One thing that really helped me when I was in a similar situation was creating a simple spreadsheet to track my weekly earnings vs. the benefit threshold. I put in columns for hours worked, hourly rate, gross earnings, the 25% allowance ($106.25 in your case), and calculated reduction. It made it so much easier to see exactly where I stood each week and plan my hours accordingly. Since you're looking at $18/hr, you could work about 29.5 hours before hitting that $531.25 cutoff where benefits stop completely. Also, make sure you're reporting earnings for the week you actually worked, not when you got paid - that tripped me up initially and caused some confusion with my payment requests.

Just wanted to add something that might help - I found out the hard way that TWC also counts tips, commissions, and any other income (like freelance work) toward your weekly earnings limit. So if your part-time job involves tips or if you do any gig work on the side, make sure to include ALL of that income when calculating whether you'll go over the $531.25 threshold. Also, keep detailed records of everything - pay stubs, tip logs, etc. TWC can audit your earnings at any time, and if they find unreported income, they can make you pay back benefits AND add penalties. I've seen people get hit with huge overpayment bills months later because they forgot to report cash tips or a small side job. The good news is that $18/hr for 22 hours puts you right in the sweet spot where you'll still get partial benefits plus be earning more overall than just unemployment alone. Just stay organized and report everything accurately!

I'm new to this community but dealing with a similar situation. Just wanted to add my perspective after reading all these helpful responses. I started receiving Social Security retirement benefits two months after my unemployment claim was established, and I was really confused about what to report where. Based on all the advice here, especially @Freya Pedersen's real experience, I think the clearest guidance is: 1. DON'T report Social Security retirement benefits on your biweekly payment requests - those specifically ask for work income/earnings only 2. DO notify TWC through your correspondence system about starting Social Security after your claim was established - they may recalculate your weekly benefit amount I ended up calling TWC (took forever to get through) and the agent confirmed this approach. They said Social Security retirement is "unearned income" and doesn't get reported during payment requests, but major changes like starting benefits should be communicated for their records. I sent my notification last week and am waiting to see if they adjust my weekly amount. Honestly, I'd rather have a small reduction and know I'm following the rules than stress about potential overpayment issues later. The whole system could definitely be clearer about this distinction!

I'm new here but going through the exact same situation! Started getting Social Security retirement last month while still collecting unemployment. After reading through all these responses, I feel much more confident about how to handle this. The consensus seems clear: Social Security retirement benefits don't need to be reported on the biweekly payment requests since those are specifically asking about work income, but it's smart to notify TWC through correspondence about starting benefits after your claim was established. @Freya Pedersen and @Kaiya Rivera, thank you both for sharing your actual experiences with this process! It's so helpful to hear from people who've actually been through it rather than just speculation. I'm going to follow the same approach - send a notification through my UI portal correspondence system to let TWC know about my Social Security benefits, even though I won't report them on my payment requests. Better to be transparent upfront and potentially face a small benefit reduction than worry about compliance issues later. The whole system really could use clearer guidance on these situations, but this community discussion has been incredibly valuable for figuring out the right approach!

