A homeworker is any person who produces goods for an employer from a home, apartment, or room in a residential establishment. Where the homeworker gets the materials, either from the employer or elsewhere, doesn't change the homeworker’s status.

The information and records that you'll need to keep is the same information that you use to determine how much to pay each worker. If you work through agents or distributors, you'll need to keep records identifying them as well. Be sure to organize the information so that you can establish that you've complied with all applicable wage and hour laws.

You must keep the following records for each of your homeworkers:

• name
• home address
• date of birth, if under 19, to comply with child labor requirements
• with respect to each job or lot of work:
  • date on which work is given out to worker and amount of work given out
  • date on which work is turned in and amount of work turned in
  • type of articles worked on and operation performed
  • piece rates paid
  • hours worked
  • wages paid
  • Social Security deduction made
  • date of wage payment and pay period covered
• with respect to each week:
  • hours worked
  • wages earned
  • extra pay due for overtime
  • total wages earned each week
  • Social Security deduction made
• name and address of each agent, distributor, or contractor and the name and address of each homeworker who works with each agent, distributor, or contractor
• record of retroactive payment of wages

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