Bringing Portable Benefits to Georgia’s Independent Workforce: Overview

In today’s economy, over one million Georgia residents are freelancers, contractors, or self-employed workers. They include rideshare and delivery drivers, truckers, freelance creatives, real estate agents, hairstylists, childcare providers, professional consultants, and countless other occupations. US Census Bureau data show that this is a growing workforce, generating more than $55 billion annually in revenue or sales for the state (figure 1).   

Yet because these workers operate outside traditional employment, they often lack job-based benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and paid leave—not because companies are unwilling to offer the benefits, but because outdated laws make it risky to provide them to non-employees. Under Georgia law, providing benefits can trigger reclassification as an “employee.”    

Many self-employed workers could gain access to benefits if companies were legally allowed to contribute to portable benefit plans on their behalf.  

What Are Portable Benefits?

Portable benefits are a solution designed for today’s flexible workforce. Tied to the individual worker—not a job or employer—portable benefits allow independent workers to receive contributions from multiple companies into a single worker-owned account managed by a bank or third-party platform. These accounts can support health insurance premiums, paid time off, retirement savings, and more.[1]

Earlier this year, Governor Kemp approved a temporary pilot portable benefits program by DoorDash, managed by Stride, giving Georgia Dashers support for expenses such as health insurance, retirement, and paid time off.

Momentum Across the States

Several states are leading the way:

• Maryland and Pennsylvania: As in Georgia, governors in Maryland and Pennsylvania have supported a DoorDash pilot program. Portable benefits legislation would create a more sustainable solution.
• Utah: Passed the first voluntary portable benefits law in 2023; Target and Lyft launched a pilot program
• Alabama, Tennessee, and Wisconsin: Enacted laws in April and June 2025 similar to Utah’s 2023 portable benefits law, removing legal barriers for companies to offer benefits to independent workers

The Worker’s Case for Portable Benefits 

• Preference for independent work: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 80.3 percent of independent workers prefer to stay independent; only 8.2 percent prefer W-2 work.
• Support for benefits: 80.1 percent of self-employed workers want access to portable benefits
• Desire for balance: Workers want security without sacrificing flexibility and independence

In Georgia, independent workers in these top 10 industries would benefit from portable benefits laws: