Back to Pennsylvania Unemployment

Ethan Anderson

Remote worker for FL company living in PA - which state do I file UC in?

I've been working remotely from my home in Pennsylvania for a company based in Florida for the past 3 years. My position was just eliminated due to budget cuts, and I'm trying to figure out which state I should file unemployment in. My W-2 has a Florida address for my employer, but I've paid PA state taxes the whole time I've worked there. Do I file for unemployment in PA where I live or Florida where the company is based? I'm completely confused about the rules and don't want to mess this up and delay my benefits.

You file in the state where you physically performed the work, which in your case would be Pennsylvania. Since you worked remotely from PA, that's where your employer should have been paying unemployment insurance taxes on your wages. When you file, you'll need to provide your employer's information including their Florida address, but PA will handle your claim since that's where you physically worked. This is standard practice for remote workers.

0 coins

Thank you! That makes sense. Will PA automatically verify with Florida that my employer paid the right taxes, or will I need to do something extra? I'm worried my employer might have messed something up since they don't have many remote workers.

0 coins

i went thru this last year. file in PA. thats where u did the work so thats where ur supposed to get benefits from. my company was in texas but i got PA unemployment no problem

0 coins

This is NOT always true! It depends on where the employer paid unemployment taxes for you. My friend had this EXACT situation and her FL employer had been paying FL unemployment taxes even though she worked in PA. She had to file in FL because that's where the money was! The system is totally broken!!

0 coins

The correct answer is that you file in Pennsylvania. Here's why: unemployment insurance is based on where you physically performed the work, not where the company is headquartered. Since you worked from your home in PA, that's where you file. There are rare exceptions to this rule, but they generally don't apply to standard W-2 employees. When you file your claim with PA, make sure to have all your employment information ready, including your employer's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) which you can find on your W-2. If your employer properly reported your wages to Pennsylvania, the process should go smoothly. If there's any issue, you may need to provide additional documentation showing you worked remotely from PA.

0 coins

What happens if the FL employer didn't pay into PA's unemployment system? I've heard horror stories about claims getting stuck for MONTHS when there's interstate issues!!! Will the OP be completely out of luck or is there a way to fix it?

0 coins

OMG I had almost the exact situation but reversed - PA company and I was in Florida. Talk about a headache! Took me forever to get it straightened out. Make sure you call PA UC right away if anything looks weird with your claim.

0 coins

That's exactly what I'm worried about! Did you eventually get your benefits? How long did it take to resolve?

0 coins

If you're having trouble getting through to PA UC to ask this question or if your claim gets complicated because of the interstate issues, I'd recommend using Claimyr. It helped me get through to an actual UC agent in about 20 minutes when I had a similar remote work situation with my claim. Without it, I was getting busy signals for weeks. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 or check them out at claimyr.com. Saved me so much frustration!

0 coins

Thanks, I might need that if I run into problems. I've heard the phone lines are impossible to get through on.

0 coins

Just to clarify some misinformation in this thread - if your employer incorrectly paid UI taxes to Florida instead of Pennsylvania, you won't be "out of luck." There's an established process for handling these interstate claims. PA and FL participate in something called the Interstate Benefit Payment Plan which helps resolve these issues. If you file in PA and they determine your wages were reported to FL, they'll help transfer the claim. It might take longer than a standard claim, but you won't lose benefits you're entitled to. Just make sure to continue filing your weekly claims while any issues are being resolved.

0 coins

That's NOT what happened to my cousin!! She had to hire a lawyer to get her benefits when her remote employer paid to the wrong state! The system is completely BROKEN and nobody at either state unemployment office would help her!

0 coins

Update: I filed my claim with PA yesterday. The online system accepted it, but now I'm showing an "open issue" on my claim that says "wage investigation." I'm guessing this is related to the out-of-state employer situation. Has anyone dealt with this specific issue before? How long did it take to resolve?

0 coins

That's a normal part of the process when there's an interstate employer involved. The "wage investigation" means PA is verifying your wages with your Florida employer. This typically takes 2-3 weeks to resolve. Make sure you continue filing your weekly certifications even while this issue is pending. As long as you're eligible, you'll receive all back payments once the issue is resolved.

0 coins

make sure u upload ur w2 and last paystub to the dashboard. that speeds things up for them to verify ur wages

0 coins

Good tip, thanks! I just uploaded those documents through the dashboard. Hopefully that helps move things along faster.

0 coins

I had a similar situation when I was laid off from my remote job with a Texas company while living in PA. The wage investigation took about 10 days in my case, but I've heard it can vary depending on how quickly your employer responds to PA's inquiry. One thing that helped me was calling PA UC (I know, easier said than done!) and explaining that I had been working remotely from PA the entire time and paying PA state taxes. They made a note on my file which seemed to help expedite the process. Also, keep checking your dashboard daily - sometimes the status updates without any notification. Good luck!

0 coins

Pennsylvania Unemployment AI

Expert Assistant
Secure

Powered by Claimyr AI

T
I
+
43,782 users helped today