The audit process is no picnic. It is invasive. It is disruptive to your business. It raises real dangers of being assessed substantial tax…Read more
Seattle this month enacted legislation to phase in a $15 minimum wage for employees over the next several years. A summary of the legislation…Read more
The Employment Security Department (“ESD”) is a Washington state agency tasked with determining whether a business is required to pay unemployment insurance premiums on…Read more
Independent contractor audits — whether with the IRS or L&I or ESD — are notoriously tough. Indeed, even where businesses treat compliance obligations seriously,…Read more
State independent contractor tests indicate when a worker is exempt from paying employment taxes—i.e. L&I’s workers compensation taxes and ESD’s unemployment insurance premiums—on grounds…Read more
Perhaps the single-most greatest indicator of a business’s ability to pass an independent contractor audit by Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), Employment Security…Read more
Working with independent contractors has its share of pitfalls – pitfalls that subject businesses to substantial financial and legal consequences. Here, in no particular order…Read more
Businesses that hire independent contractors invariably seek to include noncompete provisions in their independent contractor agreements. The noncompete has particular appeal in the independent…Read more
Businesses understand clearly that they need to be careful about who they classify as independent contractors. They further understand that if they mess up,…Read more
Independent contractors — also known as freelancers, consultants, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs — are fast becoming the faces of the new economy. Studies by the Bureau…Read more