I work at a local bank and can give you some insight on the processing side. When TWC sends ACH payments during holiday weeks, they typically batch process them on the first business day after the holiday (Monday in this case). Then banks have 1-2 business days to post ACH credits. So if you request Wednesday before Thanksgiving, expect TWC to process Monday Dec 1st, and your bank to post it Tuesday Dec 2nd or Wednesday Dec 3rd at the latest. Pro tip: if you have direct deposit set up, check your account around 6am on Tuesday - many banks post overnight ACH deposits early in the morning. Also, definitely communicate with your landlord now rather than waiting. Most property managers deal with this exact situation every holiday season and are usually flexible if you're upfront about it.

Been dealing with TWC payments for over a year now and holidays are always a nightmare for timing. Here's what I've learned: Wednesday requests before Thanksgiving typically don't hit accounts until Tuesday/Wednesday the following week. The system is frustrating but predictable once you know the pattern. My advice - set up text alerts with your bank for incoming deposits so you know the moment it hits. Also, TWC's payment status page updates faster than the money actually arrives, so check that Monday to see if it's been processed. And definitely talk to your landlord now - I've found that being proactive about potential delays goes a long way. Most understand that government payments get delayed during holidays. One last tip: if you're really in a bind financially, some local food banks and assistance programs ramp up help during the holidays. Might be worth looking into just in case. Good luck!

I'm currently going through a similar situation and wanted to share what I've learned about timing. If you haven't received your first payment yet, you might still have time to set up the payment plan before they automatically start taking 100%. In my case, I called TWC the day after I got my determination letter (before my first payment request date) and was able to get a 40% recovery rate set up. The key is acting fast - once that first payment processes at 100% recovery, it becomes much harder to get them to adjust it retroactively. Also, keep detailed records of all your communications with TWC agents including dates, times, and what was discussed. This has been helpful when I've had to call back to clarify things about my payment plan.

Just want to echo what others have said about acting quickly - I went through this same situation about 8 months ago with a $1,200 overpayment from 2022. The difference between calling TWC immediately versus waiting even a few days can literally mean the difference between getting some money to live on versus having $0 for weeks. I was able to negotiate down to a 35% recovery rate by showing them my monthly budget breakdown and explaining that I'm a single parent with childcare costs. One thing I didn't see mentioned here is that you should also ask about the appeals process for the original overpayment determination if you think there was an error - sometimes the overpayment amount itself is wrong and you can get it reduced or eliminated entirely through an appeal, even if it's from a previous year.

I just wanted to jump in and say how helpful this thread has been! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation where my employer is now claiming things that were never mentioned during my actual termination meeting. One thing I learned from my cousin who works in HR is that employers sometimes get coaching from their unemployment insurance carriers on how to contest claims. They're literally advised to document any possible reason they can think of to strengthen their case, even if those weren't the real reasons for termination. The silver lining for you, Victoria, is that TWC investigators deal with this constantly and they're pretty good at spotting when an employer is "kitchen sinking" their reasons. The fact that you had approved time off and can document it puts you in a strong position. Also, your genuine surprise at hearing the new allegations during the interview probably came across as very authentic. Keep requesting your weekly payments no matter what happens with the determination - if you win later, you'll only get paid retroactively for weeks you actually requested. And remember, even if the initial determination goes against you, the appeals process gives you another chance to present your case in detail. Hang in there - from everything you've shared, it sounds like you're handling this the right way!

I'm really sorry you're going through this stress, Victoria. What you're experiencing is unfortunately very common - employers often add extra reasons after the fact to try to strengthen their case against unemployment benefits. The good news is that TWC investigators are trained to spot this pattern. The fact that TWC called you for a fact-finding interview is actually neutral to positive - it means they're not just accepting your employer's claims at face value and want to hear your side. Since you can document your approved time off and were genuinely surprised by the additional allegations (which likely came across as authentic during the interview), you're in a better position than you might think. Make sure to keep requesting your weekly payments regardless of what happens with the initial determination. If you do get denied and need to appeal, you'll only receive retroactive payments for weeks you actually requested. Document everything while it's fresh - the timeline of your termination, the approved time off screenshots, and especially your reaction to hearing the new allegations for the first time. That genuine surprise is actually evidence in your favor that these weren't real ongoing issues. Hang in there - from what you've shared, it sounds like you handled the interview well and have good documentation to support your case!

