social security

I have a technology company as a client who recently retained my office to advise them on a relatively common employment law. The company signed a contract with financial institution to perform help desk related work.  They hired ten people to perform the work and had each of them sign an independent contractor agreement.  All of the workers performed the work on the job site only. The all worked solely for the technology company for 40 hours a week. The company just received an evil notice from the IRS. The IRS believes that the workers are misclassified as independent contractors and should be employees.

The technology company now wonders if there are penalties for misclassifying the workers as an independent contractor.  The IRS looks in part at the intent of the employer.  If the IRS reclassifies a worker from independent contractor to employee, the employer may be liable for a penalty based on the amount of the tax that was not withheld because of the original misclassification. If the IRS finds that the misclassification was an honest mistake on the part of the employer, and the employer filed proper returns, the penalty against the employer is:

• 1.5% of the wages paid to the employee; and

• 20% of the amount that should have been withheld from the employee’s wages for FICA, but was not due to the misclassification.

If the IRS finds that the employer failed to file the proper returns, then, except where the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, the penalties double. Then, the penalties are:

• 3% of the wages paid to the employees; and

• 40% of the amount that should have been withheld from the employee’s wages for FICA, but was not.

If the misclassification on the part of the employer is intentional and therefore the employer intentionally neglected to withhold the necessary employment taxes, the limits discussed above do not apply in assessing the employer’s liability. The penalties for intentional misclassification are more severe. Moreover, the limits are not applicable to the employee’s share of the FICA taxes if the worker is a “statutory employee,” nor where the employer withholds federal income tax from the worker’s wages, but does not withhold FICA.

Lastly, if the required to pay an “employee reclassification” tax liability, the employer may not recover the tax assessed from the employee. In addtion, the employer may not deduct the amount of tax assessed from the employee’s wages. The Internal Revenue Code provides further that the employee’s liability for his or her share of the tax is not affected by the assessment or payment of the penalty tax by the employer.

If you have a legal question regarding independent contractors in New York, contact the Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson at 212-233-0666

Misclassifying an an employee as an independent contractor is one of the most expensive mistakes that a business owner can make. It does not matter whether you intentionally made the mistake. You can be subject to large penalties, fines and even subject the criminal liability.  I have recently reported that the IRS has been targeting employers with independent contract workers.

The problems don’t end with the employer. Misclassified workers can lose:

  • Worker’s Compensation Insurance
  • Unemployment benefits
  • Wage protection such as minimum wage and overtime.

Employers who hire independent contractors have an unfair advantage because labor costs less and they could charge less for their goods and services. If you are in the construction industry, a competitor who improperly misclassifies their workers as independent contractors can underbid you.

The employer who gets caught with improperly classifying workers as independent contractors can be subject to liabilities for:

  • Unpaid Federal, State and Local Income Tax withholdings
  • Social Security and Medicare contributions
  • Workers’ Compensation Premiums
  • Overtime
  • Unemployment compensation
  • State-mandated benefit programs

Audits

The New York Department of Labor conducts two types of audits, general and specific. The general audits are conducted randomly with nothing specific as its subject. It is interesting to note that these audits are not statistically random as specific industries, such as construction are heavily targeted. Specific groups are the subject to targeted audits as well, which are based on a variety of factors, including prior issue with improper classification. The Cornell Law Institute performed an excellent report about the misclassification of independent contractors in New York and is a great resource.

Prevailing Wage Duties

On publicly funded construction projects, some companies use missclassification as a way to avoid paying prevailing wage rates.  A company that is caught can be subject to paying restitution to affected employees, fines for failing to maintain payroll and general records and submit valid and certified records.

Conclusion

Due to the increased scrutiny on the use of independent contractors, employers, especially those in the construction industry need to focus on how they classify their workers. You should conduct audits internally with legal counsel to determine if their are any issues.

If you have any questions regarding the classification of independent contractors, contact me at the Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson at 212-233-0666.

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