What to do if I am an independent contractor and did an inspection for a company but have not received payment?
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What to do if I am an independent contractor and did an inspection for a company but have not received payment?
I did an inspection for this company last year and was paid on time with no problems. This time the owner of the company contracted me but I have not been paid in 6 weeks.
Asked on April 20, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Utah
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
An independent contractor performs work pursuant to a contract (whether written or oral). If the work is done pursuant to the terms of the engagement, the client/customer must then honor its obligations by paying the agreed-upon rate. If the client/customer will not pay, the contractor could sue to enforce the contract and get the money to which it is entitled. For smaller amounts, it would make sense to sue in small claims court, acting as your own attorney if possible.
(If you conduct your business through a LLC or a corporation and that's the entity which contracted wiith the client/customer, you would need an attorney--LLCs and corporations must be represented by an attorney; however, if you were a sole proprietorship or individual freelancer, then you could represent yourself. Essentially, if your EIN is your personal SSN, you could act as your own lawyer and save on legal costs.)
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