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Contractor solutions terms

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About these Terms

These Contractor Solutions Terms explain how you can use the Native Teams Platform and our contractor solutions to work with independent contractors around the world. We offer three solutions, each with a different level of support from us, so that you can choose the one that best fits your needs and the country where your contractor works. These Terms describe each solution, how payments work, who is responsible for what, and what you can expect from us.

These Terms describe our solutions in general. Where you have signed an agreement with us that covers contractor services, such as a Master Services Agreement and Scope of Work, that agreement sets out the details that apply to you and takes priority over these Terms wherever the two cover the same subject.

How these Terms fit with your other documents

These Terms apply together with our General terms of use, which govern your use of the Native Teams Platform and contain the general provisions that apply to all of our services, and our Data Processing Agreement, which explains how we protect the personal data processed through the Platform on your behalf. These Terms take priority over the General terms of use in relation to our contractor solutions.

Three solutions, three levels of support

Every business works with contractors differently. Some simply need a reliable way to pay the contractors they already engage. Others want us to take on the local contracting and compliance work for them. And in some countries, the law calls for a particular kind of civil or service agreement. Our three solutions are designed around those needs.

Choosing the right solution

  • Contractor Pay. For businesses that engage their contractors directly, keep responsibility for classification and compliance, and need simple, reliable payment infrastructure.
  • Contractor of Record. For businesses that would like Native Teams to provide a locally compliant contract with the contractor and to take on the compliance responsibilities that come with it.
  • Civil Contractor. For engagements with individuals in their personal capacity, in countries where local law provides for a civil or service agreement and requires payments to be calculated and administered accordingly.

If a working relationship looks more like employment than independent contracting, none of these solutions is the right fit, and we will recommend one of our employment solutions instead.

Our team will help you choose the right solution before you begin, and the solution that applies to each engagement is confirmed in the Platform or in your Scope of Work.

Contractor Pay

Contractor Pay is a digital payment and administration solution within the Native Teams Platform. It gives you one place to invite your contractors, receive and approve invoices and send payments in your contractors' local currencies, with a clear record of every step.

Using Contractor Pay does not change the legal relationship between you and your contractors. Each contract for services is between you and your contractor, and Native Teams is not a party to it. You decide whether to engage a contractor and agree to the terms of the engagement, including the scope of the work, the fees, the payment schedule and the duration.

Native Teams provides the Platform, the payment infrastructure and the related checks. Your contractors accept our terms for using the Platform and complete our identity and compliance checks, but this is separate from their working relationship with you, which remains yours to manage.

Managing a contractor with Contractor Pay

  • Invite your contractor. You add your contractor to the Platform, and they create their own account and complete the onboarding and verification steps.
  • Agree the terms. You and your contractor agree the terms of your engagement, using your own agreement.
  • Receive the invoice. Your contractor submits an invoice through the Platform for the work they have completed.
  • Review and approve. You review the invoice, approve it if it is correct, and make sure that the funds needed to pay it are available.
  • Send the payment. Your approved payment is processed through the Platform to your contractor in their local currency, and the invoice and payment are recorded in your account.

You are responsible for confirming that the work has been delivered in accordance with your agreement, and that each invoice is correct, before you approve it. Payments are processed on the basis of your approval, and Native Teams does not check whether the work has been completed or whether the amount invoiced is right. If a question or disagreement arises between you and a contractor, it should be resolved between you and the contractor.

Contractor of Record

With Contractor of Record, Native Teams takes on the contracting and compliance work for you. The contractor enters into a locally compliant service agreement tailored to the laws of the country where the contractor lives and works. This local setup is important because the contractor’s local laws, tax rules, and regulatory requirements may apply to the engagement. Having an agreement that reflects those requirements helps reduce compliance risks and provides stronger protection in the event of a dispute, audit, or regulatory review.

Starting with a feasibility check

Every Contractor of Record engagement begins with a feasibility check. We confirm that the contractor has the right to live and work in the country where the services will be performed, and that they are eligible for the model, which is designed for sole proprietors who work independently, rather than for companies, agencies or contractors who employ staff of their own. To complete the check, we will ask for details such as the contractor's legal name, identity document, country of residence, the country where the services will be performed, and evidence of their right to reside and work there.

What we take care of

Under Contractor of Record, we check that each engagement qualifies as independent contracting under local law, provide the localised agreement, verify the contractor's tax registration, handle withholding and reporting where local law requires it, and maintain the documentation that creates a clear audit trail. Because the rules differ from country to country, we follow country-specific procedures for agreements, invoices, deductions and documentation, and the amount paid to a contractor may be subject to withholding or other deductions required locally.

Keeping the engagement on track

We monitor each engagement throughout its life. If a contractor's role starts to look more like employment, for example because they work full-time and long-term for you, become integrated into your organisation, or you would like to offer them benefits, we will raise it with you early and may recommend one of our employment solutions instead. We ask you to work with your contractor in a way that is consistent with the independent nature of the engagement, and to tell us about any change in how they work with you.

