One of my concerns in the massage profession is the way massage therapists are treated by employers and also figuring out what is the appropriate status for a massage employee. Most massage therapists work as independent or subcontractor status which is basically saying that you are self employed.  It is my personal belief from the research I have done through the years that most are being hired as subcontractors when they should really be full employees with full employee benefits.  I have yet to find a concrete legal reference and there is a lot of conflicting information. After talking to and reading many questions from massage therapists there is not of course one clear answer. Figuring it out is actually the responsibility of the employer because they are the ones who will be hit with back taxes and penalties.
There are many different criteria for figuring out your own status and I have a bunch more info on my regular blog citing articles online from many different sources -www.thebodyworker.com
There is the legal aspects of this that are important not only for who pays taxes but the legal aspects also fold into the ethical aspects – do you want to work for someone who may be taking advantage of you?  It will not only come out in how you are paid but also how much you are paid. It will show up in how you get along with the person who hires you and the company itself.  Ethically speaking you want a nice place to work and one that also respects you and makes you a part of the team.
If anyone has any other legal references let me know and of course all stories you have would help others in trying to figure this all out!
