Unlocking Benefits for Independent Workers Act

This bill says that if a company gives “portable benefits” or similar protections to a worker, that cannot be used to decide if the worker is an employee under any federal law. In plain terms, businesses could offer benefits to contractors, gig workers, and freelancers without that act counting against them in worker-classification decisions. It also covers benefits that look like what full-time employees get, and any money put in by the company or the worker toward those benefits .

This could make it easier for independent workers to get some support without risking a change to their job status. It could also make companies more willing to offer benefits to non-employees, since doing so wouldn’t be treated as proof that the worker is an employee under federal rules .

• Who is affected: Independent workers (like contractors and gig workers) and the companies that pay them .
• What changes: When deciding if someone is an employee, federal authorities must ignore whether the person gets portable benefits, benefits similar to full-time workers, or related contributions from the company or the worker .
• When: No effective date is stated in the text provided .