Contractor Annual Re-Registration: Fill & Download for Free

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is not a credit monitoring agency. It is up to the holder to safeguard their Social Security Number (SSN) via credit monitoring agencies like lifelock or checkmyssn. You are eligible for one free credit report annually from each reporting agency. You may also request a copy of your credit report if you are denied credit somewhere. You can create an account at ssa dot gov where you can track your earnings activity applied to your social security account. It is your responsibility to notify SSA immediately if there are discrepancies. In the case of identity theft you must immediately file the theft report and other steps outlined to ensure your safety. Use reasonable caution when using your social security number, don’t carry your card with you, it will not act as a form of identification like a state issued ID card or a drivers license. Only use the entire number when it is required otherwise the last 4 numbers should suffice. Do not throw away any document that includes your SSN without shredding it, cross cut is best and more difficult to piece back together. That includes not leaving copies of your tax returns laying around your house. If those documents are on your kitchen table in clear view and a contractor and the crew come into your house, it is open to theft—you don’t always know everyone who comes into your home—even prowlers. I use a locking file cabinet at home, and it is only my husband and myself.When you are issued your SSN, you will receive it along with numerous warnings to protect that number, do not carry the card with you unless you need to submit a copy for a job or a class registration. It is not supposed to be laminated and should it become destroyed (mostly from being carried in a wallet, purse, or pocket) you will need to apply for a replacement card through SSA. There are a few states that allow replacement card applications to be completed online. Very rarely is a new SSN granted to an individual, so that number stays with your every step—guard it and be vigilant with monitoring your credit activity. SSA does not tell someone what SSN to use for anything, they do not just give your number to anyone other than you, in person accompanied by your birth certificate, mothers maiden name, fathers SSN, a note from your mother, tax returns, utility bills to verify address, and maybe your first-born child, all intended to prove your identity, if you fail the identity test, you are not given the number, no exceptions.A SSN is assigned only once, when you die your number is retired and not re-issued like phone number recycling.

When I tell people that I am in the mystery shopping business, more often than not I get a response like “Oh, I love to shop! I would be great at it!” or “My spouse is always saying why our food wasn’t seasoned to his liking at restaurants. We should be shoppers for you!”.Not a good start!A better beginning would be “I always am noticing all the small details when I go somewhere” or “I love to write and I think I am pretty good it”.Mystery shopping is not really about “shopping” per se; it’s about following directions and making objective observations while blending into the crowd unnoticed, and then transcribing those observations using accurate and descriptive words, and doing so on a timely basis.So what specifically is a mystery shop?It is an objective snapshot of a customer’s experience during a single occasion in the past which has been recorded for others to read or view.Tens of thousands of companies, government agencies and associations hire market research companies like ours to measure how well their employees are adhering to operational and customer service policies. We in turn use hundreds of thousands of independent contractors to select and qualify for these assignments and carry them out on our behalf.Here is what is required to be a successful mystery shopper:The ability to follow directions without any deviation.The ability to secretly make a series of specific objective observations while posing as an ordinary customer.The ability to accurately transcribe your objective observations vividly so that anyone reading your account of things can virtually see, hear, smell and/or taste your experience through your writing.The ability to respect deadlines and to provide your report on time or ahead of schedule.Notice I didn’t say anything about looking for bargains or why the bolognese sauce was too bland. Companies are not looking for people to buy things or be a restaurant critic; they are looking for people to accurately and objectively record specific criteria.Here is an example of what I mean. On a recent shop, the evaluator was supposed to observe cash-handling and pouring habits at a club bar. While that information was provided on the report as expected, the evaluator added all kinds of commentary about the design and decor of the club. There were no questions asking about those things on the form - put another way, the client didn’t ask us to measure those elements, and frankly doesn’t care what our evaluators think of them. As a result, the evaluator probably spent a fair amount of time to write that information up; and while the rest of the report was fine and submitted, all those comments about decor were removed before sending to the client.Another recent otherwise excellent restaurant shop that came back to us included comments about the dark and dated feel for the restrooms. The questions that the client wanted answered where, “were the restrooms clean?” and “were the restrooms well-stocked?”