The proper term for a "1099 employee" is an "independent contractor," since someone who gets a 1099 is not an employee. IF you meet the criteria to be an independent contractor, the company can make you one--there are people who could be an employee but also could be an independent contractor, and the company for which they work gets to decide how it wants to employ and pay them. The key, though, is that you must meet the criteria to be an independent contrator: the company cannot call you or pay you as one if you do not qualify.Here is a link to a webpage by the U.S. Department of Labor about what qualifies someone as an independent contractor: https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/docs/contractors.aspHere is another U.S. DOL webapge on the subject: https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs13.htmCompare the criteria to be an independent contractor to you job. If you could be an independent contractor, your employer may do this. But if you don't qualify to be an independent contractor, contact the state or federal department of labor to file a "misclassification" complaint.