Are you a business owner thinking about bringing on an independent contractor to perform duties for your business? Wondering whether you need a written agreement? 

Previously, I explained that you don't really need a written employment contract for an employee. An independent contractor, however, is a completely different situation. You do need a written agreement with an independent contractor agreement. An independent contractor is not governed by all of the statutory requirements and regulations that govern employees, so you need a written agreement to regulate that relationship instead. That agreement needs to set forth some basic provisions: the duties and obligations of both parties and the compensation for the contractor. 

You need to make sure that you use the appropriate language to govern that contractor relationship to ensure that a government agency does not determine it to actually be an employment relationship; if that happens, then you can have a whole host of issues. 

So, if you're looking to bring on an independent contractor, please give me a call.

KATHERINE L. TAYLOR, ATTORNEY AND CPA

5850 Waterloo Rd

Suite 140

Columbia, MD

21045 443-420-4075

443-420-4075 (fax)