Go to People from the sidebar. Click "Add person" in the top right, then choose "Add contractor".
Enter the required details (first name, last name, and email address). You can also set the "Contractor type" here. Choosing Business makes "Business name" required. Leave "Invite them to enter their own details" checked to email them an invitation, or clear it to add them without sending anything. Then click "Continue".
Continue through the next steps. Home address and pay are optional. Set the ones you need, then click "Add & invite" to add the contractor and send the invitation. If you cleared the invite box, the button reads "Submit" and no email is sent. They’ll appear in your people list alongside employees.
Note: You don’t collect the contractor’s tax details here. After you add them, the contractor completes their own onboarding for their W-9, taxpayer ID (TIN), and payment method. If you cleared the invite box, send them a setup link so they can do this: see Send a self-serve setup link.
Choose an individual or business contractor
On the first step you can set the "Contractor type". It’s optional. Leave it as "Select if known (optional)" if you’re not sure.
Individual: a contractor you pay as a person.
Business: a company. Choosing Business adds a required "Business name" field for the company’s legal name.
Add a home address
Freedom asks "Add a home address for this contractor?" This is optional. You can add or update it later from the contractor’s profile.
Choose "Add address" to enter one, or "Skip" to move on.
If you’re adding one, fill in the street, city, state, and ZIP code, then click "Continue".
Note: Freedom checks the address. If it can’t be verified, Freedom may suggest a corrected version. Click "Use this address" to accept the suggestion, or fix what you entered and continue.
Set how much and how the contractor is paid
The last setup step asks "How do you pay this contractor?" Set pay now, or skip it and add it later from the contractor’s profile.
Skip: don’t set pay yet.
Fixed amount: a set amount each pay period. Enter the "Amount" and choose a "Pay schedule".
Hourly rate with variable hours: enter the "Hourly rate". The hours vary each time you pay them, so you enter the hours when you pay them.
Click "Add & invite" to add the contractor. If you cleared the invite box, the button reads "Submit".
Note: For a fixed amount, pay frequency follows the contractor’s assigned pay schedule.
Invite the contractor to enter their own details
On the first step, "Invite them to enter their own details" appears under Email and is checked by default, with the note "We'll email a link for their SSN, bank, and tax info." When you click "Add & invite", Freedom emails the contractor two things: an invitation to log in to Freedom, and a setup link where they add that information. After they log in, they can see their own pay history and tax documents. They can’t manage payroll, people, or company settings.
Leave the box checked to invite them, or clear it to add the contractor without sending anything.
On the last step, click "Add & invite". If you cleared the box, the button reads "Submit".
If the setup link doesn’t send, the confirmation screen shows "Setup link didn't send" (the invitation to log in did go out) with "Try again" and "Copy setup link" buttons.
Note: To invite the contractor later, click "Invite" in the Invite column on the People page. That sends only the invitation to log in, not the setup link. To send the setup link, see Send a self-serve setup link. To make someone an admin, change their Role on the People page after they accept.