The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced a proposed rule intended to clarify when a worker is an employee and when the worker may be classified as an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and related federal laws.
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DOL Final Rules on Independent Contractor Classification
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Using a contractor can be an attractive option that allows you to scale hours up or down as 
needed. This can be significantly cheaper too, since you do not have to provide them with benefits or vacations. But before you pull the trigger on utilizing an independent contractor, you should know that the IRS takes intentional misclassification of contractors very seriously. The IRS understands the financial incentives to using 1099 contractors and they know the temptation exists to classify a worker as a contractor when you truly view and treat them as an employee.
If your business uses independent contractors as part of its work force, depending on the circumstances, the IRS might reclassify these workers as employees. Such a reclassification would expose your business to employment taxes and penalties. In addition, your business might be responsible for retroactive fringe benefits for any reclassified workers.
Each week, we receive calls and inquiries about a worker classification and the considerations whether that person should be considered an employee or an independent contractor. The Zinner staff of CPAs and management consultants meets often with clients to ensure their workforce is properly classified.
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On Jan. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) significantly tightened the rules on the tax deductibility of employer-provided meals. If your business has historically relied on deductions for meals and food-related benefits, these changes require immediate...
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool to help importers and customs brokers claim tariff refunds following a landmark Supreme Court ruling. If your business paid IEEPA tariffs in...
Trump Accounts are a new type of tax-advantaged retirement account for minors, established under the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law on July 4, 2025. With contributions of up to $5,000 per year and a potential $1,000 government seed contribution for eligible...
What Employers and Workers Should Know The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced a proposed rule intended to clarify when a worker is an employee and when the worker may be classified as an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards...
A Tax Filing Risk Alert for Taxpayers For decades, many taxpayers have relied on a simple rule of thumb: if it is in the mail by the deadline, you are fine. However, recent U.S. Postal Service (USPS) clarification makes that assumption riskier. On Dec. 24, 2025, the...
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