TWC says I have 'no wages' because I worked remotely for Virginia company - file in TX or VA?

You need to file in the state where the work was performed, not where the employer is based. Since you worked remotely from TEXAS, you file in TEXAS. But your employer has to have been reporting your wages properly. Most companies use third party payroll processors who should know to report wages to the state where you physically work from. You need to call TWC ASAP and explain the situation. Bring your W-2s and pay stubs as proof of your wages. TWC will need to do a wage investigation and likely contact your employer to correct their wage reporting.

same thing happened to me! Worked for florida company but lived in tx. had to file a wage investigation with twc and it was a MESS! took 6 weeks to get anything sorted out and had to upload all my paystubs. good luck

This is actually a common issue with remote workers. You're correct that you should file in Texas since you physically performed the work here. The problem is that many employers incorrectly report wages only to their home state. Here's what you need to do: 1. Continue with your Texas claim - do NOT withdraw it 2. Call TWC and request a wage investigation/wage protest 3. You'll need to provide proof of employment and wages (pay stubs, W-2, offer letter) 4. Keep requesting payment every two weeks even while showing $0 5. Once the wage investigation is complete, TWC will calculate your correct benefit amount You might also want to contact your former employer's HR department to let them know they need to report your wages to Texas. Sometimes they can expedite correcting the wage reports. This is fixable but does take time to resolve. Don't give up!

GOOD LUCK reaching TWC on the phone!!! I spent THREE WEEKS trying to get through about my wage issue. Always busy or disconnected after waiting an hour. The system is BROKEN! If you actually want to talk to someone before your bills are due, use Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's the ONLY thing that worked for me. They got me connected to TWC in about 25 minutes instead of days of trying. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh Totally worth it for wage investigations because those are IMPOSSIBLE to resolve through the portal alone.

I went through exact same thing in 2023. Here's timeline for what to expect: - File wage protest (keep all payment requests going during this time!) - TWC sends inquiry to employer (2-3 weeks) - Employer responds with wage info (another 1-2 weeks) - TWC processes updated wages (1 week) - Determination letter with correct benefit amount (took about 5 weeks total for me) You'll get all backpay from when you first applied once it's fixed. Just MAKE SURE you're doing your work searches and payment requests on schedule every 2 weeks! Also in my case they didn't need my paystubs because the employer corrected the wage reporting themselves. But have them ready just in case.

your not going to like this but u might have to file in virginia instead. if they registered u as a virginia employee thats where ur unemployment taxes went. my cousin had same thing with a new york job and ended up having to file in NY even tho he lived in texas

i've been through this whole mess - you can also try calling your employers HR department and ask them to contact TWC directly to correct the wage reporting issue. sometimes this is faster than waiting for TWC to do the investigation. my old company had a dedicated person who handled these situations because it happens so often with remote workers.

Make SURE you're doing your 3 work searches every week while waiting for this to get fixed!!! I had a similar issue and made the mistake of not doing them because I thought it didn't matter with $0 benefits showing. Then when they fixed my wages, they denied my backpay for the weeks I didn't do work searches! Don't make my mistake!!

Update: I finally got through to TWC! The rep confirmed I should definitely be filing in Texas and started a wage investigation. They said it could take 4-6 weeks to resolve but I should keep requesting payment every two weeks. Also confirmed the work search requirements still apply (3 per week). Thanks everyone for your help - I'll post again when this gets resolved in case it helps someone else!

Glad you got through to TWC and got the wage investigation started! That's the hardest part. Just wanted to add - while you're waiting for the investigation to complete, keep copies of EVERYTHING. Screenshot your payment requests showing you did them on time, save all your work search records in a spreadsheet or document, and keep any correspondence from TWC. Also, if your former employer's HR is helpful in getting the wage reporting corrected quickly, that could potentially speed up the whole process. Some companies have dealt with this so many times they know exactly who to contact at the state agencies to get it fixed fast. Fingers crossed it resolves faster than the 4-6 weeks estimate!

Just wanted to add another tip that helped me when I had a similar wage reporting issue - if you have access to your old employee portal or HR system, try to download/screenshot your employment verification letter or wage statements from there too. Sometimes TWC wants additional documentation beyond just pay stubs, and having an official employment verification from your company's system can help speed things up. Also, make sure your address was consistently listed as Texas in all your employment records - if there's any confusion about where you were working from, that could complicate the investigation. Sounds like you're on the right track though with getting both TWC and your former employer involved!

One more thing to keep in mind - if your employer was using a payroll service like ADP, Paychex, or similar, they might be the ones who need to correct the wage reporting rather than your employer's HR directly. Sometimes the payroll company has their own process for fixing interstate wage reporting issues. If your HR contact hits a wall, ask them which payroll service they use and get the contact info for that company's unemployment/wage reporting department. I had to go through Paychex directly when my employer couldn't get the wages corrected through their normal HR channels. Just another avenue to explore if things get stuck!

Just wanted to jump in with one more resource that might help - if you're having trouble getting through to TWC by phone, you can also try their live chat feature on the TWC website during business hours. It's not always available, but when it is, the wait times are usually shorter than calling. The chat agents can also initiate wage investigations and answer questions about your claim status. Also, since you mentioned your employer is based in Virginia, make sure to ask TWC specifically about the Interstate Combined Wage Claim program during your wage investigation. This allows them to pull wage records from Virginia and apply them to your Texas claim, which might be faster than waiting for your employer to re-report everything to Texas. Sounds like you're doing everything right by keeping up with the payment requests and work searches while this gets sorted out. The system is definitely confusing for remote workers, but you should be able to get your full Texas benefits once the wages are properly credited!