This is from the IRS Publication on Sch H:
If you hired someone to do household work and you could control what work he or she did and how he or she did it, you had a household employee. This is true even if you gave the employee freedom of action. What matters is that you had the right to control the details of how the work was done.
Workers who aren't your employees.
Workers you get from an agency aren't your employees if the agency is responsible for who does the work and how it is done. Self-employed workers are also not your employees. A worker is self-employed if only he or she can control how the work is done. A self-employed worker usually provides his or her own tools and offers services to the general public in an independent business.
Example.
You made an agreement with Paul Brown to care for your lawn. Paul runs a lawn care business and offers his services to the general public. He hires his own helpers, instructs them how to do their jobs, and provides his own tools and supplies. Neither Paul nor his helpers are your employees.
For more information, see Pub. 926.
You can find the full details at https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1040sh#idm140200252329504 Search for
"Did you have a household employee?" and you'll see some examples.
