Webinar Preview: Differentiating Between Employees and Independent Contractors

Why It Matters

Misclassifying workers carries significant financial and compliance risk; understanding differing agency tests and remedial options helps advisors reduce liability for clients and add advisory value. Using Form SS-8 or VCSP can provide formal pathways to correct classifications and limit penalties.

Summary

The NATP is hosting a webinar focused on worker classification to help tax professionals navigate the legal and practical differences between employees and independent contractors. Presenters will cover the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Economic Realities Analysis, contrast current Department of Labor guidance with the IRS Worker Classification Framework, and offer tactics to strengthen documentation and audit readiness. The session will also explain administrative tools such as Form SS-8 and the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program for proactively resolving classification issues. The program is aimed at EAs, CPAs and tax attorneys seeking to better advise and protect clients.

Original Description

Worker classification affects a client’s wage exposure, tax obligations and litigation risk, posing major compliance and enforcement risks for businesses and their advisors. This webinar examines the changing landscape at the Department of Labor (DOL) with the revised economic realities test used to determine employee versus independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Participants will walk through each DOL factor and learn how to support consistent, well-documented classification decisions, with an emphasis on the two most important factors. For employers who wish to reclassify their workers as employees for future tax periods with partial relief from federal employment taxes, the voluntary classification settlement program (VCSP) is also covered.

Live webinars:

June 25: https://www.natptax.com/events-education/catalog/differentiating-between-employees-and-independent-contractors-webinar-june-25-2026/

Oct. 20: https://www.natptax.com/events-education/catalog/differentiating-between-employees-and-independent-contractors-webinar-oct-20-2026/

On-demand webinar: https://www.natptax.com/events-education/catalog/2026-differentiating-between-employees-and-independent-contractors-on-demand-webinar/