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In the United States, specifically in Norwalk, Connecticut, where I live, may I volunteer for an individual, and may an individual use volunteers?

For example, may I volunteer as a personal chef for a celebrity, ie, cook them meals for free, and may they accept my services without compensating me?

My thoughts

I think the answer depends on whether I'm an independent contractor or an employee.

According to Nolo's Employee's Guide to Minimum Wage Rights and Laws, "independent contractors are not entitled to the minimum wage", but what if I'm an employee?

According to the US Department of Labor: elaws - Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor, "employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers", but what about to individual employers?

According to US Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #79: Private Homes and Domestic Service Employment Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, household employees "are covered by the FLSA".

So I guess the answer to my question is yes if I'm an independent contractor and generally no if I'm an employee.

Addendum 1

After reading ohwilleke's answer, I'd like to provide some more details.

I made up the example above, but here are two actual scenarios I'm considering:

1. Hiring a volunteer

   I post an ad to fairfield volunteers - craigslist asking for help decluttering my apartment, something I've been putting off for years.

   Independent contractor: If, eg, a professional organizer (who has other paying clients) offers to help me for free, then I think they'd be an independent contractor, so I don't think I'd have to pay them anything, since "independent contractors are not entitled to the minimum wage".

   Employee: If, eg, a college student (who isn't already a professional organizer, personal assistant, or the like) offers to help me for free, then I think they'd be an employee, and I think employees are generally entitled to the minimum wage. Except, I don't think (a) babysitters, (b) tutors, or (c) companions are entitled to the minimum wage, so I guess I could argue that they're (a) a babysitter, since mainly I just need someone to watch me and make sure I'm doing my "homework" (decluttering) and not playing Minecraft, although it'd be nice if they also helped me, in which case I could argue that they're (b) a tutor and are just helping me like a tutor might help a student with their homework, eg, in deciding which answers (or in my case clothes) to eliminate, or I could argue that they're (c) a companion and that I have a mental illness, such as anxiety or ADHD, hence my procrastination and distractibility, although I'm not sure if that'd require a doctor's note.

2. Working as a volunteer

   I post an ad to fairfield volunteers - craigslist offering to help others for free. Some of the services I could provide are tutoring, moving, and consulting. Some of my motives for volunteering are to help myself, help others, make connections, and enjoy life.

In the United States, specifically in Norwalk, Connecticut, where I live, may I volunteer for an individual, and may an individual use volunteers?

For example, may I volunteer as a personal chef for a celebrity, ie, cook them meals for free, and may they accept my services without compensating me?

My thoughts

I think the answer depends on whether I'm an independent contractor or an employee.

According to Nolo's Employee's Guide to Minimum Wage Rights and Laws, "independent contractors are not entitled to the minimum wage", but what if I'm an employee?

According to the US Department of Labor: elaws - Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor, "employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers", but what about to individual employers?

According to US Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #79: Private Homes and Domestic Service Employment Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, household employees "are covered by the FLSA".

So I guess the answer to my question is yes if I'm an independent contractor and generally no if I'm an employee.

Addendum 1

After reading ohwilleke's answer, I'd like to provide some more details.

I made up the example above, but here are two actual scenarios I'm considering:

1. Hiring a volunteer

   I post an ad to fairfield volunteers - craigslist asking for help decluttering my apartment, something I've been putting off for years.

   Independent contractor: If, eg, a professional organizer (who has other paying clients) offers to help me for free, then I think they'd be an independent contractor, so I don't think I'd have to pay them anything, since "independent contractors are not entitled to the minimum wage".

   Employee: If, eg, a college student (who isn't already a professional organizer, personal assistant, or the like) offers to help me for free, then I think they'd be an employee, and I think employees are generally entitled to the minimum wage.

2. Working as a volunteer

   I post an ad to fairfield volunteers - craigslist offering to help others for free. Some of the services I could provide are tutoring, moving, and consulting. Some of my motives for volunteering are to help myself, help others, make connections, and enjoy life.

In the United States, specifically in Norwalk, Connecticut, where I live, may I volunteer for an individual, and may an individual use volunteers?

For example, may I volunteer as a personal chef for a celebrity, ie, cook them meals for free, and may they accept my services without compensating me?

I think the answer depends on whether I'm an independent contractor or an employee.

According to Nolo's Employee's Guide to Minimum Wage Rights and Laws, "independent contractors are not entitled to the minimum wage", but what if I'm an employee?

According to the US Department of Labor: elaws - Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor, "employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers", but what about to individual employers?

According to US Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #79: Private Homes and Domestic Service Employment Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, household employees "are covered by the FLSA".

So I guess the answer to my question is yes if I'm an independent contractor and generally no if I'm an employee.

In the United States, specifically in Norwalk, Connecticut, where I live, may I volunteer for an individual, and may an individual use volunteers?

For example, may I volunteer as a personal chef for a celebrity, ie, cook them meals for free, and may they accept my services without compensating me?

My thoughts

I think the answer depends on whether I'm an independent contractor or an employee.

According to Nolo's Employee's Guide to Minimum Wage Rights and Laws, "independent contractors are not entitled to the minimum wage", but what if I'm an employee?

According to the US Department of Labor: elaws - Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor, "employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers", but what about to individual employers?

According to US Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #79: Private Homes and Domestic Service Employment Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, household employees "are covered by the FLSA".

So I guess the answer to my question is yes if I'm an independent contractor and generally no if I'm an employee.

Addendum 1

After reading ohwilleke's answer, I'd like to provide some more details.

I made up the example above, but here are two actual scenarios I'm considering:

1. Hiring a volunteer

   I post an ad to fairfield volunteers - craigslist asking for help decluttering my apartment, something I've been putting off for years.

   Independent contractor: If, eg, a professional organizer (who has other paying clients) offers to help me for free, then I think they'd be an independent contractor, so I don't think I'd have to pay them anything, since "independent contractors are not entitled to the minimum wage".

   Employee: If, eg, a college student (who isn't already a professional organizer, personal assistant, or the like) offers to help me for free, then I think they'd be an employee, and I think employees are generally entitled to the minimum wage. Except, I don't think (a) babysitters, (b) tutors, or (c) companions are entitled to the minimum wage, so I guess I could argue that they're (a) a babysitter, since mainly I just need someone to watch me and make sure I'm doing my "homework" (decluttering) and not playing Minecraft, although it'd be nice if they also helped me, in which case I could argue that they're (b) a tutor and are just helping me like a tutor might help a student with their homework, eg, in deciding which answers (or in my case clothes) to eliminate, or I could argue that they're (c) a companion and that I have a mental illness, such as anxiety or ADHD, hence my procrastination and distractibility, although I'm not sure if that'd require a doctor's note.

2. Working as a volunteer

   I post an ad to fairfield volunteers - craigslist offering to help others for free. Some of the services I could provide are tutoring, moving, and consulting. Some of my motives for volunteering are to help myself, help others, make connections, and enjoy life.