What is a contingent employee
- Gross pay per pay period
- $2,115.38
- Hourly equivalent
- $26.44
- Paid time off, hours a year
- 120
Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs you enter, by the method stated below it. The only constants HeadcountDesk supplies are the published federal payroll tax rates and the overtime multiplier, each cited where it is used. The defaults are a worked example to replace with your own.
What is a contingent employee? A worker engaged for a defined need rather than an ongoing role: a temporary employee with an end date, a seasonal hire, an agency worker on the agency's payroll, or an independent contractor engaged for a result. The word covers people with very different legal positions, and the position is decided by the facts of the work, not by the word. The employee contract builder on this site writes the fixed-term contract where the contingent worker is your employee, free; HeadcountDesk Pro keeps it with the classification recorded.
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The contingent employee who is yours
A temporary or seasonal hire on your payroll: withholding, the employer's taxes, overtime if non-exempt, the handbook, the I-9, the file, and a contract with an end date. The free employee contract builder on this site writes it.
The contingent worker who is the agency's
An agency worker is the agency's employee; you direct the work and pay the agency. The handbook's conduct and safety sections still apply on your premises, and the agreement with the agency says who does what.
The contingent worker who is a contractor
The difference between a contractor and an employee is control and economics, not the title: who sets the hours, who supplies the tools, who bears the risk of profit or loss, whether the relationship continues, and whether the work is the core of the business. If the facts say employee, the word contingent does not change it.
The record
Who is on site, on whose payroll, until when: Pro keeps it with the end-date reminder. The IRS gives the employer's share of Social Security as 6.2% of wages up to the $184,500 base for 2026 and Medicare as 1.45% with no limit, and FUTA as 6.0% on the first $7,000 of each employee's wages, reduced to 0.6% with the full 5.4% credit. From the vendors' own pricing pages: Homebase lists Essentials at $24 per location per month billed annually or $30 monthly, with a free Basic plan for one location of up to ten employees; BambooHR lists Core at $10 and Pro at $17 per employee per month; Deputy lists Core at $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 a month per location.
What is a contingent employee: common questions
Is a contingent employee the same as a contractor?
Sometimes. Contingent describes the need; the legal position is employee, agency worker or contractor by the facts.
Does a contingent employee get overtime?
If they are your non-exempt employee, yes, like any other.
Is the contract builder free?
Yes, with no account. Pro keeps the contract and the end date.
Will it do what you need for What is a contingent employee?
Tell us what your business needs and we will tell you straight whether HeadcountDesk Pro does it today, whether it is coming, or whether you are better off with something else. A person reads these and replies.