reach us at 213-992-3299. Feel free to contact us. You can also fill out the contact form on the top right of this website.
I’ve worked for my “boss” for over 5 years. 2 years ago she decided to take me off payroll and says she will hand me a 1099 at the end of the year, she also now does not pay 401K or any retirement and I have to pay my own taxes now. I’m a foal/horse trainer who’s using all the farms equipment, my gas for hauling (most the time) and I do everything on the farm… Mowing, fencing, feeding, tree trimming, scooping manure, riding horses, washing vehicles, saving them money by welding horse panels rather than buying new ones, tend to the garden (seasonal)
Ect.
She does pay my health insurance but she pays outta pocket. Reason this all went down was because supposedly CA State said she couldn’t have anymore employees working outside her Vet Clinic, but she claims the horses as a business too.
Excuse me, she did this to me in 2019
I’m a trimmer for a cannabis company and my boss’ made me an independent contractor, 1099. I have been working there for over a year and I asked them to put me on hourly payroll and they refuse time and again. I am paid by the pound and sometimes I only get paid once a month. Sometimes I don’t even get work because of how they set up their company it’s very inconsistent. Most times they make me wait a week or more to receive my funds to when it’s due. I don’t get a paystub or any type of receipts At all. They have hired over me for different work I am capable of and have gained seniority at my work place and they don’t seem to care I am floundering. Is this grounds for a labor law case?
If hired as an independent contractor with a year and after the year you keep working and no new contract is given are you now a Regular employee and should you have been receiving benefits. In this job I had to travel all over the States .
Thank You
I have worked for the company 2013-2019, around July of 2016, my wife and I were convinced we were no longer able to afford to live in California let alone retire there. I approached the owner and asked if it would be possible to work remotely using “go to my pc” etc…. He said they could probably make that work! So off to the neighboring, more affordable state we went. Once there bringing with my company computer, company cell phone, files etc. It was decided, I need to be an independent contractor because he did not want to get a business licence in another state and could not pay me as an employee, i would need to be a 1099. So a work agreement was created, spelling out in part the equipment belonged to them and needed to be returned upon termination of said work agreement, that our relationship was as an independent contractor for a term of 4 years. Along with a required 45 day termination and 4 week forfeiture of pay as a “penalty” for either party cancelling early. Signed and agreed to by both parties. For three years I was guided on what to work on, who to work with, what projects to go after or not, using company email account, estimating program provided and maintained by the company to me. during this time, I attended company Christmas parties, picnics and weekly Skype meetings where weekly on goings were discussed and followed up on leaving a plan of attack for the following week etc….. Here lies the question, an employee or independent contractor? Now terminated 16 months earlier than agreed upon (not for anything negative on my part) they have decided not to pay me the “penalty ” equal to 4 week compensation. Is this a labor law issue or a court issue over 5k under 10k that I would need to peruse on my own? Does Treble law apply?.
I work for a very large corporation in Los Angeles. I was with them as an employee for 11 years. At that time they needed to reduce headcount. I was told I was being laid off and “it was not a money thing, but a headcount thing. But we want you to come back immediately as an independent contractor.” This was 17 years ago! I am doing the same job that I was doing as an employee. My job has evolved in those 17 years but I’m not doing anything that any other employee could do. I get projects to work on and I estimate the cost on an hourly basis and they set me up a PO to complete the project. I have had discussions over the past 7 or 8 years of them saying they are going to make me an employee again but nothing has ever happened. I have emails from Legal and the Vice President of my department stating yes, I should be an employee. I should never have been an independent contractor for 17 years.
When I was laid off I increased my rate to account for having to pay my own taxes, etc. But in an effort to not price myself out of a job I do not raise my rates very often.
I am concerned most about the loss of benefits. I do not get vacation pay, sick pay, holiday pay. I cannot contribute to their 401k plan with matching benefits like I used to. My pension only covers the 11 years I was an employee. I do not get employee bonuses or raises even though I contribute to the success of the company.
The company recently relocated and I was allowed to continue telecommuting. I have been telecommuting for years. But lately my projects are becoming far and few between. I do not work for any other company so I am starting to get nervous about my income being diminished.
Do I have any kind of case?
Thank you!
