An individual worked as a contractor first, then become an employee. How to set up her contractor status for the period when she worked as the contractor?

Thank you for taking the time to explain that here, @Gregg11_2. I'd be happy to share with you the guidelines to get this done in no time.
 

You mentioned that when you used the add contractor function to add her, Quickbooks informed you that you already had an employee with the same name. I recommend you add extra characters, either an initial or a number. This way, the system will accept the new entry. Here's how:

1. Access your QuickBooks Online account.
2. Go to Payroll and select Contractors.
3. Select Add a contractor.
4. Enter the contractor’s name (you can add here the initials or numbers) and email in the fields provided, then select Add contractor. We’ll send your contractor an email in real-time. The contractor’s profile will save in both the Contractors and Vendors tabs.

After successfully adding the contractor, you can record or create a check. Here's how:

1. Go to + New.
2. Select Check.
3. Choose the Payee from the dropdown ▼.
4. From the Bank account dropdown ▼, select the account the check withdraws money from.
5. Complete the check fields you need.
6. Click the Print check option to open the check queue to print now. Or select the Print last checkbox if you want to print the check later.
7. Choose Save and close to close the check window. Or Save and new if you need to create another check.

Furthermore, make sure they are accurately tracking for 1099. You can check it in the Expenses tab on the vendor's profile.

You can also go to this page to learn how to modify reports and add extra details to them so you can keep track of all aspects of your business: Customize reports in QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to reply to this post if you need further assistance. Have a great day ahead!