ESD missing my wages - employer didn't report them, what now?
I'm stressing out because I just filed my unemployment claim this week and discovered my former employer didn't report my wages to ESD. When I was going through the application, they had my previous company listed but not the most recent one where I worked for 8 months. I have all my paystubs saved as PDFs, but I can't figure out how to submit them to ESD. I tried looking through eServices but there's no obvious place to upload documents. Has anyone dealt with this before? What's the process for getting missing wages added to your claim? I'm worried my weekly benefit amount will be way lower than it should be if they don't have my recent earnings.
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NebulaNinja
This happens more often than you'd think! You need to submit a request to add your missing wages. Log into your eServices account, go to your claim summary page, and look for 'More Options' or 'Additional Services' (might be at the bottom). There should be a link for 'Request to Add Missing Wages' or something similar. Upload your paystubs there - make sure they clearly show your name, employer info, pay periods and gross amounts. If you can't find that option, call ESD directly and tell them you need to submit proof of missing wages for your claim calculation.
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Zara Mirza
•Thanks for the help! I just checked and I don't see that option anywhere. Maybe it only appears after the claim is processed? Mine still says 'pending' so I guess I'll have to wait until they make an initial determination before I can add the missing wages?
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Luca Russo
had the same thing happen to me!!!! my boss was paying me under the table for overtime and ESD couldnt see ANY of it. took like 4 calls to finally get someone who knew what to do. super frustrating
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Nia Wilson
•Under the table payments usually don't count for unemployment since taxes weren't paid on them. That's different from what OP is describing - sounds like their regular wages just weren't reported.
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Mateo Sanchez
I went through this EXACT nightmare last year! My employer closed suddenly and never reported my last quarter of wages. Let me tell you, trying to get through to ESD was IMPOSSIBLE. I called literally 67 times in one day and never got through. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN. When you finally get your claim processed, they'll probably assign you a much lower benefit amount. You'll have to file an appeal to get it fixed, and that can take WEEKS OR MONTHS while you struggle to pay bills. This is why I hate the unemployment system!
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Aisha Mahmood
•You can actually request a wage adjustment without filing a formal appeal. It's much faster. When your claim is processed, you'll get a "Monetary Determination" letter showing your base year wages and weekly benefit amount. There's instructions right on that letter for requesting a review if you believe the wages are incorrect. Follow those steps exactly - it typically takes 7-10 business days for them to review and adjust if you provide proper documentation.
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NebulaNinja
One more important thing - check if your employer is actually registered with the state. Sometimes small businesses don't properly register with ESD or don't pay their unemployment insurance taxes. In that case, you'll need to provide even more documentation (like W-2s or pay stubs AND proof they were your employer like an offer letter or employee handbook). This adds complexity but doesn't mean you can't get benefits based on those wages.
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Ethan Clark
I had an employer not report wages once, and after struggling for weeks to reach someone at ESD, I tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent. They got me connected to ESD in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days. Their service basically keeps redialing for you until they get through, then connects you to the agent. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Honestly, it saved me so much frustration since I needed to get my wage issue resolved quickly.
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Zara Mirza
•That's really helpful, thank you! I've been trying to call for two days with no luck. Did you have to explain the wage issue over the phone or did you end up uploading documents somewhere?
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Ethan Clark
•I explained the situation to the agent, and they directed me to a secure message portal where I could upload my paystubs and W-2. After that, they created a wage investigation case that took about 10 days to resolve.
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AstroAce
my cousin works for esd he said they're super backed up right now with missing wage reports so just fyi might take longer than usual
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Yuki Kobayashi
Wait I'm confused... if your employer didn't report wages doesn't that mean you were working under the table? Or are you saying they just messed up the paperwork? Because if you were getting paid legally you should have pay stubs and a W-2 and that's all you need to prove income, right?
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NebulaNinja
•No, these are different situations. Working "under the table" means no official payroll records and no taxes withheld. What OP is describing is a legitimate employer who simply failed to report their wage data to ESD (which employers are required to do quarterly). The wages were legal, taxes were withheld, but the employer either forgot to report them, filed incorrectly, or their report hasn't been processed yet. That's why having official paystubs is important - it proves the employment was legitimate and allows ESD to correct their records.
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Zara Mirza
UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD today! They said my employer DID actually report wages but there was a mismatch with my SSN in their system (they had a digit wrong). The agent corrected it on the spot and said my claim will update in 24-48 hours with the correct wage information. So for anyone with a similar issue, definitely keep trying to reach them by phone because sometimes it's just a simple error that can be fixed quickly!
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Nia Wilson
•That's great news! So much easier than having to submit all those documents. Glad it worked out!
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Aisha Mahmood
•This is actually a very common issue - SSN mismatches happen quite frequently. For anyone else reading this thread, always double-check that your employer has your correct SSN on file. A single digit error can cause major headaches with unemployment claims, tax filings, and future employment verification.
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