. They didn’t asked about feel or other status of the restrooms. I’m sure the restaurant owners know that when cash-flow is right, they will need to update the restrooms, but they didn’t ask for feedback on that. Those comments were struck.On the same report, there was commentary about how the evaluator preferred to marinate his shrimp in lime juice before frying. Let me say this is the nicest, yet most direct way: the client doesn’t give a crap how you like your shrimp when you make it at home! The client asked, “Was your hot entree served hot?” Again, none of us are looking for restaurants critics to offer cooking suggestions; just answer the question that was asked. Those extraneous comments were struck.So if you are still interested, how do you become a mystery shopper and how does it work?First, you must sign up with market research companies who do this type of work. There are about 150 in the US and over 500 worldwide. The more you sign up with, the more opportunities you will be made aware of to choose from. But how do you know if a company is legitimate? There is a very safe and simple answer.MSPA is the international trade association for mystery shopping and other customer experience measurement. There are three chapters: Americas, Europe & Africa, and Asia/Pacific. Each chapter has two representative delegates who serve on the MSPA Global Board. MSPA vets and verifies as legitimate every market research member company of each region.You can go the MSPA website (www.mysteryshop.org), search for companies to sign up with using the link from the MSPA website.Why is this important?As you have probably heard, disgusting scammers prey upon people who want to be mystery shoppers and rip them off for thousands of dollars each year (more on that at the end of this post). Many even steal the logos and names of legitimate companies to trick people. Linking to a site directly from MSPA guarantees you are going to the real legitimate, vetted market research company.Once on a company’s site, you can sign up to be an evaluator or shopper or field agent (all the same; companies use different names to describe them). You will likely need to provide a writing sample (hint: write one up and copy and paste it on every application, perfectly fine to use the same one on all your applications) and answer a lot of personal questions. This is because sometimes the clients want a certain demographic to participate, just like any other market research study. So you might need to have a certain credit score (could be high or could be low), drive a certain make of car, have a certain household income level or be in a certain age group.You will also be asked for social security number. You will not become an employee of the company, as is defined in labor law, but you will be an independent contractor, and any compensation paid you must be reported to the IRS; thus you need to give a tax ID number. Many serious mystery shoppers apply for a free EIN number from the government and use that instead. An EIN is like a social security number for a business. Believe or not, the minute you take and complete your first assignment, you are a business yourself as a sole proprietor, so you are able to track (if you like) your mystery shopping income separately by using an EIN instead of your SSN.Also as an independent contractor, you work when and as much as you want. In other words, you only take the assignments that you want. Shops are not arbitrarily assigned to you. You ask for it (and get assigned it) or you self-assign, but no one just drops one in your email and says “Hey this due on Friday”. That said, of course when you do make a commitment to complete a shop, you are on the hook for following through unless you notify your scheduler in advance and make other arrangements.As I said before, sign up with many companies if you are going to do this work. Why? The more companies you sign up with, the more opportunities you will see to choose from. And don’t just sign up with companies in your area or state. We all have national clients or clients from other parts of the country. So even though our company is in Orlando, Florida, only about 12% of our client base is local to Florida.The other reason why is it is good to sign up with many companies is the more work you do, the better shopper/evaluator you are likely to become as you gain experience. So the market research company providers (called MSPs in the industry) don’t try to horde their shoppers; we actively encourage our shoppers to work for as many companies as they choose to in order to better their skill set.Once you apply to a company, you will likely have access to their open opportunities. Most companies have an opportunity board on their website or app; some send them out periodically via email, and many do both. MSPA has its own free opportunity board, and there are many Facebook pages which schedulers, looking to find evaluators, place their opportunities there. Some are generic and some are specific to a region, like Mystery Shopping Florida, which only lists open assignments in the Sunshine State from multiple companies looking to fill gigs in Florida. Many