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Queens | NYC | Brooklyn |Bronx Workers Compensation Attorneys

Can You Receive Workers’ Compensation Benefits If You Are Paid Off the Books?

Queens | NYC | Brooklyn | Bronx Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

It’s a fairly common practice, in New York and in other states, for employers to have some employees who are paid “off the books.” Maybe you’re not needed full-time, so your employer prefers an independent contractor relationship. Maybe you’re an undocumented immigrant and don’t have a Social Security card. But what happens if you are hurt on the job? Are you entitled to file for workers’ compensation benefits, or are those payments only available to employees of a company?

The good news is that, whether you are paid on the books or off the books, you are still eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. There are only two questions that need to be addressed: were you working, and were you injured? As long as you can answer yes to both questions, you can file for workers’ compensation benefits for any work-related injury.

Accordingly, your employer cannot argue as a defense that you were not technically an employee of the company. Once it has been established that you were working for the company at the time of your  injury, your case will proceed like any other workers’ compensation claim.

workers compensation

Can You File for Workers’ Compensation Benefits If You Were Paid Off the Books?

Experienced Queens |NYC | Brooklyn | Bronx Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

At Pyrros & Serres LLP, we handle all matters related to workers’ compensation and Social Security disability claims for people in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and across the greater New York City metropolitan area. Because of our reputation for effective advocacy, many of our new clients come to us as referrals from clients and other lawyers.

To learn more about the full scope of our practice, see our practice area overview page.

Pyrros & Serres LLP

Queens | NYC | Brooklyn | Bronx Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

About The Author

Michael Serres, ESQ.

Michael Serres, ESQ.

Michael Serres, ESQ. is a reputed Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Astoria, Queens, NY. He graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in 1989. Mr. Serres was admitted to practice law in New York State in 1990 and is admitted in the Federal District Courts for the Southern and the Eastern Districts of New York. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Workers’ Compensation Bar Association and is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Queens County Bar Association.

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