Henssler Financial reports on a case in which a court found that a home care provider reasonably classified its workers as independent contractors and was therefore entitled to Section 530 relief. They write:
In order for Section 530 to apply, an employer needs to show that it has never treated the workers as employees, it has consistently filed all federal returns (including 1099s) and it has a reasonable basis for not treating the worker as an employee. Reasonable basis is present if any of the following can be shown:
- Having a previous judicial ruling or precedent, or technical advice, letter rulings, or a determination letter from the IRS pertaining to that business.
- Having already undergone an IRS audit that made no adjustment to the way that the workers were classified.
- Being able to show that a large percentage of businesses in the same industry follow the same practice and have done so for a significant amount of time.
Even when an employer fails to meet one of these tests, the employer can still get Section 530 relief by showing reasonable basis in some other reasonable manner. Section 530 indicates that this reasonable basis is to be construed liberally in favor of the taxpayer.
How the Court Ruled
In this particular case, the employer was in the homecare services industry, and the 35 workers in question worked with the elderly. The employer provided them with workers’ compensation insurance but did not train them or control many aspects of their work. Upon review of the circumstances, the IRS determined that they were not independent contractors, but employees. However, the district court determined otherwise. Though the court indicated that the threshold had not been met for use of the statutory safe harbor, it noted that the employer had given consideration to a number of other factors that qualified Nelly Home Care for the reasonable basis safe harbor.
Read the full story at Tax Court Ruled Employer’s Independent Contractor Interpretation Reasonable – Henssler Financial Blog – Henssler Financial