companies also have their own Facebook page for evaluators, like ours is CX Orlando Evaluators, where we also post most of our opportunities.Sometimes you can “self-assign” a shop; other times you can request a shop, but a scheduler will have to assign it to you. In most instances, when you are starting out you will NOT be able to self-assign with any company until you have completed a number of shops reliably and on-time. Once you are a known and proven great shopper, then your status is generally opened up to where you can pick and snag the gigs you like, and then off you go.Don’t be discouraged if it takes a little while for you to land assignments with MSPs. You are an unknown to them. Granted you could be the best evaluator they will ever use at some point, but today you’re just a name and email address on a roster of tens or even hundreds of thousands. Be patient; you will eventually get an email or phone call, and when you do, do your very best so that your name rises on the company’s list of independent contractors!Don’t quit your day job to become a professional mystery shopper! These opportunities generally pay between $5 - $20/assignment; some harder ones will pay more (but don’t even think about taking one until you’ve done a bunch of easier shops), and some are reimbursement only for required purchases that you get to keep. There are some evaluators, known in the industry as “route shoppers”, who do this full-time; they pick up a ton of shops and drive the country knocking them out. They usually have some hotel shops mixed in to save on expenses. Again, this is for veteran shoppers who have become well known and trusted by the MSP community. These shoppers do the work full-time and, because of the volume of shops that they do, they can make a living at it. But these folks are a microscopic fraction of the millions of people worldwide doing mystery shopping, and it requires a total commitment. For instance, I visited recently with a route shopper from Virginia had been on the road for about three weeks straight.I think we are the only company in the industry at the moment that also awards Sunny Perks Rewards loyalty points for completing good assignments and for a few other things, like referrals or games and contests that we play with our evaluators from time to time. Accumulated points can be redeemed for gift cards and other discounts.Once given an assignment, your scheduler may review it with you, or you may have to study the requirements on your own and reach out to the scheduler with any questions. Almost all companies issue a project scope and the form to be filled out with each gig. The project scope is extremely important and will outline the client’s requirements for completing the shop, including days, times and how to go about doing the shop to meet their requirements. Think of a mystery shopping project scope as similar to being hired as a handyman, and the customer gives you your to-do list and the times and days that you can come over to do the work.You study the details of the form and then go do your shop. Sometimes the report is emailed back to the company; most times the data is entered online or via your phone, if it is a simpler shop. Often you may have to upload a receipt, if there was a required (and reimbursed) purchase, or a business card to validate that you were actually there, as fraud goes both ways in this business, unfortunately.Hopefully you have done a well-written report (using full noun-verb sentences when writing narratives or short answers, and paying attention to capitalization, grammar and spelling rules) that has followed the client’s directions and answered every question completely, and submitted that to the MSP along with any required documentation. If your report is good, you may hear nothing, as companies literally have thousands of reports coming in every day. If there is a problem or a clarification needed on the report, an editor will reach out to you for more information (and get back to them ASAP!). You don’t want that to happen too often…otherwise you will start seeing that you are no longer being scheduled for assignments by that company.Most companies pay within 30 days, and the standard is to pay electronically (via Paypal, etc.). Remember any shop fee that you receive is reportable income to the IRS; any reimbursement for meals or other required purchases are not income and do not need to be reported. You will get a 1099 form to use on your taxes if you have accumulated over $600 in income from any particular company in a given year. You may or may not get one for earning less than that (companies are not required to send them), but you are still required to report that income whether you received a 1099 or not.Please note: if you did not follow directions and your shop cannot be used, you will not get paid. MSPs don’t want to reject shops; the goals is to provide the end client with what they asked for, and they are counting on you to do that. If you don’t, the client will not accept the report, the MSP will not get paid, and you don’t get paid. You may also get dropped from ever being used again.Also, don’t even think about “flaking”. Flaking is accepting a shop, and then not doing it. People are counting you…you made a commitment. If something comes up, companies understand, but you must reach out in advance to let them know so that they have a chance to