True independent contractor

How it works

The brief is an output: a redesigned landing page, a closed books package for March, a research memo. Hours are their problem if the date is hit. They invoice. They pay their own tax and, if they choose, voluntary SSS. You do not put them in the daily huddle as staff. A dedicated full-time seat almost never passes this test. Occasional specialist work can. Write the statement of work so a stranger can see the result. If you cannot describe the result without describing their Tuesday, stop.

Example: a freelance motion designer delivers four videos in six weeks, uses their own suite, and also works for two local studios. That can be a contractor. A ‘contractor VA’ at 40 hours with your Gmail cannot.

How it differs

Project employment is still employment for a defined project. Casual employment is still employment. Misclassification is the false contractor.

Common errors

Using contractor paper for an inbox owner. Paying monthly like salary and calling it a project because the PDF says so.

In practice

Treat True independent contractor as a week-one operating object. Ask who signs the notice, who remits, and who would answer DOLE. If three vendors each point at the other, you have a story rather than a file. Write an owner - founder, local employer, or worker - and a date you will look at it again: first cutoff, first holiday, or first miss. If nobody can show a contract clause, a payslip line, a calendar block, or a checklist box, you do not have true independent contractor yet. You have a conversation. Convert the conversation before the person starts, while changing the deal still costs a paragraph rather than a resignation. Re-read the worked example above against the actual hire in front of you. If the numbers in that example cannot be swapped for this seat’s pesos, hours, and start date, the brief is still unfinished.