UNITED STATES
|
NORTH AMERICA
Great talent. New possibilities.
Hire in the United States.
Build your team in the United States with a clear path from hiring to payday. Explore federal and state employment essentials and flexible ways to engage and pay contractors with Rise.
59.1%
Employment-population ratio · August 2026
61.6%
Labor force participation · August 2026
4.1%
Unemployment rate · August 2026
UTC−5 to −8
Time zones · contiguous US
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE. GLOBAL AMBITION.
Your next chapter starts here.
The United States gives your team the world's largest single labor market, spread across four contiguous time zones plus Alaska and Hawaii. Its employment-population ratio stood at 59.1% in August 2026, while labor force participation was 61.6% and unemployment held at 4.1%. Start your hiring plan by choosing the right relationship for each role, then align contracts and payments with federal, state, and local requirements.
Country Snapshot
What To Know
Capital
Washington, D.C.
Currency
US dollar (USD)
Working language
English
Time zone
Eastern to Pacific (UTC−5 to UTC−8) in the contiguous states; Alaska (UTC−9) and Hawaii (UTC−10). Most states observe daylight saving time.
Hiring approach
W-2 employment for ongoing employee roles; 1099 independent contracts for genuinely independent services.
Payroll planning
Define compensation, federal and state payroll taxes, pay frequency under state law, benefits, and workers' compensation coverage before onboarding.
Lower Manhattan, New York City. A different perspective on your next hiring market.
BUILD YOUR LONG-TERM TEAM
Hiring employees in the United States
For roles that sit inside your organization, start with W-2 employment. Budget for the full employment package and identify who will handle federal and state registrations, payroll tax filings, benefits administration, and ongoing compliance in each state where employees work.
Employment Essential
At a Glance
Employment terms
At-will employment is the default in nearly every state. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) and overtime at 1.5x for hours over 40 per week for non-exempt employees. Most states and many cities set higher wage floors and additional rules.
Salary payments
Pay frequency is set by state law; most states require at least semi-monthly or biweekly pay. Wages are paid by check, direct deposit, or paycard, subject to state consent and access rules.
Annual bonus
No statutory 13th-month or annual bonus. Bonuses are contractual or discretionary. Nondiscretionary bonuses must be included when calculating overtime for non-exempt employees.
Paid annual leave
No federal paid vacation mandate. Paid sick leave is required in a growing number of states and cities. Vacation is contractual, and several states treat accrued unused vacation as earned wages payable at termination.
Employer cost planning
Include salary, employer FICA, federal and state unemployment tax, workers' compensation, health benefits, retirement plan contributions, paid leave, and state-specific programs in your quote.
Employment framework: U.S. Department of Labor, Fair Labor Standards Act. State and local law layers on top of federal minimums; requirements vary by state, city, and role
Explore an employment route with Rise.
Rise EOR manages employment contracts, payroll, benefits, and compliance through Rise-owned entities in supported markets. Discuss your US hiring plan with the team to confirm state coverage, benefits setup, and timing.
Rise's product page lists the United States as a live Rise-owned entity market. If you already operate a US entity, Rise Direct Payroll handles W-2 and 1099 payroll, tax remittance, and filings directly. Confirm the right setup before making an offer.
WORK WITH INDEPENDENT SPECIALISTS
Hiring contractors in the United States
Bring independent expertise into your business with clear deliverables, documented terms, and a reliable payment process. Choose a service agreement that reflects how the work will actually be performed, and review classification under both federal and state tests.
Set Up For Success
Your Contractor Checklist
Scope & autonomy
Agree on deliverables, timelines, and independent working practices. Review classification under the IRS common-law test and any stricter state test, such as California's ABC test, before onboarding.
Service agreement
Document fees, currency, payment timing, intellectual property, confidentiality, and termination terms.
Tax & invoicing
Collect Form W-9 before the first payment. Issue Form 1099-NEC for payments that meet the annual reporting threshold ($2,000 for 2026 payments). Confirm state-level reporting duties with an adviser.
Onboarding
Collect identity and payment details, signed agreements, and the documentation your engagement requires.
Payment preferences
Agree on supported withdrawal options and make fees, conversion, and settlement expectations clear.
One place to manage payday.
Onboard your contractors, organize payments, and fund payroll in USD or supported stablecoins. Give contractors flexibility over supported withdrawals.
More support for your engagements.
Add contractor classification, contracts, onboarding, and compliance support. Ask Rise about the scope of coverage for your US team.
Brooklyn, New York City. Local character, connected to a world of opportunity.
PLAN BEYOND THE HEADLINE SALARY
What does hiring in the United States actually cost?
Start with the agreed gross salary or contractor fee, then separate business costs from worker deductions. The examples below use US dollars (USD) and illustrate a budget, not a final payslip or quote.
BUSINESS BUDGET
Employer costs
Cost
Budget Basis
Gross salary
100% of agreed pay
Employer FICA
7.65%: 6.2% Social Security on wages up to $184,500 plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages.
Federal unemployment (FUTA)
6.0% on the first $7,000, reduced to a net 0.6% ($42 annually) when state unemployment tax is paid on time and no credit reduction applies.