re-schedule the shop with someone else. Just not doing the evaluation without any reasonable prior notice will get you banned from ever getting an assignment from that company again.A note on scams. The most popular scam is to send you a check, unsolicited, i.e., out of the blue (not from a company that you are working for) for several thousand dollars; they tell you to go evaluate Wal-Mart or Best Buy or some other national chain and maybe give you a simple bogus form. They’ll tell you to make a purchase at those places, fill out the forms, etc. They tell you to use the funds from the check they sent you to cover those purchases, and then send the rest, usually about $2300-$2500, back to them as a wire transfer while you evaluate Western Union.Then guess what? Their very authentic looking check that they sent you and you cashed has come back as fraudulent at your bank and bounced. You are out $2500 and have $500 worth of junk from Wal-Mart that you didn’t need.There is very little that can be done when this happens. One of the most depressing things I ever heard was the state attorney general of Georgia say “I don’t know why anyone puts on a mask to rob a bank anymore, when you can sit in your underwear in your basement and rip off Georgians and I just don’t have the manpower to track down $2500 dollar thefts like that”.So never cash an unsolicited check, even if it looks like it is from a legitimate company. Nobody mails out thousands of dollars to strangers and trusts that they will do the right thing!You must first apply to a legitimate company, be accepted as a shopper, do the work properly, and then you will get paid. That is how it works, and only how it works in the real mystery shopping world.Also never pay to be a shopper. This is less common, but there are some who will sell you a directory of mystery shopping companies. You can get a current list of vetted, legitimate market research companies who use mystery shoppers for free on the MSPA website. Also, MSPA bans any of its members from charging evaluators to do mystery shopping.There are official industry certification courses that you can take (but are usually never required by an MSP - they simply advance your understanding of the industry and make you more attractive to MSPs for the better assignments as earning certifications demonstrates your commitment to honing and advancing your craft as an evaluator). These are offered by MSPA and can be found at their website. They run about $35 a course. There are about a dozen courses, but the three basic courses of Intro to Mystery Shopping, Professional Report Writing, and Professional Responsibility & Ethics must be completed before taking the advanced courses in things like Fine Dining, Brand Auditing, Banking and Financial Institutions, Retail, Video, QSR and others. Courses can be taken online or in-person at the annual evaluator conference, ShopperFest.On that note, ShopperFest is the annual conference for mystery shoppers which is put on by MSPA. It is a weekend of informative broad industry sessions (how to get better gigs; changes in the tax laws to save you money as an independent contractor, etc.) and specialized breakout tracks with topics for new/beginning evaluators and veteran evaluators. Optional certification courses are also offered on-site, and it is wrapped around a number of fun networking events, hosted by the owners and executives of many of the MSPA-member companies who provide mystery shopping services. Registration includes all education sessions (except course certifications), most of the meals, the opening night reception party and entertainment. There is a new video track added this year just for evaluators who want to specialize in video mystery shopping.ShopperFest 2019 will be held in Pittsburgh from June 28–30 this year. You can read more information on the conference here, and this year’s agenda can be found here.Mystery shopping is a great side gig if you enjoy writing and can follow details and directions. I left the “glamorous worlds” of network television and professional sports a decade ago to get into this industry, first on the side as a shopper, and then as an MSP. It’s been fascinating to learn so much about other industries and businesses and the evolving culture of customer experience around the world.Pretty much every industry you can think of does mystery shopping, including restaurants, retail stores, banks, medical facilities, theaters, sports teams, golf courses, city/county governments, car dealerships, new homes and apartment complexes, universities, law firms, online businesses, transportation, theme parks and attractions, homes services and many others.Finally I would say, here’s who does not make a good mystery shopper:I hate to writeI hate to be constrained by following directions and want to do my own thingI don’t consider myself very observant or pay attention to detailIf any of those are a match, this is not the thing for you!Mystery shopping is a fascinating side gig, being enjoyed on a daily basis by literally millions of people each day throughout the world. If this sounds like something interesting to you, I encourage you to go to the MSPA website and starting getting your applications in and become a part of those millions of people who are making a difference in customer experience every day (and making a little extra cash or enjoying a great meal on the side)!

