Working on Braintrust
Braintrust taxes: the 1099 and what you file
Contractor (1099) work: Braintrust engages independent contractors, not employees, and you handle your own taxes. A W-9 in the US (a W-8BEN elsewhere); some of its clients hire on W-2 contracts.
What Braintrust and the IRS say
Am I an employee of Braintrust?
No. Braintrust's Talent Terms say talent are independent contractors, not employees, are not eligible for employment benefits, and must report all compensation as income and handle their own taxes. They also say Braintrust does not guarantee any minimum or regular payment.
What tax forms does Braintrust ask for?
Braintrust's help center says US workers upload a W-9 and workers outside the US a W-8BEN (W-8BEN-E for a company), under Profile Settings, then Payments. At the end of the year its accounting team sends you a 1099 (or equivalent) based on the tax form on file.
How Braintrust pays
Braintrust's AI training page says pay depends on the task and your specialty, each task shows what it pays before you start (rates are listed per hour, by task type, on that page), what you earn is 100% yours to keep, and payments are processed weekly (read 1 Nov 2026). Payout countries, fees, contractor status and tax forms are covered in the questions below, each from Braintrust's own help center or terms.
Braintrust taxes: questions
Is Braintrust 1099 or W-2?
Contractor (1099) work: Braintrust engages independent contractors, not employees, and you handle your own taxes. A W-9 in the US (a W-8BEN elsewhere); some of its clients hire on W-2 contracts.
What Braintrust's own pages and the IRS publish, from our Braintrust guide, researched 2026-11-01; not tax advice. Some links on AITraining.jobs are referral links. If you sign up through one, AITraining.jobs may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what a platform pays you.