Civil Contractor

Civil Contractor is a locally compliant solution for engaging individuals in their personal capacity, without requiring them to operate through a registered business. It is used in countries where local law provides for a civil or service agreement and requires payments under it to be calculated and administered in a particular way. It is available only where local law permits it, and only for genuinely independent, project-based or occasional services, not for roles that resemble employment.

We take care of the local agreement, the required documentation and the payment process. For every payment, we calculate the gross-to-net amount, statutory deductions, withholding tax and any social contributions exactly as local law requires, and we provide a payment statement. Payments are made in local currency by the relevant Native Teams company. Because every calculation is reviewed carefully before payment, we ask you to share the information we need in good time.

Getting classification right

Laws in many countries distinguish between independent contractors and employees, and treating a person as a contractor when the law would regard them as an employee can lead to significant tax, social security and employment consequences. When you use Contractor Pay, you are responsible for making sure that each person you engage is correctly classified under the laws that apply to the engagement. Under Contractor of Record and Civil Contractor, we carry out classification checks as part of the service, but the way you work with your contractor day to day remains important, because classification depends on the reality of the relationship, not only on the contract.

Questions that can help you assess a working relationship

  • Does the person decide how, when and where the work is done, or do you control this?
  • Does the person work for other clients, or do they work only for you?
  • Does the person use their own tools and equipment, and bear their own business costs?
  • Is the person engaged for a defined project or outcome, rather than on an open-ended basis?
  • Is the person integrated into your organisation in the same way as your employees, for example by managing staff or holding an internal job title?

These questions are a starting point, not a legal test, and the rules differ from country to country. If you are unsure, we recommend taking professional advice, or speaking to us about the solution that fits best.

What you can do with the Platform

Whichever solution you choose, the Native Teams Platform keeps everything in one place.

Onboard your contractors. Your contractors complete a guided onboarding process, including the identity and compliance checks that are required before payments can be made to them.

Keep your agreements together. Agreements are prepared, signed electronically and stored in the Platform, and under Contractor Pay you can also upload agreements you have signed outside the Platform.

Manage invoices and payments. Invoices can be submitted, reviewed and approved through the Platform, and payments can be made in local currencies, including bulk payments under Contractor Pay.

Keep your records. Every agreement, invoice and payment is stored securely in your account, giving you the records you need for your accounts, audits and tax filings.

Get support. Our support team is available to help you and your contractors with questions about using the Platform.

Payments made through the Platform

Before a payment can be sent, the relevant invoice must be approved and the funds needed for it, together with any applicable fees, must be available. The Platform shows you the amounts, currencies and exchange rates that apply before you confirm a payment.

Once a payment has been sent, the time it takes to reach your contractor depends on the destination country, the currency and the banks involved. Payments usually cannot be reversed once they have been sent, so please make sure that the payment details recorded for each contractor are correct. If a payment is returned, for example because the recipient's details are incorrect, the Platform will notify you and our team will help you resolve the issue.

A payment may be held or declined where the law or our payment partners require it, where information is missing, or where there is a reasonable suspicion of fraud or another unlawful activity. Where we are able to do so, we will tell you the reason and what can be done to resolve it.

Tax and compliance

Under Contractor Pay, you and your contractors remain responsible for your own tax and compliance obligations, including any withholding, reporting or registration obligations that apply to you as the business engaging the contractor, and each contractor's obligations to declare and pay tax and social security contributions on their income. Under Contractor of Record and Civil Contractor, we take care of the withholding, reporting and documentation that local law places on the contracting company, as described above, while contractors remain responsible for their own personal tax obligations. Native Teams does not provide tax or legal advice.

Your contractors' experience

Your contractors receive their own access to the Platform, where they can complete their onboarding, view their agreements, submit invoices and follow the status of their payments. Their use of the Platform is governed by our General terms of use, and any additional services they choose to use in their own name are governed by our Terms of Service for Individuals.

Fees

The fees for our contractor solutions are shown in the Platform or set out in your agreement with us.

Protecting personal information

When your contractors' personal data is processed through the Platform, your business is the controller and Native Teams acts as its processor, in accordance with our Data Processing Agreement. Native Teams acts as a controller only for the limited information that the law requires us to process for our own purposes, such as identity verification, anti-money laundering and sanctions checks and the records of payments made through the Platform, and, under Contractor of Record and Civil Contractor, the information the contracting Native Teams company needs to meet its own legal obligations. Our Privacy Policy and Individual Privacy Notice explain this in more detail.

When you stop using our contractor solutions

If you stop using our contractor solutions, any payments that you have already approved and funded will be completed, and you will be able to export your agreements, invoices and payment records. Under Contractor of Record and Civil Contractor, we will also bring each engagement to an end in line with the local agreement and local law, including any final calculations and filings, so that you have everything you need for your accounts and your continuing relationships with your contractors.

Questions

If you have any questions about our contractor solutions or these Terms, please visit our Help Centre or contact our support team through the Platform. For legal questions, you can contact us at legal@nteams.com.