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I just went through this exact same frustrating process about a month ago! What finally worked for me was trying the online reset super early in the morning (around 5:30 AM) when their system isn't overloaded. Make sure you're using the EXACT same information from your original application - full legal name, original email address, and even the same address if you've moved since applying. I also had to use incognito mode and disable all browser extensions because they were interfering with the site. It took me several attempts over different days, but the early morning timing really made all the difference. If the online method still doesn't work, try calling right at 8 AM when they open - I got through in about 25 minutes versus hours later in the day. The whole TWC system is definitely outdated and glitchy, but don't lose hope! Once you get it reset, definitely write it down somewhere secure. You've got this! 💪
This is exactly the kind of detailed, step-by-step advice that actually helps! I'm dealing with this same PIN reset nightmare right now and have been trying at all the wrong times (lunch breaks, evenings). The 5:30 AM timing keeps coming up in everyone's successful attempts, so that's clearly the magic window. I never thought about browser extensions interfering - that could totally explain why I keep getting weird errors. Going to try your exact approach tomorrow morning: incognito mode, no extensions, original info, and that early timing. Thanks for being so specific about what worked and for the encouragement! It really helps to know that persistence pays off with this frustrating system. 🙏
I just went through this exact same situation about two weeks ago and totally understand your frustration! What finally worked for me was trying the online PIN reset at around 5:45 AM on a weekday when their servers aren't overwhelmed. The timing really is crucial - I had been trying during normal business hours and kept getting errors or timeouts. Make sure you're using incognito/private browsing mode and have all your original registration info handy (exact legal name as it appears on documents, original email address, etc.). Also temporarily disable any browser extensions as they can interfere with the TWC site. If the online method still doesn't work after a few early morning attempts, calling right at 8 AM sharp when they open gives you the best shot at shorter wait times. I waited about 45 minutes versus the 3+ hours I experienced calling later in the day. Don't give up - the system is definitely broken and frustrating, but persistence pays off! Once you get it reset, write that PIN down in multiple safe places. You've got this! 🙌
I've been receiving TWC payments for about 6 weeks now and wanted to share my experience with First National Bank of Texas since I haven't seen anyone mention smaller regional banks yet. My payments consistently post at 6:45am the morning after TWC shows them as processed, which has been super reliable once I got past that first payment hurdle. My first payment took 4 business days to show up, and like everyone else here, I was convinced something had gone wrong! I actually drove to my bank branch thinking there was an issue, but they explained that smaller banks sometimes take a bit longer to process first-time government ACH transfers because they have fewer overnight processing windows compared to the big national banks. One thing that might help people waiting on their first payment - I found that calling my bank's customer service line and asking if they could see any pending ACH deposits gave me peace of mind. They couldn't give me specific amounts for privacy reasons, but they could at least confirm that something was coming, which helped me sleep better while waiting. For anyone banking with smaller regional institutions, don't panic if your timing doesn't match the big banks mentioned here. The delay patterns are the same, but the specific posting times might vary. The important thing is that the money does come through reliably once you get past that initial verification period!
I've been getting unemployment payments for about 4 months now with Credit Union of Texas and wanted to add my experience since I haven't seen many credit unions mentioned. My payments post at exactly 2:47am the morning after TWC shows them as processed - it's been that precise timing for months! But that first payment... ugh, took 5 business days and I was a wreck by day 3! I kept refreshing my account thinking the system was broken. What I learned is that credit unions often have additional internal verification steps for new government ACH setups, which can add an extra day or two compared to big banks. The good news is that once that first payment finally hit, every single one since has been like clockwork. Credit unions might be a day slower on that initial payment, but they're just as reliable as the big banks once you're in the system. For anyone waiting on their first payment with a smaller financial institution, give it that full week before worrying - the money will come through!
Thanks for sharing your credit union experience! That 2:47am timing is so specific - it's interesting how even smaller institutions develop their own precise processing schedules. I'm currently waiting on my first payment and was wondering how credit unions compared to the big banks mentioned throughout this thread. It's reassuring to know that while the first payment might take an extra day or two with credit unions, they become just as reliable once you're in the system. That 5-day wait for your first payment sounds stressful but totally in line with what everyone else has experienced. Really appreciate you mentioning Credit Union of Texas specifically since there weren't many credit union experiences shared before this!