I'm brand new to this community and just got my own TWC audit letter yesterday - this thread has been an absolute godsend! I was completely freaking out because about half of my work search contacts have been in Arkansas and Oklahoma (I'm in Northeast Texas where the job markets kind of blend together). Reading everyone's experiences has been so reassuring. It sounds like TWC really does understand geographic realities, especially for those of us living in border areas where it makes total sense to search across state lines. The key seems to be having legitimate reasons and solid documentation. I'm definitely implementing all the documentation strategies shared here - the detailed log format with company info, contact methods, dates, and outcomes, plus that crucial explanatory context about WHY you're searching out-of-state. I had no idea how important it was to provide that reasoning rather than just submitting a bare list of contacts. One thing I'm curious about - for those who successfully got through audits, how long did the whole process take from when you submitted your logs to when you heard back from TWC? I'm trying to manage my anxiety about this and it would help to know what kind of timeline to expect. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - this community is amazing for people navigating TWC for the first time!

I'm completely new to this community and just received my first TWC audit letter this morning - I can't believe how perfectly timed finding this thread has been! I was in full panic mode about my out-of-state job contacts until I read through everyone's experiences here. I'm in a very similar situation to many of you - I live in El Paso and work in engineering, so naturally a lot of the opportunities in my field are across the border in New Mexico or even in other major Texas cities like Austin and Dallas that require relocation. I've been avoiding including my New Mexico contacts in my work search logs because I was terrified TWC would automatically reject them, but it sounds like I've been unnecessarily limiting myself. The documentation strategies everyone has shared are incredibly helpful. I've been keeping pretty minimal records, but I'm definitely going to start using that detailed log format with company names, contact methods, dates, outcomes, and most importantly - the explanatory context about WHY each search makes sense. I had no idea how crucial it was to provide that reasoning rather than just submitting contact information. For my upcoming submission, I'm planning to include a brief explanation about the engineering job market spanning the El Paso/Las Cruces region, plus detailed entries for each contact showing genuine effort and willingness to work across state lines. Thank you all so much for sharing your real experiences - this thread has transformed my anxiety into confidence that I can handle this audit successfully!

I'm new to this community and just stumbled across this thread while desperately searching for answers about my own situation! I have about $250 left in my TWC benefits and was having the exact same panic about the waiting week. This entire conversation has been absolutely amazing - I can't believe how much more helpful everyone's real experiences are compared to the official TWC resources. @Andre Laurent, your detailed breakdown should honestly be pinned somewhere because it explains everything so clearly! And hearing the actual timelines from @Maya Diaz, @Kyle Wallace, and @Mei Zhang about when the waiting week option appears (24-48 hours after balance hits $0) is incredibly valuable for planning purposes. I feel so much better knowing I'll get my final regular payment AND the waiting week payment afterwards. I was budgeting for just one more payment and starting to stress about next month's expenses. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - I noticed in my TWC account there's a section that shows your "Benefit Year Begin Date" and "Benefit Year End Date." Even though you might be running out of your regular benefit balance, your benefit year doesn't end until a full year from when you first filed. This helped me understand why the waiting week payment is still available even after regular benefits are exhausted - you're still within your benefit year period. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and making this confusing process so much clearer!

I'm new to this community but wow, this thread has been exactly what I needed! I'm in almost the identical situation - have about $290 left in my TWC benefits and was completely stressed about what comes next. The TWC website is so confusing about this whole waiting week process. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief! I had no idea the waiting week payment was separate from my regular benefit balance. I was planning my budget thinking I only had one final payment coming, but now I understand I'll actually get that last regular payment PLUS the waiting week payment after my balance hits zero. @Andre Laurent - thank you for that incredibly clear step-by-step breakdown! That answered every single question I had. And hearing the real timelines from @Maya Diaz and others about the waiting week option appearing 24-48 hours after your balance reaches $0 is so helpful for knowing when to check my account. I've been keeping decent records of my job searches, but after reading @Anastasia Ivanova's comment about needing documentation from that very first week, I'm definitely going to spend some time this weekend organizing everything from my waiting week period. Better to be over-prepared than scrambling later! This community is honestly incredible - you all have provided clearer information in one thread than I could find anywhere on the official TWC website. Thanks for making such a stressful process so much more understandable!