Ask HN: Independent-Contracting Resources/Advice? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Independent-Contracting Resources/Advice?

4 pointsincognito2066 comments

A Seattle tech-company and I would like to work together for a fixed-duration part-time data-science gig. As this isn't their mainline hiring strategy, they have asked me to explore independent contracting.

As I understand it, I have two options:

a) Spin up a company and handle all the tax/regulatory compliance myself, which looks a little daunting in Washington State.

or

b) Engage with a staffing agency, who may extract both a large ongoing cut throughout and expect a substantial finders-fee if I convert to full time.

I am interested in a) in the abstract, but want to keep my life simple these days. b) looks a little frustrating, given that both the company and I have already found one another, interviewed, and are simply looking for a way to make the legal connection.

Might anyone on HN be able to direct me to useful resources on the subject, recommend staffing agencies that are fair to all parties, or provide advice on which to choose?

Thanks!

No need to set up a company, just bill them as a sole proprietor. They send you a 1099 at the end of the year. Staffing agencies are useless if you already own the customer relationship.

Thanks for the reply -- in this context, someone is still going to have to handle the various state charges for L&I/B&O taxes, etc, as well as unemployment insurance, etc. That compliance burden presumably still lands on the sole-proprietor.

I'll dig into sole-proprietorship now to see if it can meet the company's checklist items for 'incognito206 is clearly not an employee'.

Thanks!

I second the recommendation above. You shouldn't be paying UI or workers comp AFAIK, but yes to B&O tax and probably licensing fees both to Washington and Seattle. I'd recommend having a good contract in place.

Thanks!

I'm certain that both sides will want a clear contract in place before we get going. Any recommendations for boilerplate I should consult?

When I was getting started I think I adapted one from Nolo, and that was fine for my needs. You could ask them (the client) to supply one and adjust it as you like.

Great -- thanks!

I anticipate getting one from the client, but wanted to see what boilerplate looked like, too.

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