Self-employers deserve benefits, too.

Get health insurance, PTO, and a 401k without losing your freedom.

How it works

Join the Waitlist

Fill out some quick information about yourself. (1-2 minutes)

Get Approved AKA Hired

You’ll receive an email once you’ve been approved with any next steps.
(2 business days)

Enjoy Benefits

Join your new Guild and acclimate yourself to the tools, perks, and resources.

What’s included?

  • Health Insurance

    Medical, Dental, and Vision. All included so you can take care of your physical and mental health.

  • Retirement

    Contribute to your future self. We will match you up to 3%!

  • PTO

    Accrue up to 21 paid days off per year.

  • Tax Compliance

    We send you a W-2 in January, and that’s all you need for your taxes.

  • Safety Nets

    Worried about the “What if’s” of life? You get access to Unemployment, Workers Compensation, and any other applicable state-specific leave program like Paid Leave Oregon.

  • Client Proposals, Contracts, and Invoices

    Use our tools to quickly and easily send your clients important documents while maintaining your brand’s appearance.

  • Resources & Community

    Ever get lonely doing everything yourself? You get access to a community of people who get you, including us. Guilds with Benefits is made for self-employers BY self-employers.

    Bounce ideas off of fellow Guild Members. Send us a message if you need help with something administrative.

Why?

As freelancers ourselves, we created Guilds with Benefits for self-employers who want to protect what they’re building- a stable future for themselves and their families. We don’t believe you should have to sacrifice your freedom and your soul for traditional employee perks and protections. We don’t believe you should be penalized for branching out and doing your own thing.

We are trailblazing a new type of support for self-employers that provides income predictability, W-2 benefits, and independence to those who HUSTLE!

Guilds with Benefits acts as your employer (checking that W-2 box!) which allows you to access the perks and protections available to traditional employees- but without the traditional employee headaches.

But… How?

I started Guilds with Benefits after hearing of a self-employed mother of two small boys who suddenly and tragically lost her husband. Now, as the sole breadwinner in the home, she was forced to get back to work after only two unpaid weeks off. On top of her grief, she was forced to worry about how she might stay in her home, afford health insurance, and find child care.

This woman’s story broke my heart and inspired the idea for Guilds with Benefits.

As a freelancer myself, I’ve also worried about what I might do in a situation like this. I couldn’t stand the thought that self-employers (a whopping 1/3 of the workforce) have ZERO options for financial security, protections, and safety nets.

I built Guilds with Benefits to give people like me these options.

— Hollie Miller, Founder & CEO

Woman smiling at the camera, wearing a bag and a green top, in front of a waterfall

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 FAQs

  • Guild member gross wages are 62% of total revenues, GWB keeps 13%, and the other 25% goes to Guild Member taxes and benefits in GWB's role as the employer.

    Because of our large group rates- and because the tax system favors employer/employee relationships over 1099, you could even end up taking home more than if you did everything yourself.

    To learn more, check out our Details page.

    The 13% that we keep covers our administrative staff, marketing, subscription costs, professional services, supplies, and any surprises we might have in store for our Guild Members!

  • If you have a lot of work-related expenses or you already have a separate business entity, we would suggest separating your earnings from your business entirely.

    This will allow you to contract with and invoice your business for your labor as a Guild Member. Meanwhile, you business simply recognizes your labor payments as another business expense, along with all of the other business expenses.

    This is a great option for shop owners and other folks who have more business expenses.

  • You are certainly able to stay on your spouse’s plan if you like and choose to waive our coverage, but we would encourage you to look at how much your plan costs under your spouse. Most employers don’t contribute anything towards dependent health insurance premiums, so switching to one of our plans could save your household over $500 per month! It’s worth checking out!

    Another option would be to be “double covered”. Folks who are lucky enough to have double coverage typically pay little to nothing for doctor visits, procedures, and prescriptions. This could be a good option for folks who anticipate costly medical procedures, frequent visits, or prescriptions.

    If you’re hesitant to make the switch, please know that if you ever decided to leave Guilds with Benefits, that would trigger a “Qualifying Life Event”, which would allow you to go back onto your spouse’s plan outside of open enrollment.

    No strings here, just benefits if they’re useful to you.

  • No way. Guild Membership is AT WILL employment, and you’re free to leave whenever you like.

    We truly want you to succeed and get the most out of your career- so no hard feelings if you decide to leave

    The heart of what we are trying to do is provide options for self-employers, because there currently aren’t any. And that’s crazy to us.

    If someone joins to get themselves from point A to point B, then they decide to leave the guild, we see that as a success!

    Likewise, if someone joins a guild, and they love it and stay a Guild Member for the rest of their career, that’s a win, too!

    We’re just tired of people not having any options.

  • Our Behavioral Expectations outline the standards of behavior that are required to remain a Guild Member. We expect Guild Members to follow the following principles:

    • Professionalism: Maintain a high level of professionalism in all interactions with Guilds with Benefits staff, fellow Guild Members, clients, and vendors.

    • Respect: Treat all Guilds with Benefits staff, fellow Guild Members, vendors, and clients, with respect and courtesy.

    • Integrity: Act with honesty and integrity in all business dealings. Never lie, intentionally withhold pertinent information, misrepresent yourself or your services, or pass others' work off as your own.

    • Communication: Clearly communicate expectations and notify affected parties in advance if expectations will not be met. This can apply to a product or service quality, quantity, and timeline.

    • Accountability: Take responsibility for your actions and decisions.

    You can also read the entire Guild Member Agreement here.