Free Washington Independent Contractor Agreement Template

A Washington independent contractor agreement is a written contract you use when hiring someone who is not on your payroll. It sets out the work, the price, and the delivery dates.

Washington measures contractor status against a checklist rather than a judgement call. Every part of that checklist has to be met.

The Department of Labor and Industries starts with what the person actually supplies. Under RCW 51.08.180, someone who brings their own workers, or costly equipment beyond ordinary hand tools, is providing more than personal labor and falls outside mandatory coverage.

The Six-Part Test

Where the person supplies only their own labor, RCW 51.08.195 applies. All six parts must be met, and the first two do most of the work:

• The individual has been, and will continue to be, free from control or direction over the performance of the service, both under the contract of service and in fact.
• The service is outside the usual course of business, or performed outside all the places of business of the enterprise, or the individual is responsible for the costs of the principal place of business.

Later parts turn on paperwork. The individual needs an active Department of Revenue registration and a unified business identifier number, plus a separate set of books reflecting the income and expenses of their business.

Missing one part is enough. Your Washington independent contractor agreement cannot rescue a test that fails on registration or records.

A seventh part, and it is the one businesses miss. Construction work runs on RCW 51.08.181, which adds a licensing requirement to the six parts above.

On the effective date of the contract, the individual must hold one of the following:

• A valid contractor registration under Chapter 18.27 RCW
• A plumbing contractor licence under Chapter 18.106 RCW
• An electrical contractor licence under the applicable chapter

The trades this reaches are broad, covering work such as electrical, plumbing, roofing, drywall, carpentry, and flooring. Requirements change, so confirm the current test with the Department of Labor and Industries before relying on it.

An expired registration therefore breaks the seventh part, even where the other six hold comfortably. So check the expiry date rather than the existence of a number.

The agreement is private and reaches no agency. Verification is the step that protects you.

1. Work through every part of the applicable test before drafting.
2. Write terms that leave control over the work with the contractor.
3. Both parties sign and date the agreement.
4. Check the contractor’s registration status through the department’s verification tool.
5. Keep the verification result, invoices, and the signed agreement together.

Because the first part of the test looks at the contract of service and the facts together, write terms you will actually honour. Cover:

• Control — confirming the contractor sets means, methods, and sequence
• Deliverables — the result purchased, with supervision left out
• Location — where the work happens, which feeds the second part
• Registration — the licences the contractor holds and maintains
• Payment — the rate, invoicing, and timing

Name the parts you rely on inside the document itself. A Washington independent contractor agreement that records which test was met, and when, saves reconstructing it under audit.

For anything near the line, the department publishes guidance and a Washington attorney can help. Build your Washington agreement now and download it in PDF or Word.