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W-2 employment · state-specific

Hire an employee without missing state labor law. At-will, IP-assigned, defensible.

Employment agreements are different from contractor agreements: W-2 employees get tax withholding, benefits eligibility, and state labor-law protections. The right agreement covers at-will status, IP assignment, confidentiality, severance, and a long list of state-specific clauses (PTO carryover in CA, paid family leave in WA, prevailing wage in MA). We generate agreements that fit your state and the role.

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All 50 states + DC 60-day money-back SOC 2 Type II
How it works

How we handle Employment Agreement, end-to-end.

Employment agreements are different from contractor agreements: W-2 employees get tax withholding, benefits eligibility, and state labor-law protections.

1

Pick the state

Each state has its own employment-law requirements: wage notices (CA, NY), paid family leave (WA, NY, MA), non-compete bans (CA, ND, OK), at-will exceptions. We start with the right template for the work-performed state.

2

Configure the role

Exempt or non-exempt under FLSA, salary or hourly, full-time or part-time, expected work location, benefits eligibility, severance terms, equity grants if applicable.

3

Bundle I-9 + W-4

Optional bundle adds I-9 employment eligibility verification and W-4 tax withholding to the e-sign workflow. New hire completes everything in one session.

4

Store and integrate

Signed agreement, I-9, W-4 go to your document vault. If you use Gusto, ADP, QuickBooks Payroll, or Rippling, we push the data to your payroll system.

What we'll set up for you

A clean handoff, in four steps.

You give us the basics. We handle the state, the IRS, and the compliance clock so you can focus on the business.

01 · Name + Brand

A name that's actually available.

Real-time check against the state register, USPTO trademark database, and matching domains.

02 · State filing

Filed with the Secretary of State.

We submit your Articles, pay the state fee on your behalf, and return the stamped certificate.

03 · Federal IDs

EIN + the right tax setup.

Federal Employer ID with the IRS, plus state tax accounts when your business needs them.

04 · Stay compliant

Registered Agent + deadline tracking.

Your agent on file in every state, with every renewal and annual report tracked in one calendar.

Pricing

Transparent employment agreement pricing.

Government fees pass through at cost. No upsells.

Generate

$0
Unlimited agreements.

Generate state-specific employment agreements in any volume. Free forever.

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E-sign + onboarding

$39
Per hire, with I-9 + W-4.

Generated agreement plus e-sign with bundled I-9 employment verification and W-4 tax withholding. All three go to your vault. Optional sync to payroll system.

Get started

Volume

$29
$29 per hire at 25+ per year.

For growing companies hiring at volume. Drops to $29 per hire above 25 per year. Includes branded onboarding portal and direct payroll integration.

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FAQ

About the Employment Agreement Generator.

What is an employment agreement?
An employment agreement sets the terms between your business and an employee, compensation, duties, at-will status, confidentiality, IP assignment, and sometimes non-compete or non-solicit terms, so expectations and protections are clear. A well-drafted one protects the company. We keep your employer setup organized so agreements fit your hiring.
Do I need a written employment agreement?
Not always legally, since much employment is at-will, but a written agreement protects the business on IP ownership, confidentiality, and expectations, and is important for key or senior hires. We flag when a formal agreement matters versus a simple offer letter for your situation.
What should an employment agreement include?
Typically the role and duties, compensation and benefits, at-will or term status, confidentiality, assignment of work product to the company, and any restrictive covenants, scaled to the role. The IP and confidentiality terms often matter most. We flag the terms that protect your business.
Why is IP assignment in an employment agreement important?
Because without it, work an employee creates may not clearly belong to the company, which is a problem investors check and a risk if the employee leaves. Assigning work product to the business is essential, especially for technical roles, and we flag it as a must-have term.
Are non-compete clauses enforceable?
It varies a lot by state, with some heavily restricting or banning them and others enforcing reasonable ones, so a non-compete must be custom to your state and role to have any effect. We flag your state's approach so restrictive covenants are drafted to be enforceable, not void.
What is at-will employment?
At-will means either the employer or employee can end the relationship at any time for any lawful reason, which most US employment is, and the agreement usually preserves it while adding protections. We flag how to preserve at-will status while still protecting the company.
Do I need different agreements for different roles?
Often yes: senior, technical, or sales roles may need stronger IP, confidentiality, or restrictive terms than an entry-level role, so agreements can scale to the position. We flag which protections each role warrants so you are not over- or under-protecting.
How does this differ from a contractor agreement?
An employment agreement governs an employee within your business, while an independent contractor agreement governs a non-employee, and misclassifying the two brings penalties. We flag which relationship you actually have so the right agreement and treatment apply.
Can File.Business help me set up for hiring?
We form and organize the entity, complete the employer registrations, and flag the employment-agreement terms, IP assignment, confidentiality, at-will, that protect your business, so your hiring is set up to protect the company from the first employee.

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SOC 2 Type II audited
220,000+ businesses. 60-day money-back. State fees passed through at cost.
Your operating system, not a transaction
Every deadline auto-tracked across your entities. Compliance Score visible year-round.
Transparent pricing
No hidden fees. No upsells at checkout. State fees disclosed upfront.

Start your business in the next 5 minutes.

No state-fee markup. Pay only the state fee. 60-day money-back guarantee.

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Registered Agent in any stateStart
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