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This product is a recording of the Appraisal Institute webinar that was conducted on December 10, 2019.

How appraisers are treated and classified under federal labor laws has become a hot legal topic for both appraisers and their employers. Numerous lawsuits have been filed against appraisal firms, lenders, AMCs and other employers, contending that appraisers are not exempt employees and therefore must be paid overtime and receive other protections. A number of these cases have resulted in significant judgments. Some appraisal firms attempt to avoid having to deal with such issues by classifying their appraisers as independent contractors — and many appraisers themselves prefer this arrangement. However, whether classification of an appraiser as a contractor is legally correct for an appraisal firm can be a thorny issue — for both the firm and the contractor appraiser. There are different tests for federal tax purposes, overtime, unemployment insurance, workers compensation and liability. The details of the tests also vary by state. Unfortunately, there is no single standard for determining whether an appraiser is an independent contractor, exempt, or non-exempt employee.

In this live webinar, classification of workers as employees or independent contractors under new California law AB5, a.k.a. "the gig worker law," along with recent litigation and other legislation on worker classification, will be reviewed and analyzed in the context of the appraisal field. Learn the law and enhance your legal understanding..