CT IC test: ABC test — three independent prongs, all required.
Connecticut applies the ABC test to determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-222. The test has three prongs that ALL must be met to support IC classification: (A) the worker is free from the employer's control and direction; (B) the work is performed outside the usual course of the employer's business or outside all places of business; (C) the worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession, or business. Failure on any single prong defeats IC classification — converting the worker to employee status retroactively. Misclassification triggers layered exposure: wage theft under § 31-72 (double damages), unemployment compensation liability, workers' compensation exposure, and tax liability.
ABC Test Validation + Misclassification Exposure
Validates IC classifications against ABC test prongs at engagement. Tracks ongoing relationship for prong drift. Surfaces wage theft, UC, and workers' comp exposure on misclassification.
What those rules do at engagement and ongoing.
The hero card configuration: Avoid on prong failures, Flag on drift, Critical on layered exposure.
When a new IC engagement is captured, all three ABC prongs are validated. Failure on any prong triggers Avoid — the worker should be classified as employee, not IC.
IC relationships can drift: a worker initially independent (Prong A) can become controlled through expanding direction; work outside the usual course (Prong B) can shift inside the business; the IC's independent business (Prong C) can fade. Quarterly relationship review surfaces drift.
Misclassification triggers: wage theft under § 31-72 (double damages on unpaid OT, PSL, minimum wage); unemployment compensation back contributions and penalties; workers' compensation premium back-payment plus uninsured exposure if injuries occurred; income tax withholding back-payment; and Social Security/Medicare back-payment.
Deploy Connecticut IC compliance in your Teambridge.
Tell us about your Connecticut workforce and IC engagements. We'll spin up ABC test validation, quarterly relationship review, layered exposure modeling, reclassification workflow, and 21 other Connecticut policies in a sandbox tenant.
ABC test — all three prongs required for IC. Failure on any = employee.
Connecticut's ABC test is structurally similar to Massachusetts and California (Dynamex/AB-5) frameworks but adopted earlier through statute. The single-prong-failure-defeats rule makes IC classification operationally rigorous.
Prong A: Free from control and direction
The worker must be free from the employer's control and direction in performing the service — both under the contract AND in fact. Indicators of failure on Prong A: detailed instructions on how to perform work; required schedule or hours; required uniform or equipment; performance reviews; required attendance at meetings or training; integration into employer's workflow. Indicators supporting Prong A: worker sets their own schedule; worker uses their own methods and tools; worker has multiple clients; worker has business expenses (insurance, equipment) not reimbursed by employer.
Prong B: Outside usual course OR outside all places of business
The work must be performed EITHER outside the usual course of the employer's business OR outside all the employer's places of business. The two-part disjunctive structure provides flexibility — a worker can satisfy Prong B by either condition. Outside usual course: the work performed is not part of what the employer ordinarily does. A restaurant hiring an HVAC contractor for repair satisfies this — HVAC repair isn't the restaurant's usual course. A cleaning company hiring 'IC' cleaners FAILS this — cleaning IS the company's usual course. Outside all places of business: the work is performed at the worker's location, not the employer's. Remote IC work performed at the IC's home or office can satisfy this.
Teambridge validates ABC test prongs at engagement and surfaces layered exposure.
The single-prong-failure rule plus layered exposure across wage/UC/workers' comp/tax statutes makes Connecticut one of the most aggressive IC enforcement environments in the country.
All 3 prongs checked.
When a new IC engagement is captured, all three ABC prongs are validated. Each prong receives indicators supporting and against. Failure on any prong → Avoid surface.
Drift across prongs surveilled.
Each quarter, ongoing IC relationships are reviewed. Prong A drift (control creep), Prong B drift (work shifting inside usual course), Prong C drift (worker becoming dependent on this engagement) all surfaced.
Wage + UC + workers' comp + tax stack.
If misclassification is identified, layered exposure is calculated: wage theft (2× damages + fees) + UC back-contributions (50% penalties) + workers' comp premiums + tax back-payments. Operators see the combined liability.
Conversion to employee status.
When reclassification is recommended, the workflow handles conversion: employment offer, payroll setup, benefits enrollment, tax withholding setup, retroactive adjustments where needed.
Still evaluating? Get a free Connecticut compliance audit.
Send us your existing Connecticut scheduling and pay configuration. Our compliance team returns a written audit within 5 business days — every Connecticut-specific exposure ranked by risk and back-pay liability.