Included and excluded service

(a) If a portion of the services performed by an employee for the person employing him during a pay period constitutes employment, and the remainder does not constitute employment, all the services of the employee during the period shall for purposes of the tax be treated alike, that is, either all as included or all as excluded. The time during which the employee performs services which under section 3306(c) constitute employment, and the time during which he performs services which under such section do not constitute employment, within the pay period, determine whether all the services during the pay period shall be deemed to be included or excluded.

(b) If one-half or more of the employee's time in the employ of a particular person in a pay period is spent in performing services which constitute employment, then all the services of that employee for that person in that pay period shall be deemed to be employment.

(c) If less than one-half of the employee's time in the employ of a particular person in a pay period is spent in performing services which constitute employment, then none of the services of that employee for that person in that pay period shall be deemed to be employment.

(d) The application of the provisions of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section may be illustrated by the following examples:

Example 1.

Employer B, who operates a farm and a store, employs A to perform services in connection with both operations. A's services on the farm are such that they are excepted as agricultural labor and do not constitute employment, and his services in the store constitute employment. He is paid at the end of each month. During a particular month A works 120 hours on the farm and 80 hours in the store. None of A's services during the month are deemed to be employment, since less than one-half of his services during the month constitutes employment. During another month A works 75 hours on the farm and 120 hours in the store. All of A's services during the month are deemed to be employment, since one-half or more of his services during the month constitutes employment.

Example 2.

Employee C is employed as a maid by D, a medical doctor, whose home and office are located in the same building. C's services in the home are excepted as domestic service and do not constitute employment, and her services in the office constitute employment. She is paid each week. During a particular week C works 20 hours in the home and 20 hours in the office. All of C's services during that week are deemed to be employment, since one-half or more of her services during the week constitutes employment. During another week C works 22 hours in the home and 15 hours in the office. None of C's services during that week are deemed to be employment, since less than one-half of her services during the week constitutes employment.

(e) For purposes of this section, a “pay period” is the period (of not more than 31 consecutive calendar days) for which a payment of remuneration is ordinarily made to the employee by the person employing him. Thus, if the periods for which payments of remuneration are made to the employee by such person are of uniform duration, each such period constitutes a “pay period”. If, however, the periods occasionally vary in duration, the “pay period” is the period for which a payment of remuneration is ordinarily made to the employee by such person, even though that period does not coincide with the actual period for which a particular payment of remuneration is made. For example, if a person ordinarily pays a particular employee for each calendar week at the end of the week, but the employee receives a payment in the middle of the week for the portion of the week already elapsed and receives the remainder at the end of the week, the “pay period” is still the calendar week; or if, instead, that employee is sent on a trip by such person and receives at the end of the third week a single remuneration payment for 3 weeks' services, the “pay period” is still the calendar week.

(f) If there is only one period (and such period does not exceed 31 consecutive calendar days) for which a payment of remuneration is made to the employee by the person employing him, such period is deemed to be a “pay period” for purposes of this section.

(g) The rules set forth in this section do not apply (1) with respect to any services performed by the employee for the person employing him if the periods for which such person makes payments of remuneration to the employee vary to the extent that there is no period “for which a payment of remuneration is ordinarily made to the employee,” or (2) with respect to any services performed by the employee for the person employing him if the period for which a payment of remuneration is ordinarily made to the employee by such person exceeds 31 consecutive calendar days, or (3) with respect to any service performed by the employee for the person employing him during a pay period if any of such service is excepted by section 3306(c) (9) (see § 31.3306(c) (9)-1).

(h) If during any period for which a person makes a payment of remuneration to an employee only a portion of the employee's services constitutes employment, but the rules prescribed in this section are not applicable, the tax attaches with respect to such services as constitute employment as defined in section 3306(c) (provided such person is an employer as defined in section 3306(a) and § 31.3306(a)-1).