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Shell Companies for Contractors?

Posted by Cliff on from the resources-for-freelancers dept.

dubl-u asks: "What do my fellow freelancers feel about the various shell companies out there? I've got a chunk of work coming up at a place with an especially persnickety contracts department, and I'll probably need to go through a third-party shell company. I used one a couple of years back and they were ok, but there are a lot of them out there, and I'd love to hear about real-world experiences before I sign up. For those unfamiliar with this part of the business, it goes like this: I find my own work; the shell company hires me as an 'employee' and handles my billing and tax withholding for me. Some also 'provide' things like health insurance and 401k plans, although I have to pay for it. You can think of it as outsourcing a lot of the paperwork of being a freelancer. Some outfits, large companies especially, demand this sort of thing."

3 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. Did anyone else.. by mivok · · Score: 5, Funny

    see 'shell company' and start formulating a reply along the lines of.. 'yeah, theres plenty, but few will let you run eggdrops/bnc servers.. etc..etc..'?

    1. Re:Did anyone else.. by SimJockey · · Score: 3, Funny

      Heh, in my case I was thinking more like "They have some interesting refining technology, but their upstream work in places like Nigeria is a bit sketchy." (Shell Oil, who I have in fact contracted for in the past.)

      --
      Laugh while you can, monkey boy!
  2. More w/ Less. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I have had positive experiences with Volt. They took the least percentage of the approved vendors and kept to their commitments. On the other hand (ssai.c0m) will screw you like a twenty-five cent whore but only if you are a former lingerie model.