Called a contractor, treated like staff?
Your paperwork says contractor, but your daily work felt like an ordinary job.
Independent contractor is a label with real legal weight. It can decide whether dismissal protections apply to you at all.
What it means
An independent contractor runs their own work arrangement. They usually set their own hours, use their own equipment, and often work for several clients, not one employer.
Someone in that position generally sits outside the protections this site covers. Those protections are built around an employment relationship, not a contracting one.
Why it matters to you
The label in your contract is not the final word. What matters is how you actually worked, including how much control the business had over you day to day.
Take a worker called a contractor who kept fixed hours, used the company’s equipment, answered to a supervisor and worked for one business only. That worker may still be an employee in substance.
Does this label actually fit your job
Compare your daily reality with the contractor label. Ask who set your schedule, who supplied your tools, and whether you were free to work for others.
If your situation looks closer to employment despite the paperwork, read about employee status and gig worker classification to see how that question is examined.
If you believe you were really an employee and were dismissed unfairly, check your window on the deadline calculator.
If your employer calls you an independent contractor and you are thinking of claiming as an employee, an independent lawyer can review your dates and documents. They can take it forward if you have grounds.
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
First contact: general facts only, such as date, location, employment status and a short summary. Keep documents private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically requests them.
Common questions
If my contract says I am a contractor, does that settle the question?
Not on its own. How you actually worked matters more than the label, including how much control your employer had over your hours and tasks.
What kind of factors are usually looked at?
Common factors are who controlled your schedule, whether you used your own equipment, whether you worked for other clients, and how far you were part of the business day to day.
Keep reading
If your employer calls you an independent contractor and you are thinking of claiming as an employee, an independent lawyer can review your dates and documents. They can take it forward if you have grounds.
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
First contact: general facts only, such as date, location, employment status and a short summary. Keep documents private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically requests them.