The exemption from the user fee payment is applied to the presentation of documents certifying and authorizing the responsible vehicle for official purposes. The Ministry of Road and Highway Transport has rejected a proposal to exempt passenger cars from paramilitary personnel from paying tolls on national roads.In a communication to the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Transport said that according to National Road Rate Rules, 2008, the exemption is only available for mechanical vehicles used for official purposes. "The exemption from payment of the user fee applies to the submission of said documents that certify and authorize the responsible vehicle for official purposes. "However, there is no exemption available for the use of personal vehicles if it is not used for any official purpose," said a circular issued by the Ministry of the Interior, referring to the note from the Ministry of Transport. The response from the Ministry of Transport came after a proposal from the Ministry of the Interior that paramilitary personnel should be exempted from paying tolls on highways for the production of the identity card, in civil or in uniform form.In accordance with Rule 11 of the National Highway Rate Rules (tariff determination and collection), the 2008 exemption from payment of the tariff has been extended for the following:11. Exemption from payment of the rate - No rates are charged or charged from a mechanical vehicle - (a) Transport and guidance -(i) The President of India;(ii) The vice-president of India;(iii) The Prime Minister of India;(iv) The governor of a state;(v) The President of the Supreme Court of India;(vi) The President of the House of the People;(vii) The Minister of the Cabinet of the Union;(viii) the chief minister of a state;(ix) the Supreme Court Judge;(x) the Minister of State of the Union;(xi) the lieutenant governor of a territory of the Union;(xii) the Chief of Staff who has the full rank of General or equivalent rank;(xiii) the President of the Legislative Council of a State;(xiv) the president of a state's legislative assembly;(xv) the president of the Supreme Court;(xvi) the judge of a higher court;(xvii) the Member of Parliament;(xviii) the army commander of the vice-chief of the general staff of the army and equivalent in other services;(xix) the chief secretary of a state government within the state concerned;(xx) The Indian Government Secretary;(xxi) The Secretary, the Council of States;(xxii) The Secretary, House of the People;(xxiii) The foreign dignity in state visit;(xxiv) the member of the legislative assembly of a state and the member of the legislative council of a state in their respective state, if they present their identity card issued by the legislature of the corresponding state;(xxv) The winner of Pram Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, if said awardee submits proof of identity with a photo duly authenticated by the competent or competent authority for said prize;(b) Used for official purposes by -(i) the Ministry of Defense, including those eligible for the exemption in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Toll Law (Army and Air Force), 1901 and the regulations established therein, which also apply to the navy;(ii) central and state-armed uniformed armed forces, including paramilitary forces and the police;(iii) an executive magistrate;(iv) The department or fire department;(v) The National Highway Authority of India or any other government organization that uses the vehicle for inspection, inspection, construction or operation of national roads and maintenance thereof;(c) Used as an ambulance; and (d) Used as a funeral car.(e) Mechanical vehicles specially designed and constructed for the use of a person with a physical disability.In addition to the above, according to Rule 9 of the Tariff Rules (fixing of tariffs and collection) of the national motorways of 2008, the following discounts have also been extended:9. Discounts - (1) The executing authority or the concessionaire, if applicable, provides a multi-voyage pass upon request to pass a user fee lock within the specified period specified in sub-line (2) from rule 9.(2) A driver, owner or person responsible for a mechanical vehicle using the National Highway, permanent bridge, bridge or tunnel section can choose this pass and must pay the fee according to the following rates, in order to knowAmount to pay: One and a half half fare per single journey Max. no. of a single journey allowed Two, validity period Twenty-four hours from the moment of paymentTwo thirds of the amount of the refund due for fifty individual trips Max. No single trip allowed Fifty-one month from the date of payment(3A) A person who owns a mechanical vehicle (with the exception of vehicles sailing under the national license), registered with the address on the registration certificate of a certain district and uses said vehicle to travel to a part of the national highway, permanent bridge, bridge or tunnel, when applicable, that is within that distance, a charge is applied to the user in all user rights places located in that district, at a rate of 50% of the prescribed rate:As long as said pass is not issued if a service or alternative route is available.