State unemployment (SUTA)
Varies by state and employer experience. New employers often begin around 2% to 3% on the applicable state wage base.
Additional budget items
Workers' compensation, health insurance, retirement match, paid leave, state paid family leave or disability contributions, and termination exposure.
Rise service fees
Request a separate Direct Payroll, EOR, or AOR quote.
EMPLOYEE PAYSLIP
Employee deductions
Deduction
Standard Rate
Social Security
6.2% on wages up to $184,500
Medicare
1.45% on all wages
Additional Medicare Tax
0.9% on wages over $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly)
Total standard FICA
7.65%, subject to the Social Security wage base
Federal income tax
Progressive 10% to 37% on taxable income after deductions. Withheld per Form W-4, not as a flat percentage of gross pay.
State & local income tax
0% in states with no income tax, up to a 13.3% top marginal rate in California. Some cities and counties levy their own tax.
Other deductions
State disability or paid family leave contributions, health premiums, 401(k) elections, and wage garnishments.
Contribution baseline: IRS Publication 15, IRS Topic 751, and the Social Security Administration 2026 wage base. Confirm the payroll period's W-4 elections, state rates, and local taxes.
WORKED EXAMPLE · $8,000 GROSS / MONTH
One salary. Two different numbers.
Employer monthly budget equivalent
$8,615.50 to $8,631.25
Includes federal payroll taxes and an illustrative state unemployment rate
Employee regular-month pay
$7,388.00
After 7.65% FICA, before income tax and other deductions
Employer Budget Component
Federal Baseline
With Illustrative Suta
Monthly gross salary
$8,000.00
$8,000.00
Employer FICA (7.65%)
$612.00
$612.00
FUTA, net 0.6% on $7,000
$3.50
$3.50
SUTA, 2.7% on $7,000
Not included
$15.75
Monthly budget equivalent
$8,615.50
$8,631.25
Illustration assumes a full year at constant pay ($96,000 annually), wages below the Social Security wage base, and a 2.7% new-employer state unemployment rate on a $7,000 wage base, spread evenly across 12 months. Employer totals exclude workers' compensation, benefits, paid leave, termination costs, and Rise fees.
Contractor costs: what the business pays, what the contractor keeps.
A contractor's invoice is business revenue. The contractor needs to budget for self-employment tax, income tax, health insurance, retirement, time off, and operating expenses before treating it as spendable income.
Cost Item
Hiring Business
Contractor
Service fee
Agreed invoice plus reimbursable expenses.
Receives the agreed fee before their own costs.
Tax & social coverage
No employer FICA, FUTA, or SUTA on properly classified contractors. Collect Form W-9 and file Form 1099-NEC where required.
Pays 15.3% self-employment tax on 92.35% of net earnings, plus federal and state income tax through quarterly estimated payments.
Payment & administration
Add the agreed Rise plan, payment fees, and conversion costs.
Confirm who bears withdrawal and conversion fees.
Benefits & operating costs
Include any negotiated allowances in the contract.
Set aside amounts for health insurance, retirement, equipment, accounting, and non-billable time.
Self-employment tax: what a US contractor pays
Component
2026 Rate or Rule
Social Security portion
12.4% on net self-employment earnings up to $184,500
Medicare portion
2.9% on all net self-employment earnings, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200,000 (single)
Taxable base
92.35% of net earnings from self-employment
Deductible share
One-half of SE tax is deductible when calculating adjusted gross income
Qualified business income deduction
Up to 20% for eligible pass-through earners, subject to limits
Estimated payments
Due quarterly in April, June, September, and January
Contractor Example
$8,000 invoiced per month
At a steady $96,000 over 12 months with no deductible business expenses, a sole-proprietor contractor owes SE tax on $88,656 of net earnings, or $13,564.37 for the year. Subtracting the monthly equivalent of $1,130.36 leaves $6,869.64 before federal and state income tax, health insurance, retirement contributions, payment fees, and business expenses.
This is not equivalent to an employee's net salary: the contractor example includes no employer-funded health coverage, retirement match, or paid leave, and the contractor bears both halves of Social Security and Medicare.
Make Your Budget Specific
Get a breakdown for your actual hire.
Share the role, work state, gross salary or contractor fee, benefits, and preferred payment method. Ask Rise to separate statutory costs, service fees, and payment costs in your quote.
THE RISE ADVANTAGE
A better payday. A better team experience.
Give your global workforce more choice in how they receive their earnings, with payroll built around the way people work.
Daily payroll. More flexibility.
With daily pay schedules, eligible employees can receive pay more frequently and better align income with everyday expenses.
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Daily payroll is available through Rise’s US Direct Payroll product. Confirm eligibility, state pay-frequency and final-pay rules, and setup with Rise.
Hybrid payroll. More choice.
Connect traditional and crypto payments. Fund payroll in USD, USDC, or USDT, with supported local-currency and crypto withdrawal options for your team.
USD
USDC
USDT
Options depend on location and engagement type. US employee wages must be paid in US dollars through compliant methods under federal and state wage-payment law; crypto withdrawals are a post-payroll option and do not replace those obligations.