As someone who's brand new to this community, I'm absolutely blown away by the incredible support and expertise I've just witnessed in this thread! What started as a desperate situation has been transformed into a comprehensive legal strategy with multiple expert perspectives. The advice here - from former TWC appeals officers to IT professionals to people who've actually won identical TTEC cases - is better than what most people pay lawyers hundreds of dollars for. I'm particularly impressed by the specific actionable steps everyone has provided: using exact legal language like "separation due to equipment malfunction beyond employee control," requesting server logs and system downtime reports, documenting everything chronologically with timestamps, and continuing to request payments during the appeal process. The fact that multiple former TTEC employees have confirmed the notorious system issues adds so much credibility to your case. You went from feeling like maybe you were at fault to having rock-solid evidence and a clear roadmap for success. This community has shown me what genuine support looks like - not just emotional encouragement, but practical tools that actually empower people to fight back against unfair corporate practices. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread and staying active here. To the original poster: you've got an army of knowledgeable people in your corner and what sounds like a very winnable case. Please keep us updated on your appeal - I have a strong feeling this is going to be a success story!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm genuinely amazed by the incredible outpouring of support and expertise I've just witnessed in this thread! What started as a desperate plea for help has transformed into a comprehensive legal strategy guide that's honestly better than most paid consultations. The collective knowledge here - from former TWC appeals officers explaining the three-part misconduct test, to IT professionals advising on server logs, to actual TTEC employees confirming the notorious system issues - is absolutely extraordinary. I'm particularly struck by how everyone has provided such specific, actionable advice: using precise legal language, requesting detailed documentation with read receipts, continuing weekly payment requests during appeals, and organizing evidence chronologically with timestamps. The fact that multiple people have shared success stories from nearly identical situations gives this case tremendous strength. What really moves me is how this community hasn't just provided technical guidance, but also the crucial emotional validation that this wasn't your fault - something that's probably just as important during such a stressful time. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread and staying active in this community after seeing how much genuine expertise and care exists here. To the original poster: you now have a rock-solid case backed by people who've actually fought and won these battles. Please keep us all updated on your appeal - I have a very strong feeling this is going to be a victory story that helps inspire others facing similar injustices!

This entire thread has been such a lifesaver! I've been stuck in the same voicemail text nightmare for over 2 weeks now and was seriously starting to lose hope. My claim got flagged for some kind of "work search verification" issue and every callback request just gets me these muffled recordings that sound like someone talking through a pillow underwater. The success stories here are giving me so much motivation to keep trying. I had no idea about the "Silence Unknown Callers" setting potentially blocking actual callbacks - just checked and mine was definitely turned on! I'm going to try the 7am calling strategy tomorrow and be super specific about my "work search verification requirement" instead of just saying I have a claim problem. It's completely ridiculous that we need a whole community strategy guide just to access our own benefits, but I'm so grateful everyone is sharing what actually works. The fact that @Dylan and others have gotten through using these methods proves persistence and the right approach can beat their broken system. Will definitely update tomorrow after trying the early morning call - fingers crossed!

This whole situation is so frustrating but I'm really glad to see I'm not the only one dealing with this! I've been trying to get help with my claim for almost 3 weeks now and those voicemail texts are absolutely useless. Half the time I can barely make out what they're saying, and when I can understand it, it's just generic information that doesn't answer my actual questions. I had no idea about the phone settings potentially blocking real callbacks - just checked and I definitely had "Silence Unknown Callers" turned on without realizing it could be part of the problem. Going to try the 7am calling strategy tomorrow with very specific language about my issue. It's ridiculous that we need to treat contacting unemployment like cracking some kind of code, but seeing everyone's success stories here gives me hope that persistence really can pay off. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and strategies - this community is honestly more helpful than TWC's actual customer service system!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm currently dealing with a very similar situation - filed my claim back in August 2024, worked a contract position from November through February, and just got let go last Friday. I've been panicking all weekend thinking I'd have to go through the whole application process again from scratch. Reading Joy's successful experience and everyone's detailed advice has been such a relief! It's honestly mind-boggling that TWC's website doesn't have clear guidance for what seems like a pretty standard scenario. The "additional claim" terminology is something I never would have known to ask about. I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM calling strategy tomorrow with all my recent employment details prepared. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences here - this community knowledge is way more helpful than anything I could find on the official TWC resources!

This entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm bookmarking this because it covers everything TWC's website should explain but doesn't. For anyone else who finds this thread in the future, here's a quick summary of the key takeaways: 1) If you're still within your benefit year (12 months from original filing), you can reactivate your existing claim rather than filing new, 2) Call TWC at 8:00 AM sharp for best chance of getting through, 3) Have your most recent employment dates and separation reason ready, 4) Be honest about not reporting previous employment if you stopped claiming benefits, 5) Ask about filing an "additional claim" on your existing claim, and 6) Don't stress if you didn't formally report employment to TWC when you found work - as long as you stopped requesting payments, you're fine. Joy's successful resolution and everyone's follow-up experiences show this process works! It's frustrating that we have to rely on community knowledge for something TWC should make crystal clear, but at least we've got each other's backs. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical help people need when dealing with unemployment bureaucracy!