CONTRACTOR OF RECORD

Hire Contractors Across India.
Without the Misclassification Risk.

RemoteEngine becomes the legal counterparty for your independent contractors, issuing compliant agreements, handling tax documentation (TDS, GST, Form 16A), and shielding you from misclassification exposure under Indian labour and tax law.

24 hrsTo Onboard
₹1 CrMisclass. Cover
0%Markup on Pay
📄
Contractor Agreement Signed · Compliant
Vetted
EngagementIndependent Contractor
Jurisdiction🇮🇳 India · IT Act 2000
Term12 months · Auto-renew
Rate₹5,20,000 / month · INR
IP AssignmentWork-for-Hire ✓
NDASigned ✓
Tax FormPAN + GSTIN on file
🇮🇳
Paid via NEFT ₹5,20,000 · 2 min
Sent
WHAT IS A CONTRACTOR OF RECORD?

One Layer Between You
and Misclassification.

A Contractor of Record (CoR) is a third-party entity that contracts directly with your independent workers on your behalf. You still scope the work and pay the invoice. The legal relationship and documentation sit with us, not with you.

The result: contractors get a compliant, enforceable agreement under Indian law; you get a clean liability shield and one consolidated invoice across every contractor.

  • Compliant Indian contractor agreements with the right tax treatment
  • Built-in misclassification screening on every new engagement
  • Single source of truth for invoices, TDS, GST, and IP transfers
Signing a contract
THE MISCLASSIFICATION TRAP

Treating Employees as Contractors Is the
Fastest Way to a Seven-Figure Penalty.

Indian tax and labour authorities are aggressively reclassifying contractors as employees. The cost goes far beyond back taxes.

Up to 100%

of unpaid taxes can be assessed against the company, plus interest and penalties.

Up to 24 mo.

of back-dated benefits, leave accrual, and statutory entitlements owed to the worker.

Personal liability

under Indian labour law, directors and officers can be named personally in misclassification claims.

Audit cascade

one reclassified worker typically triggers audits of the entire contractor base.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Everything Your Legal Team Would Have Asked For

One transparent monthly fee per active contractor — covering every document, payment, and protection.

India-Compliant Agreements

Contracts drafted to Indian independent-contractor standards under the IT Act and Indian Contract Act, vetted by counsel.

Misclassification Screening

Every engagement runs through a 17-factor classification model before we issue an agreement — with on-file evidence.

IP & Work-for-Hire

Watertight IP-assignment clauses drafted for enforceability under Indian law. Your work product stays yours.

INR Payouts

Pay contractors in INR via NEFT, IMPS, or RTGS. Same-day clearing, payslip-style receipts, full audit trail.

Tax Forms On File

PAN, GSTIN, and GST invoices collected at onboarding, refreshed annually. Form 16A issued at year-end, ready for audit.

NDAs & Local Riders

Non-disclosure, non-solicitation, and confidentiality clauses drafted within the bounds Indian courts will enforce.

Misclassification Cover

Every active CoR engagement is backed by indemnification of up to ₹1 crore per worker against reclassification claims.

Invoice Reconciliation

One consolidated monthly invoice across every contractor, straight into your AP workflow.

Convert to Employee

Decide a contractor should be an FTE? One click moves them to our EOR — same person, fully employed, no gap.

HOW IT WORKS

From "We Want to Hire This Person" to Paid — in Hours.

01

Send Us the Engagement

Name, city, scope, rate. Two minutes through the platform or one email to your account manager.

02

We Screen for Risk

17-factor classification model flags anything that looks employee-like, with a clear recommendation.

03

Compliant Contract Issued

India-compliant agreement with IP, NDA, tax form, and bank details collected, usually within 24 hours.

04

You Approve, We Pay

Contractor invoices through the portal. You approve. We pay them in INR and bill you on one consolidated invoice.

Business handshake — contractor agreement
WHY REMOTEENGINE COR

Built by People Who've Seen the Lawsuits.

Our legal team has defended companies against misclassification claims under Indian labour law. Every workflow in our CoR product exists because something went wrong somewhere, and we're not letting it happen to you.

🛡️

Indemnification, Not Just "Best Effort"

Other CoRs disclaim liability in the fine print. We back every engagement with contractual indemnification — in writing.

24-Hour Onboarding

From request to signed agreement and paid invoice in under a business day.

💼

Transparent, Flat Fee

One monthly fee per active contractor. No markups on contractor pay, no per-payment fees, no hidden charges.

🔄

One-Click Conversion to EOR

If a relationship outgrows contractor status, convert to full employment without disruption to the worker.

Talk to Legal
COR vs EOR

Which One Do You Actually Need?

Use this rule of thumb — or talk to us and we'll tell you straight.

Contractor of Record

Use when…

  • Worker has multiple clients
  • Project-based or short-term scope
  • Worker controls how & when the work is done
  • No statutory benefits expected
  • Engagement is genuinely independent
Start with CoR →

Employer of Record

Use when…

  • Full-time, single client (you)
  • Long-term, indefinite engagement
  • You direct day-to-day work
  • Statutory benefits expected
  • Worker integrated into your team
Explore EOR →
FAQ'S

Contractor of Record Questions

The questions legal, finance, and people leaders ask us most often before they switch.

Talk to a Specialist →
Are my contractors actually my contractors, or yours?

Legally, the contractor is engaged by RemoteEngine. You scope the work and approve invoices, but the contractual counterparty sits with us. That's what gives you the misclassification shield — the worker isn't your contractor, they're ours.

How does the misclassification screen work?

Every new engagement runs through a model based on the principles Indian courts and tax authorities use to test contractor status (control test, integration test, economic dependence). If anything looks employee-like we flag it and either restructure the scope or recommend moving to our EOR. The evidence is preserved on file for audit defence.

What does the indemnification cover?

Up to ₹1 crore per worker against misclassification reclassification claims, including back PF/ESI, TDS shortfalls, penalties, and statutory entitlements. We also cover defence costs. Full terms in the master services agreement.

How are contractors paid?

Bank transfer in INR via NEFT, IMPS, or RTGS, depending on the amount and urgency. Cleared the same day in most cases, with full payment receipts and TDS challans available in the dashboard.

How is this different from just using a payroll/payment platform?

Payment platforms move money. They don't write your contracts, they don't screen for misclassification, they don't sign as the legal counterparty, and they don't indemnify you when things go wrong. CoR is a liability shield, not just a payment rail.

What if I already have a contractor base today?

We can take over existing engagements through novation — same worker, same scope, new compliant agreement. We'll also run the existing base through the screening model to flag any that should be moved to EOR.

Get the Liability Shield You Should Already Have.

Talk to a CoR specialist and have your highest-risk contractors moved over this week.

Book a Demo →