Amy
Job: Warehouse – pick, package, ship items. Also assigned a lot of other duties like database management, spreadsheet work, customer service, janitorial, inventory management, creating new item listings for sale, pest control, basically anything they tell me to do.
Term: Over three years.
Benefits: None. I was allowed one vacation for a week with pay, but then given a one week layoff to make up for the time I was gone and paid. I am given several holidays off with pay.
I said yes to all the above questions except number 5. I do not get pay stubs and I do not invoice my employer. Just a 1099 every year.
Until recently I was working 50-70 hours per week. When I would calculate my pay/hours, it came to $8.80 to $10.30 per hour depending upon hours. I finally started to feel extra-exploited and started curtailing my own hours. The work environment has started to become tense and hostile as I try to work only 40 hours per week.
Additionally I have been injured twice while performing my assigned duties under unsafe conditions.
Based on your information, I feel I would probably win a case against them, but they may not have the ability to pay damages. I would like to ask to have my pay raised to minimum wage, but I am 100% confident they will fire me if I make this request. How long do these cases take to resolve?
I am lucky to have this job. I am a convicted sex offender. I am confident that they are pushing the limits of what they can do to me, exploiting my employment barrier. I do not want to destroy their lives or business, they were the only ones to hire me, but even someone like me should be allowed to make minimum wage correct? Or are people like me not expected nor permitted to be treated per the labor laws? I want to be making minimum wage, but if they fire me for asking, business is business and I need to feed my family, so how long would it take to resolve a case against them?
Hi,
My previous employer put me on a two month contract as a receptionist. During that time, some weeks I would have to work weekends & late nights. They told me it was a 1099 but I was not eligible for overtime since I was on a 1099. Some weeks I would clock out at 90+ hours. That’s more than 8 hours a day. Was I supposed to get overtime even as a contracted worker and was that even legal to work that long during a week? If I was eligible for overtime, could I go back and get it from them? I’m interested in finding out this and seeing if I have a case. This was a company in Los Angeles, CA.
We are a small company of 12 employees. We have an outside contractor who was a CPA & he supervises 1 person for all the Accounting & HR needs for the company. He works 1 day a week in our office in a cubicle that we provide for him (at one time he had his own computer to access the accounting files but he decided that he no longer needs it so he no longer has a computer of his own but can log into any computer in the company to access those files & programs) as well as handle emails of phone calls from us during our work week (M – F). For several years now he has signed as the CFO of the company on agreements, contracts, leases, etc. We issue him a 1099 each year & he says that he pays all the taxes (Federal at over 15%) & we pay him via check each month based on he invoice that he gives us. Someone said that he should be an employee, not a contractor, should he be?
Are housekeepers/home cleaning people independent contractors? Getting paid percentage of the gross amount and I provide my own cleaning supplies. My own time, no boss watching me all the time.
Because of a California Supreme Court decision called Dynamex, few workers nowadays would be considered independent contractors. If your boss is in the business of home cleaning and you are a home cleaner, you are likely to be considered an employee, not an independent contractor, under factor B of the Dynamex A-B-C text. But of course, it would be best to consult a lawyer as little details can completely change the legal answer. Please feel free to give us a call at (213) 992-3299 to discuss.
Hi there, is it legal in CA to hire an independent contractor for a job, have them do the work and then send them a PO after the fact that says they won’t get paid for 90 days? This just happened to me and the 90 day payment is killing me, my other clients always do 30 or less so I didn’t even think this would be an issue and now I fear since it has been 2 months, they might not even pay me. If 90 days is legal I guess I’m u sh*t creek. 🙁 But I really think this should be illegal in CA, 45 days ok, but 90?
Well, if you are really an independent contractor, then the timing of payment is just a business term that you need to negotiate with the client. But if you are in fact an employee, then that late payment could carry significant penalties. Please feel free to give us a call at (213) 992-3299, we’d be happy to discuss it.
I clean cars full time at a dealership but they have me under a 1099. Should I look into that?
Hello, long and interesting story incoming.
I was hired by a friend in mid January to perform fire watch duties at a warehouse that the company he worked for (fire protection) was doing an underground repair on. On top of having a very hard time getting paid (they still owe me about 8-10k) I was getting the reach-around with employment status as 1099 or W-2 employee. I feel I should be w2 for the companies sake but in the end I was told I’m 1099.
