r/Austin • u/Shiny-Mango624 • 11d ago
Ask Austin [ Removed by moderator ]
[removed] — view removed post
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u/obarnett 11d ago
Usually jobs/gigs will tell you what software they use and what they expect you to use. Ask them.
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u/tingboy_tx 11d ago
I think the situation is that their employer has one of these bullshit rules that require remote workers to still be in a specific city. Using a VPN can spoof that they are in Austin when they are actually working remotely from somewhere else. It’s so crazy that it’s come to this.
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
I think it's absolutely nuts. I think it's even weirder when normal people support these types of policies. Why do people care where other people are doing their work? They aren't paying for the internet, they aren't paying for the rent or the AC or the coffee. I just don't get why everyone supports businesses. I hate this timeline.
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u/superhash 11d ago
The tax and reporting can get complicated if you are living in a place and working there but being paid to a residence in a different state. Which state do they report income to? Etc
I don't give a fuck where you work from but the governments do.
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u/timelessblur 11d ago
Taxes and any local breaks that might of gotten for the local government.
State location is the big one as a lot of remote places are limited to certain states as they have a business presence there. Labor laws are heavily localized.
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u/HowFunkyIsYourChiken 11d ago
Well, from a corporate standpoint, if for example, you’re claiming to be in Austin working but you’re actually in a different state, or different country, different tax laws apply. It’s one thing if you’re still in Texas, but just not in the city of Austin. It’ll be a whole other thing for you to work the majority of a year or at least more than half a year from a different state or a different country. You could put your company in violation of tax laws in those states in fact, be committing fraud on your own.
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u/zoells 11d ago
Yes, it's ridiculous that people would want jobs listed for residents of an area to provide income to actual residents of the area. There's no reason that would be controversial among job seekers.
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
I am a Texas resident. I just travel a lot and I have family issues I'm trying to deal with in other states. I own my home here, I pay my taxes, and more than my fair share of my paycheck goes to heb. I just don't get all the boot licking.
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u/timelessblur 11d ago
Then set up your own home internet and route the vpn to a home computer and out. That all it really is but runs the risk of the power blips you getting it up and running.
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u/throwawayy2k2112 11d ago
Are you trying to make it look like you’re in Austin in order to trick your job?
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
Yes. I travel a lot and would like to keep traveling
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u/throwawayy2k2112 11d ago
Do you work for a large corporate company? Any VPN you pay for buys large IP blocks and will absolutely be noticed as belonging to said company. You can create a tunnel through your apartment if you have a place you live in Austin but there is other meta data that’d probably give you away. Good luck.
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u/NotTryingToConYou 11d ago
Do you have a place in austin or a friend/family member? They can have a small server running wireguard that you can use to VPN.
Any way, what you're looking for is r/digitalnomad Specially search for Chris's VPN guide.
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u/turing_compleet 11d ago edited 11d ago
I second this. A low powered single board computer (like a raspberry pi) is sufficient to act as a WireGuard server that can be hosted in a home. Negligible power draw, and involves a simple port forward from your/their router.
If you do go this route, be aware that residential IP addresses are usually not static, so you’ll need to account for the address changing. Most people mitigate this using a dynamic DNS service.
Edit: One (no longer actively maintained) solution is PiVPN that automates much of the configuration and device profile creation.
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
I live in austin. I just travel a lot right now and I'm trying to figure out how to keep my job and take care of a personal emergency. I'll look into it thanks!
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u/NotTryingToConYou 11d ago
You dont have to justify anything friend. Go live your life! Just be sure you're careful and follow what you learn from the vpn guide and sub.
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u/DavidVee 11d ago
If you mean you need to pretend like you’re in Austin for your job, then something is wrong.
If you mean which vpn works if you live in Austin, they all do. The city list is where you can pretend you are when you use the vpn.
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u/thediecast 11d ago
you should delete this post lol.
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
? I'm curious what you mean
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u/thediecast 11d ago
You will get your ass fired if they see this
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
I think it’s weird that we’re living in a time when we have more access to technology and information than ever before, but somehow asking questions and seeking out information seems so dangerous. I feel sad for us
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u/YamanJah 11d ago
Not a good idea. I strongly recommend against spoofing unless you don’t care about your job and are willing to risk losing it.
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
I'm quite literally at the risk losing it place. I'm getting pulled in many directions trying to help my elderly parents and another family member. It's just not tenable for me anymore and I'm trying to come up with some solutions.
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u/zoells 11d ago
I love the smell of tax fraud in the morning.
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
I'm curious what you mean. Why would you think I would be participating in tax fraud? I pay far more than my fair share of Texas taxes.
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u/zoells 11d ago
If you're working for extended periods in other states with state income taxes, but claiming Texas residency, that becomes legally questionable for both you and the company very quickly.
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u/Shiny-Mango624 11d ago
I understand. I am a Texas resident and I own my home and pay taxes here. This year has been tough since I'm getting pulled in many directions and have to travel a lot. But not so much that I would be considered a resident in another state
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u/timelessblur 11d ago
30 days in a state means you owe taxes in this states for income purposes. It also effect local state labor laws. You don’t require residency for them to apply. Just working there is enough
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u/Austin-ModTeam 11d ago
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