Am I an employee or an independent contractor?

It depends on how you're paid and the type of year-end form you receive from the person or business that paid you.

If you're an employee:

• You received a W-2 from your employer (usually in January or early February).
• Your employer took Social Security and Medicare taxes (FICA) out of your paycheck each payday.

If you’re an independent contractor:

• You received a 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC.
• The payments you received were for the full amount you earned, nothing was deducted for FICA.

If you're an independent contractor you're considered self-employed and responsible for reporting your earnings and paying your taxes directly to the IRS. You should report your net income or losses either on a Schedule C or as other income on Form 1040.

We’ll help you by asking you simple questions about your self-employment income and filling out the right tax forms for you during your filing process.