Fund says I am an independent contractor - 10-99 vs W2

Did you ever work at a place that treats you as an independent contractor vs W2 worker? Thoughts on joining a fund that does? LA/SF/NYC areas.

I'd have to incorporate as an LLC.

11 Comments
 

Read up on the irs rules regarding independent contractors. I would be very surprised if this was legal.

There are some further implications with clarifying your agency for the firm if you’re dealing with outside vendors/clients/lps, etc.

I took a business law class once. So by no means an expert.

 
Best Response

I agree that it doesn't seem like most investment employees should not be classified as an independent contractor. Independent contractor classifications are for people who perform a service for you, but who you do not have significant control over with respect to how they do it. An example would be FedEx "contractors". Those people actually own their own trucks and determine what route they want to take to deliver goods. But investment work is much more nuanced than that. If you're interacting day to day with people and your firm tells you not just what to do, but how to do it on a regular basis, it seems like a stretch to classify such work as contracting work.

That being said, if you are paid enough, under the new tax law it may be beneficial no? If you are paid as an LLC you could have a lower tax rate as long as you don't pay too much out to yourself as an employee of that LLC right?

 

Think the firm carries employee classification risk so no issues for op.

As regards pass through tax impact it exempts employees who provide "professional services" to combat exactly what you're describing (excepting real estate investment firms I believe to reward the president and his men). So op doesn't benefit from a tax rate perspective but hey you can expense anything like a corporation now I believe...

 

They are not eligible for those as 1099. Op would be an employee of his own company. He would have to pay fica for himself and then also estimated taxes throughout the year. The fund is trying to screw him

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