Getting paid in cash or “off the books” does not erase your right to workers’ compensation in New York. Many injured workers assume that because there were no pay stubs, no W-2, and no taxes withheld, they have no claim. That assumption is wrong, and believing it can cost you medical care and lost-wage benefits…
If you were hurt on the job and your employer points to a piece of paper calling you a “sole proprietor,” “independent contractor,” or “1099 worker,” that label alone does not decide whether New York workers’ compensation covers you. Especially in construction, New York law presumes many workers are employees, and it puts the burden…
If your boss handed you a 1099 and said you cannot file a claim, that label is not the last word in New York. Here is what the Workers’ Compensation Board actually weighs when it decides whether you are an employee.
Who is covered by New York workers' compensation - and what it means for you.