I am a groomer who is a 1099, my employer is taking 50% commission. Can I write off my commission like booth rent?

[Critter-3]

OK ... listen up ... this will happen in one of 2 ways depending on how the business owner ( NOT employer) that you have contracted with  handles the 1099 that is issued to you  ...so talk to them  ...

Either you get a 1099 for the GROSS income you earned then you get to deduct the "booth rent" you pay  as an expense since it is included  in the income figure reported     

OR

You get a 1099 for the NET income after the "booth rent" has been withheld so you have nothing to deduct a second time.  

[rjs]

If you get a 1099, they are not your employer and you are not an employee. You are self-employed, in business for yourself. The money that you earn is business income.

Does the 1099 show the net amount that you receive after subtracting the commission, or does it show the total amount that the customer pays, before subtracting the commission?

If the 1099 shows the net amount that you receive, then the commission is already written off. You can't write it off again. You just report the amount of income shown on the 1099.

If the 1099 shows the total amount, before subtracting the commission, then you can deduct the commission as a business expense, under commissions.