They had taxed my second check about 34% with no payroll breakdown just a check from the bank. All other checks I had received since have been flat amounts without “tax”
Hold on to your seatbelt because this is probably have to labor law violations as well as extortion.
Said friend was recently fired for doing unlicensed side work. I don’t condone it and it has nothing to do with me. I have not performed firewatch at the warehouse since late April. Keep in mind I was doing 12 hour shifts for almost 3 months straight with maybe 8 days off total in that time and even one 36 hour “day”
This might be Out Of Reach for what labor laws cover but I am sure this is highly illegal what they are doing. They had my friend Payback the money he earned on the side job in return from them not Prosecuting him. I was recently made aware that they would not be paying me or anybody else that was working for said company and if we pursued the labor board they would prosecute my friend.
I am currently out of the country and don’t get home until the weekend. Since I had already had a very hard time getting paid with them in the past, I had already considered reaching out to labor board but I didn’t want to complicate things since my friend still worked there.
Any input on how to best move forward would be appreciated.
I work at a barbershop and get a percentage of each job I complete. We are issued 1099. We are not allowed to take certain days off and have to work a specific schedule. The other day I was given a hard time for leaving 30 minutes early. We are considered independent contractors but are schedules are posted and are not allowed time off. We ring up our customers in a cash register and are issued a weekly check with no taxes taken out. Are we being misclassified?
Without question, you are being misclassified. I recommend you file a labor board complaint as soon as possible.
Is the employer required to pay mileage at the standard rate as listed by the IRS? Can they require you use your car for business purposes when this was neither mentioned nor expected on hire?
To your first question: Yes, although the employer can choose to reimburse you by at least two other methods which get you to roughly the same amount.
To your second question: Yes, employment is at-will in the State of California and the employer has the right to change your pay and/or duties at any time, with or without notice. If the changes are unacceptable, you always have the right to quit and find a better job elsewhere. The answer changes if you have an employment contract, if there is a union agreement, or there are written policies that say otherwise.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist that works at a group clinic. We do have a “Letter of Understanding” that clearly states that I am to see a certain number of patients per day. I am paid on a “commission basis” only (being paid a certain percentage only after the insurance companies/ patients pay the clinic). There have been MANY verbal conversations between the owners & myself that I must give a certain length of notice to take time off, that I don’t have any (or final) say so in what patients are on my schedule, that “open slots” on my schedule where other patients might have cancelled MUST be filled with “anyone” by the front desk staff. There have been many times that due to personnel issues that are not under my control or that I am not involved in, the clinic does not get paid for services that I have provided to patients, and therefore I don’t get paid, sometimes ever (even though this is by no fault of mine). There are threats that I “am not allowed” to have a private practice & see patients on my own, even though the Board of Psychology Code of Ethics states otherwise. The clinic purchases 90% of supplies that are necessary for me to provide care to the patients. I have overheard conversations between owners & CPA’s where they are asking what the financial difference (obligation) is if we were to be made employees instead of 1099’s as we are currently. We get no benefits either. There are ~10 of us in this position.
In addition, there are 5-6 other providers that get paid at an hourly rate (only for ACTUAL face-to-face patient time), REGARDLESS of the ACTUAL time worked. They are held to a strict daily/ weekly schedule, have no say so in how their schedule is set and are double & triple booked at the orders of the owners. They have no benefits, no paid time off, must give certain notice to be gone for scheduled time off and are required to give a 30-day notice if they want to leave the practice. They are also classified by clinic as 1099.
There is also a huge concern over ethical compliance regarding patient care overall & at the direction of the owners.
With all this said, what do you suggest the best way to handle this situation is?
It sounds to me as if you have been misclassified as an independent contractor. However, it also sounds as if you are an exempt employee under the professional exemption. I wonder, however, if you are being paid at least 2x minimum wage. If you are not, then you may have a claim for misclassification as an exempt employee. In which case, you would be entitled to be paid any unpaid overtime, denied meal/rest breaks, unpaid wages for work done, etc. Please consider contacting a labor lawyer.
Question. Im currently in a battle to get my last 3 months of salary paid to me by my previous employer. I finally quit because they had’nt paid.