(4) No passes will be issued or fees will be paid to a driver, owner or person in charge of a mechanical vehicle that uses part of the portion of a national road and does not pass a user seat.FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:1. Who collects user fee?Ans. In the case of government funded / annuity / SPV's Govt. collects the user fee (toll) by involving contractors through competing electronic offers, while in private investment / OMT projects the concessionaire charges the user fee (toll).2. On what basis is user fee collected from vehicles in the National Highways?Ans. The national highways for which the bids have been invited and the projects that were awarded before 2008 are subject to the NH fare rules for 1997 and the national toll roads that have been built and for which the bids have been invited after the 5th.December 2008 is governed by the NH 2008 Fare Rules. In addition, national highways built through public-private partnerships are governed by the NH Fare Standard and the contract agreement concluded between the concessionaire and the authority.3. Why full user fee (toll) is to be paid although we travel a small length on the project road?Resp. In India, the toll is usually included in the open system, and the fee payable is a fixed amount based on the duration of the trip on a project that is normally 60 kilometers. If a piece is less long, only the user costs of the actual length are collected.4. Why the user fee (toll) rate is different at 2 Toll Plazas?Ans. The usage rate in a particular rate square is based on the length of the frame below that square, the structures (bridge, tunnel and bypass) and the width of the highways, the applicable tariff rules and the provisions of the agreement of concession.5. Why concessions/ discounts to local/ frequent users are different at different fee plazas?Resp. Concessions for local / frequent users are extended as welfare measures. There may be differences in available concessions, as they have been provided at different times according to different compensation rules and provisions of a concession agreement.6. Why are the categories of vehicles and their rates different?Resp. Vehicles are classified for the well-being of road users. This classification is mainly based on the size and load they carry and damage to the road and the type of use (commercial / personal) of a vehicle.7. Why the formula and the date of annual revision of user fee across the toll plazas are different? Why rounding of fee in some toll plazas is Re.1/- and Rs.5/- in others?Ans. The annual assessment is carried out w.e.f. April 1 and the rate is rounded to the nearest Rs 5 according to the new rules for the user rate. However, some roads constructed before 2008 are subject to old rules whereby the rate is only rounded to Re 1.8. The Concessionaire has collected user fee (toll) more than the expenditure incurred by him. Why he is allowed to continue with toll collection?Ans. The user fee is collected and charged according to the applicable tariff rules and the provisions of the concession agreement. As a rule, a concessionaire has the right to charge user fees until the end of the concession period permitted under the agreement.9. Are the amendments issued on NH Fee Rule 2008 applicable on all National Highways?Ans. The changes issued via NH Fee Rule 2008 do not apply to projects for which the awarded tenders and projects have been invited before the date on which the changes were issued.10. How long a toll plaza shall be in operation? What is the duration for which the user fee shall be collected at any toll plaza?Ans. Once a road has been laid, a fee must be charged to recover the costs. Once the costs have been recovered, the rate is calculated at a reduced rate of 40% because the road remains in good condition for travelers.11. What is the procedure for getting the pass for local users?The concessionaire will formulate, publish and implement an appropriate schedule and adjust the schedule that the authority or local users reasonably propose from time to time.12. Is there any Penalty for overloaded vehicles?According to the NH 2008 Rate Standard, surplus costs are eliminated and a fine of 10 times the corresponding fee is paid.13. I am an official of the central government / state government. Am I entitled to exemption?The exemption is only available to NHAI or any other government organization that uses such vehicles for inspection, inspection, construction or operation of national roads and maintenance thereof.14. Whether Ex-Servicemen are exempted from payment of user fee?Answer No.15. Whether exemptions are available to Defense civilian employees?Answer No.16. Serving army personnel who are using private vehicle for commute, are they exempted from payment of user fee?Ans. The exemption is only extended if the vehicle is used for official purposes.17. If a patient is travelling in a private vehicle, shall it be exempted from payment of user fee?Answer No.18. Are exemptions provided for news-paper/ media journalists?Answer No.19. Are exemptions provided for RTI activists?Answer No.20. Is exemption available to physically disabled person producing disability certificate?The exemption applies to mechanical vehicles that are specially designed and built for the use of a person with a physical disability.21. Is exemption available to religious dignitaries?Answer No.22. I am a winner of Police Medal/ Padmashree. Am I entitled for exemption from payment of user fee?Ans. No.23. Is there any discount if I use FASTag in my vehicle?Ans. You can benefit from a 10% refund on all toll payments with FASTag in the 2016-17 fiscal year. The amount of reimbursement for a given month will be credited to your FASTag account within 10 working days of the end of the month.24. I reside within 20 Km of a particular Toll plaza. Do I need to take FASTag to get the concessions available for local vehicles?Ans. You must present your documents to the concessionaire who validates your stay within 20 km of a certain place. After it has been verified, you can take advantage of the FASTag concession assigned to your vehicle according to the applicable tariff rules.