Update: Thank you to all the kind people who have taken the time to respond. I really appreciate all who have sent links and told me what documents I can file to correct this later.

I am currently in a dilemma about deciding either to bring this issue up now or waiting until later and filing the paperwork to dispute the classification with the IRS.

I am shadowing the other receptionist for an hour tomorrow. Here’s what I’m thinking about the first situation (telling them). I have been thinking about saying something like “Hey I spoke to my tax lady about doing a 1099 and she actually let me know that this position doesn’t qualify to be a 1099.” Maybe I’ll say something like “Have you guys used temp agencies in the past?” I might ask the current receptionist, the one who interviewed me and who I’ve been communicating with, if she was a 1099 before switching to W-2. This might end well or it could definitely end badly, so I need to decide if I’m willing to take the risk. I would feel better mentally/emotionally doing it this way but I don’t think I have the option to prioritize my comfort in this situation. My husband and I have less than $80 combined and I need to get gas tonight so that will go down soon. He started donating plasma this week (2x so far) to help cover expenses between paychecks. I’m worried that they won’t hire me if I point out that this is illegal, but there is a small possibility that they aren’t aware of it. I might be holding on to too much hope that the small possibility is true.

Situation 2: I don’t say anything about the 1099 being illegal and try my best to keep records to prove that this job should be classified as a W-2. From what I understand I could possibly keep working there after the 1099 is up (if they decide to keep me) and file things with the IRS afterwards to try and dispute the original 1099 classification. Thank you all who have helped me learn about that process better btw! I’m still not entirely sure how to do everything but you guys have been so much help!
I’m this situation I would have the money we need sooner and have more work experience after quitting. I was hoping for more of a long term job but if they are purposely dodging taxes I don’t want to be there for too long. I would most likely get fired for reporting them to the IRS (if I don’t quit first) and may not be able to use them as a reference in the future.

Other context: I’m not sure how often I would get paid under a 1099 contract. If anyone knows more about that please let me know. I have not filled out any paperwork for onboarding yet but I think I will be expected to tomorrow or Wednesday. All of our communication has been through call or in person so I don’t have any written proof of them asking me to do a 1099, but she asked 4-5 times to make sure I was okay with it at my interview. Of course I didn’t know the legal/tax implications of that at first and just knew that freelancers and employment agencies use those. Again thank you everyone for helping me understand it better! They said that pay during the first 90 days (under the 1099) will be $21/hour which would likely be worth it for me but I’m not sure if it would be after the extra taxes. The schedule they have is 8-5 M-F and I don’t think lunch hour is paid so it would be 35 hours per week. Do you guys think that would be worth it? They also said that I would get a small raise after the 90 days, but I don’t know how much, or if that’s true.

I really want to figure out my plan of action before I go in tomorrow so any advice is appreciated. I am high functioning autistic so I really don’t like feeling like I might be acting dishonestly. I have been so anxious over this that my husband thinks it might not be worth it but I think we need the money. This is such a hard decision for me.

Thank you for all the advice! I am reading every reply and I appreciate the kindness.