If you’ve worked in the industry for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “Independent Contractor” thrown around quite a bit. You signed up to work some wellness events, and people keep calling you a contractor. But what exactly does that mean?

Basically, working as an independent contractor means you’re self-employed. It means you’re not technically employed by TotalWellness. Rather, companies like TotalWellness work with you to staff wellness events.

Why does it work that way?

At TotalWellness, we choose to maintain a network of independent contractors for a few different reasons. First of all, our network is huge. There are thousands of contractors just like you in our database.

Of all those contractors, no two are the same. You all work different hours and different events. Some might work frequently, and some we rarely hear from. Some of our contractors even work for other organizations like us.

The system is fluid and it changes all the time. It’s easiest and most efficient for our wellness professionals to keep their status as self-employed, independent contractors.

What do I do with this information?

You still nominate yourself and show up to work wellness events. You’re an independent contractor, but that doesn’t change the fact that we rely on your quality work at our wellness events. Your status as a contractor primarily affects the technicalities behind the job.

• As a contractor, you shouldn’t list TotalWellness as an employer or former employer for unemployment purposes or references.
• We don’t provide insurance for contractors—that means professional liability insurance, compensation insurance, unemployment insurance and any other forms of insurance.
• You’re responsible for claiming all of the income you earn from TotalWellness and filing your own taxes.

With these things in mind, remember that if you desire—or if your state requires—any type of insurances, you’ll need to secure that on your own. You can head to NSO.com or check with your insurance provider to learn your options.

While you are responsible for claiming all of your income on your own, we do provide tax forms for contractors who work a lot of our events. If you earn $600 working TotalWellness events in a single year, we’ll mail you a 1099 form by January 31 of the following year. That should help you file your taxes and claim all of your income.

Ultimately being an independent contractor doesn’t impact any of the hands-on work you do at our wellness events. All of your duties remain the same.

It simply means that rather than being a TotalWellness employee, you’re self-employed and have been contracted to work our wellness events. This primarily impacts the “behind-the-scenes” portion of your job.

If you have any questions about your status as an independent contractor, please let us know in the comments below!