Find out which of your contractors the IRS would call employees.

ContractorCheck runs each 1099 worker through the federal and state classification tests and returns a risk tier with a conservative liability estimate — in minutes, not a $5,000 attorney engagement.

Check your first contractor — free See the math

IRS: Common-law test
DOL: Economic-reality test
CA: AB5 / ABC test
MA · NJ: State ABC tests

Exposure estimator

Annual pay$100,000Years engaged3

Conservative federal estimate · IRS §3509(a)

$32,040

Federal income tax withholding: $4,500
Employee Social Security & Medicare (reduced): $4,590
Employer Social Security & Medicare: $22,950

Conservative estimate assuming 1099s were filed and the misclassification was not intentional. Worst-case exposure is higher and excludes state penalties, back wages, and interest. Not legal or tax advice. State penalties (CA, MA, NJ and others) apply on top of this figure.

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How it works

Answer 20 questions

Describe how you actually work with each contractor. Two to three minutes per worker. No signup to see your first result.

We run every applicable test

Federal IRS and DOL tests, plus any state ABC test that applies — each scored independently, with the exact factors driving the risk.

Get a determination

A clear risk tier, a conservative §3509(a) liability estimate, and plain-English steps to reduce exposure before an auditor finds it.

Pricing

Start free

Free

Check one contractor, no signup.

1 assessment
IRS + California tests
Risk tier + estimate

Check a contractor

Starter

Popular

For founders and ops teams running a 1099 roster.

$99/mo

Unlimited assessments
All federal + state tests
Saved contractor roster
Audit-ready PDF reports

Start with Starter

Pro

For staffing-heavy teams that need monitoring.

$299/mo

Everything in Starter
Payment-pattern monitoring
QuickBooks / Gusto import
Attorney review add-on

Talk to us

Questions

Is this legal advice?

No. ContractorCheck is a compliance-intelligence tool, not a law firm. We score classification risk and explain the factors driving it; your attorney makes the final call. High-risk results can be routed to a vetted employment attorney for a written opinion.

How is the liability estimate calculated?

We use the IRS §3509(a) reduced rates — the conservative case that assumes you filed 1099s and the misclassification was not intentional — and show every component. Real exposure can be higher, and state penalties, back wages, and interest are not included.

Which tests do you run?

The federal IRS common-law and DOL economic-reality tests for every worker, plus the California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey ABC tests when a worker is active in those states. More states are added regularly.