The problem is I was working for a friends company (we are no longer friends) and when salary was negotiated it was all through email, texts and verbal conversations and agreement…. nothing was signed (I know, really bad on my part). Also taxes were not taken out of my paychecks. I guess i’m basically and I.C. But again, nothing was signed.
Do I have any chance of getting this money paid to me based on emails, texts, etc that discuss my employment, salary, etc.???
Please help ;-l
Yes, because the test for whether you are an independent contractor is quite complicated and depends on more than 10 separate factors. If you were misclassified as an independent contractor, you may be entitled a hefty amount of penalties, on top of whatever break premiums and overtime you are owed. Please give us a call if you want to discuss this further, at (213) 992-3299. But no matter what, don’t be too quick to give up on your claims.
how does the overtime rates work? anything over 8hrs a day is time1/2up to 12hrs then it is double time to 15 hrs a day, and anything over 40 is overtime?
There are three types of overtime in California:
1. daily overtime – any hours worked past 8 hours in day must be paid at time and a half (if over 12 hours, double time)
2. weekly overtime – any hours worked past 40 hours in a workweek must be paid at time and a half
3. 7th day overtime – any hours worked on the seventh consecutive day worked in a workweek must be paid at time and a half (if over 8 hours on the 7th day, double time).
No double or triple counting: You can’t count any overtime hour more than once under any of the above methods. You ARE entitled to be paid overtime according to the method which gives you the highest amount. As you can imagine, this can make calculating overtime actually quite tricky.
Hi my girlfriend is a manager/receptionist for massage spa company that has contracts with a couple major hotels. She has a set schedule, told how she is to perform her job, has to submit payments from customers/clients, has to schedule that massage practitioners, has to make relation calls, is provided a work cell phone, she does work from home, is paid bi weekly, has to schedule time off, has no end date to her job, required to come to manager meetings, and never signed an independent contractors agreement, yet is classified as an I.C. And doesn’t have taxes taken out. She currently is being threatened that she will be fired/services no longer required because she has to go to court in 2 weeks for her child custody case. What can she do. Is this legal?
Frankie, it sounds like your girlfriend is being misclassified as a 1099 independent contractor. She should be paid as a W2 employee. It is likely your girlfriend is not being properly paid for overtime, or receiving her meal breaks and rest breaks. Your girlfriend should consider filing a labor board complaint.
As for being fired if she goes to court, that really depends on whether she is being subpoenaed to go to court. A subpoena is an order of the court and an employer cannot require an employee to contravene such a court order.
I hope that helps.
Hello my husband is a tow truck driver. He has worked at a few companies before and they issued w2 but the last company he worked for, by the way he was just fired March 31,2019 after working for this company for 6 years. Issued him a 1099. Now he wasn’t provided 10 min paid breaks and very seldom lunches which were only 30 mins. He worked Monday – Friday from 8am to 4pm and was paid a hourly wage then every other day he would be on call for example (one week would be Mon, wen, Fri then the following week would be sun, Tues, Thur sat) on call hours were 4pm to 8am the following day. And the rate of pay would be only % of commission depending on the calls that came in during those hours.
He doesn’t have any say in the business, he doesn’t own the tools or truck he drives. Would he be classified as a independent contractor? I seem to think he a employee be cuase between the hours of 8am and 4pm Mon to Fri if he’s not out doing a call he is required to come back to the yard until a call comes in or it’s 4pm and he can go home. That seems to me that he is been supervised in which would be employee not independent contractor.
Can someone please help me get a better understanding of of this? I think he has been miss classified for 6years of being label independent contractor instead of be classified as a employee. I feel this company is stealing his money while he out there proformaning the very hazardous hard work being a roadside Assistance tow Driver out on these deadly California roads.
Please & Thanks you
a very worried Tow Driver Wife
Can an employer use an independent contractor to do work over an employee on payroll who can do the same job?
Also, is it legal to pay one employee as salaried, one as day rate and one as hourly?
Carol, thank you for your questions. Your questions seem simple, but they’re actually quite complicated. There isn’t anywhere near enough information in your comment to answer these questions. As you can see from my post, independent contractor analysis is driven by numerous factors, that have to be weighed all together. The first question that needs to be answered is going to be: is it legally proper to treat that employee as an independent contractor at all, particularly if they are engaging in a duty that employees of the company also do? As for paying different employees differently – salaried, daily, hourly – that all depends on whether the employees are exempt or non-exempt. The tests for exemptions are also VERY complicated. And there are many exemptions: administrative, professional, and executive, just to name a few.
