Employment & Status
1099 vs W-2, worker classification, overtime and wage rights, and what happens when a job ends.
5 guides in this section
Guides in this section
1099 vs W-2: which are you really?
The 1099 form does not decide whether you are an employee or a contractor. The facts do. If a company controls how you work, not just what the finished...
Can I fire a worker without a reason, and what about unemployment?
In every state except Montana, yes: employment is "at-will," so you can let an employee go at any time, for any reason or no reason, without notice, as long...
Do I have to pay my crew overtime?
Yes. If your workers are employees, federal law makes you pay them 1.5 times their regular rate for every hour over 40 in a workweek, and almost nobody...
How do I hire my first employee the legal way?
Hiring your first W-2 employee turns you into an employer overnight, and the law expects a specific set of steps: verify their work eligibility on a Form I-9...
What does a worker actually cost me per hour once they're on the books?
Figure roughly 30% to 50% more than the wage. A worker you pay $25 an hour really costs you somewhere in the low-to-mid $30s per hour once you add payroll...