Extreme Reach and 1099Policy

Extreme Reach carries workers' comp for its payroll. Freelancers you pay directly need their own.

Extreme Reach (XR) runs payroll for the talent and crew on advertising and entertainment productions. For the people it pays, XR is the employer of record for payroll purposes and carries their workers' comp. Freelancers who invoice you directly aren't on that payroll. Eligible contractors can pick up coverage for the assignment through 1099Policy, in their own name, with the certificate issued before they start.

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What each one doesWho XR coversPricingRunning both
Side by side

XR runs payroll as employer of record. 1099Policy places coverage in the contractor's name.

FeatureExtreme ReachEmployer of record1099PolicyPlaces coverage
What it's forPayroll, taxes, union contributions, and workers' comp for the talent and crew it paysInsurance for US contractors on an assignment, and the certificate that proves it
How the worker is paidThrough XR's payroll, as an employee for tax purposes by default, with XR as employer of recordStays an independent contractor and holds the policy in their own name
Workers' compXR maintains it state by state and handles claims for the people it paysPlaced in the eligible contractor's own name, per assignment
Freelancers you pay directlyNever paid by XR, so outside XR's payroll and its workers' compEligible contractors get covered for the assignment before work starts
Pricing (Sep 2026)Not public; set by the rate card in each customer's order formTwo costs, two payers. The contractor pays the premium as the named insured; you pay for platform access, quoted at program setup
Best fitTalent, union crew, and anyone the production puts on payrollFreelancers who invoice you directly
The honest version

If everyone on the job is paid through XR, you don't need us.

If everyone who works on the job goes through XR, as an employee or through a loan-out company, XR carries their workers' comp and there is nothing for us to add. We don't do payroll. This page is only about the people who never go through XR.

XR's payroll contract calls the people it pays "Payees" and says:

"XR will be responsible for maintaining workers' compensation insurance consistent with the requirements of each state and administering all workers' compensation and/or unemployment claims brought by Payees."

XR Payroll Services Addendum. Read the source, September 2026.

XR details on this page are from what the company publishes, September 2026.

How the two fit together

Talent and crew paid through XR are covered by XR. Freelancers who invoice you directly are not.

Paid through XR

Talent and crew run through XR's payroll, with XR as employer of record. XR carries their workers' comp. Nothing changes and we don't touch it.

Handled by XR

Paid directly

The freelance editor, colorist, or designer who invoices you directly is never paid by XR, so XR's workers' comp doesn't reach them. Eligible contractors pick up coverage for the assignment while they onboard, in their own name, with the certificate issued before day one.

See how coverage gets issued →

About the coverage. Written per assignment in the contractor's own name and backed by a licensed carrier. Available to eligible contractors, subject to underwriting, the type of work, and the state. Workers' comp covers 46 states; North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming run their own state funds. Construction trades are not covered. Insurance does not change how a worker is classified.

Illustrative example

A two-day commercial, and the four people XR never pays.

An agency produces a two-day commercial. Twelve performers are paid through XR, and the production company runs twenty-six crew through XR as well. XR carries workers' comp for all thirty-eight.

Four more people invoice the agency directly: two editors, a colorist, and a motion designer who finish the spots the week after the shoot. XR never pays them, so its workers' comp never reaches them, and business affairs finds out when the brand asks for certificates from everyone who worked on the job. Eligible contractors in that group can pick up their own coverage for the assignment during onboarding, before they start.

Common questions

What agencies ask when XR already runs their payroll.

No. XR runs payroll, taxes, union contributions, and workers' comp for the talent and crew it pays. We don't do payroll at all. If XR runs your payroll, it keeps running it.

XR's coverage follows its payroll. Its contract makes XR responsible for workers' comp for the people it pays. A freelancer who invoices you directly is never paid by XR, so they sit outside that coverage.

You can. XR pays people as employees for tax purposes by default, so the freelancer's tax status changes for that job, and you pay XR a rate-card amount on top of their wages to cover employment taxes and insurance premiums. When a freelancer is engaged as an independent contractor, their coverage has to be their own.

For payroll and administration, yes. XR's contract makes it the employer of record for that limited purpose. The same contract says XR is not the common law employer and has no control over hiring, firing, workplace conditions, or supervision. Your team still directs the work.

XR's contract makes the customer cover XR for any misclassification claim that follows. Whether XR's workers' comp still applies to someone paid that way isn't spelled out in the contract, so confirm it with XR before relying on it.

Two costs, and they sit with different parties. The contractor pays the premium as the named insured, carrier-rated against the engagement; platforms often remit it out of the contractor's payout, but it stays the contractor's cost. Platform access is billed to the hiring company and quoted at program setup. See pricing

Workers' comp is available in 46 states. North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming run their own state funds, so coverage is bought from the state there. Construction trades are not covered.

No. Insurance does not determine how a worker is classified. Classification turns on the whole relationship and the test that applies in your state, and should be reviewed with counsel. In New Jersey, from October 1 2026, coverage a company requires or encourages a contractor to carry does not count as evidence of independence under N.J.A.C. 12:11. What changes in New Jersey

Call to action section for 1099Policy

Your XR payroll is covered. Freelancers you pay directly can carry their own policy.

Eligible contractors pick up coverage for the assignment in their own name, with the certificate issued before they start work.

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