Another thing to keep in mind, employers cannot single out or target employees for different payment or treatment based on protected characteristics, like their skin color, religion, gender, sex orientation, etc. It seems your question is going in that direction too. Anyway, as I said, simple questions but actually quite complicated. I hope that helps.
I work for a company that uses only 1099 sales people to book fundraising events.
I was going over your list and find that:
Factor 1: We are required to enter data from our prospecting into their database, and also need to turn in post event reports. We also receive internet leads based on whether we are doing enough “work”.
Factor 2: Several of my co-workers have been fired for “over achieving” or for “not booking enough events”
Factor 3: We run fundraisers that bring in product. Their sister company takes that product and resells it.
Factor 4: We have company email, business cards, and promotional materials we are to use.
Factor 5: We get paid by the pound on product we procure. Though there are requirements for getting paid.
Factor 6: We are not allowed to work for another similar company (non-compete?)
Factor 7: No professional skills needed
Factor 8: We have a manager to report to. She constantly requires updates and extra reports.
Factor 9: We renew our “agreement” annually
Factor 10: We definitely receive 1099’s, but there are those in the company that do the same work and are W-2. Including our manager. They keep the W-2 employees under a separate company, but they still book the events under the same one as the 1099’s.
Is there a chance that we have been misclassified? Can we submit a wage complaint as a group?
Hi and thank you for your comment. Based on your answers to the factors, I’d say there is a very strong likelihood you have all been misclassified. As for whether and how to file, please give us a call at (213) 992-3299 as this requires a lot more information (e.g., how many of are there, how many employees does the company have, do you all have the same/similar misclassification issues, how long have you been working there, etc.). We’d be happy to discuss this with you.
Thank you for the reply. I will gather up some documents and give the office a call. In these cases where the employees are misclassified, does that mean our “independent contractor agreements” are also void? I am trying to figure out if i can change jobs and if the non-compete clause would prevent me from that.
Noncompete clauses are 99% unenforceable in the State of California. But a lawyer would need to review the contract to give you a definitive answer. Please have the contract ready when you call and we’ll take a look for you.
I am a personal assistant and have regular duties: grocery shopping, picking up mail at P.O. Box, scheduling household maintenance, laundry, organizing garage, basement, kitchen, housekeeper, online purchases. Checking in on a daily bases to see what work needs to be done, and when boss is in town I am dictated on when needed to come and go. I do daily reminders to any and all appointments, housesitting 24/7 when boss is out of town (which is when i can do things at my leisure as long as it gets done. Yet do not have taxes being taken out of my check. I work anywhere between 25-80 hours a week with no overtime. Yet receive a salary??
Then gives me time off when it works for both of us.
Where am I in the independent contractor versus employee???
If you don’t have other clients and if your boss has the power to set/control your work schedule, then you probably have a strong argument that you’re an employee, not an independent contractor. It’s a complicate test, however. You’d be best off running your situation by a qualified California employment lawyer.
I am considered an independent contractor though I have a set schedule, report to a manager, they provide all supplies, and i have to request time off. I am a massage therapist and they pay me for my scheduled massage time, but request I get there 30 minutes early to set up and spend time after work to clean up my station. All of which is not concidered part of my massage time and is unpaid. I have concerns this is illegal because they give me a 1099 so they have an “employee” they don’t pay taxes for and are getting free labor from me. Please help!
Massage therapists are very often misclassified as independent contractors. Misclassification is a way for the massage parlors to pay therapists less than is required by California labor laws. You should consider filing a labor board complaint.
How do report a company that is violating these rules?
I recommend you file a wage violation complaint with the California labor board.
If I am sole proprietor of my own only me working company and some business hire me as a IC to do their work…ie: housekeeping at their rentals…and doesn’t have me fill out a W-9 at hire date but waits until after regular b monthly pay period to tell me to sign one then has no check for me…as I’ve worked since 7\30 and have not as of this date been pad…can I Sue?
Or do. Have to hire an attorney?
Are their ProBono laborlaw attorneys???
K.O