The realities of the ‘contractor vs employee’ debate: Where do you stand?

If you ask a worker why they think of themselves as a contractor instead of an employee, you may hear answers such as “I have an ABN”, “I have a special skill” or “Not all my work is for the one guy”.

And what if you asked the business owner or employer why they’re classifying the new person on their team as a contractor rather than an employee? They may tell you “He pays his own superannuation”, “He wants to be a contractor” or even “We always use contractors”.

Now these people may well be acting in good faith rather than deliberately trying to ‘cheat’ the system, but the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) may consider these ‘contractors’ to be employees after all.

And it’s not just the ATO you need to worry about. There are also work cover and payroll tax requirements that you need to keep in mind.

To find out more about the WHY realities in the employee/contractor debate, contact PrimeAdvisory or download the checklist of WHYs you need to address.