WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 6, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) announcement that the 2024 final independent contractor rule will not be enforced while the rule is under departmental review.

“The DOL’s 2024 rule intensified the stress and confusion of the classification process for small business owners and independent contractors,” said Beth Milito, Vice President and Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center. “NFIB is pleased that the DOL will not be using the 2024 rule in their enforcement efforts, and will instead rely on a standard that provides small business owners and independent contractors the clarity they need and deserve.”

NFIB opposed DOL’s 2024 final rule on independent contractors, arguing that the rule further complicates the worker classification process for small businesses. Later that year, NFIB joined a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas challenging the rule.

The NFIB Small Business Legal Center protects the rights of small business owners in the nation’s courts. NFIB is currently active in more than 40 cases in federal and state courts across the country and in the U.S. Supreme Court.