Just adding another recent data point to help confirm what everyone else is saying! I completed this process just 10 days ago with a part-time position of only 21 hours/week at a customer service call center, so your 25-hour job will absolutely qualify without any issues. My timeline was almost identical to what others have shared: - Final regular payment processed on a Wednesday - Waited exactly 3 business days (following Monday) - "Request Waiting Week Payment" option appeared in my TWC portal that Monday evening - Submitted the request Tuesday morning around 10am with basic employer details - Payment arrived in my account exactly 6 business days later (the following Monday) The online form was really straightforward - just needed employer name, full address, my exact start date, and hourly rate ($15.25/hour). No documentation uploads required, and the whole thing took about 9 minutes to complete. Based on all these consistent success stories from people working 18-30 hours/week, it's clear that part-time employment definitely qualifies. Don't let any conflicting information stress you out - the recent experiences here overwhelmingly confirm you're good to go with your 25-hour position. Just double-check that your direct deposit information is current before submitting, and you'll be all set! Congrats on the new job and best of luck wrapping up this final step! 🎉
This is absolutely perfect timing Connor - hearing from someone who literally just completed this 10 days ago with only 21 hours/week gives me complete peace of mind! Your detailed timeline matches exactly with everyone else's experiences, which really shows how consistent and predictable this process is. I'm so relieved to see yet another confirmation that part-time work qualifies. With all these success stories from people working 18-30 hours/week, it's crystal clear that my 25-hour position will be more than sufficient. The consistency across all these recent experiences really puts that one conflicting comment into perspective - it must have been an outlier or based on outdated info. Your 6 business day payment timeline and 9-minute form completion time align perfectly with what others have shared. Having all these real-world data points makes me feel so much more prepared and confident about the process. Thanks for mentioning the exact hourly rate format too ($15.25/hour) - those little details help me know exactly what to expect when filling out the form. I'll definitely make sure my direct deposit info is current before submitting. This entire thread has been a goldmine of helpful information. So grateful to everyone for sharing their actual experiences - it's made this whole process seem so much more manageable! Looking forward to getting this final step completed soon. 🙏
I just successfully completed this process 5 days ago and wanted to add my experience to help confirm what everyone is saying! I was working only 24 hours/week at a local bookstore when I got my waiting week payment approved. Here's exactly what happened: - Final regular payment processed on Friday - Waited 3 business days (following Wednesday) - The "Request Waiting Week Payment" option showed up in my TWC portal Wednesday evening - Filled out the form Thursday morning in about 8 minutes with basic employer info - Payment hit my account yesterday (Tuesday) - exactly 6 business days later The form was super simple - just needed employer name, address, start date, and my hourly wage ($16.50/hour). No documents to upload or anything complicated. Your 25-hour position will definitely qualify! With all these recent success stories from people working 18-30 hours/week, it's clear that part-time work is absolutely sufficient. That conflicting info about needing full-time employment seems to be either outdated or a rare exception. Make sure your direct deposit details are current before submitting - that's really the only thing that could cause delays. The whole process is honestly much smoother than the TWC website makes it sound! Congrats on the new job and good luck with your final step! You're so close to being done with this whole unemployment chapter. 🎉
This is incredibly helpful Andre - thank you for sharing such a fresh and detailed experience! The fact that you just completed this 5 days ago with 24 hours/week (so close to my 25-hour situation) gives me complete confidence that I'm all set to move forward. Your timeline perfectly matches what everyone else has shared - the 3 business day wait, the option appearing automatically in the portal, and the 6 business day payment arrival. It's amazing how consistent this process seems to be across everyone's experiences. I really appreciate you including the specific hourly wage format ($16.50/hour) and confirming it only took 8 minutes with basic employer info. All these real-world details make me feel so prepared for when it's my turn to complete the form. With literally dozens of recent success stories here from people working 18-30 hours/week, I'm completely convinced that part-time employment qualifies. This thread has been absolutely invaluable - getting actual experiences from real people who just went through this is so much more helpful than trying to interpret the confusing TWC website. I'll definitely double-check my direct deposit info before submitting. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience so quickly after completing the process. Looking forward to wrapping up this final step and officially closing out my unemployment benefits! 🙏
As someone who's currently navigating the TWC system for the first time myself, I really appreciate all the detailed advice here! I've been keeping a simple notebook too, but after reading these responses, I'm definitely going to create a digital backup system. One question though - for those who've been audited, how much detail do they really want? Like if I apply through Indeed, do I need to note the specific job posting ID number, or is "Applied via Indeed for Customer Service Representative position at ABC Company on [date]" sufficient? I want to make sure I'm capturing enough detail without going overboard. Also, has anyone had experience with what happens if you can't find exactly 3 qualifying activities in a particular week due to limited job openings in your field?
Great questions! From what I've seen others share here, for Indeed applications you should definitely capture as much detail as possible - company name, position title, date applied, and if you can easily grab it, the job posting ID or URL. Better to have too much info than too little during an audit. As for the 3 activities requirement - this is where getting creative with legitimate work search activities helps. Remember that networking events, creating profiles on job sites, registering with staffing agencies, attending virtual job fairs, and even follow-up calls/emails on previous applications all count. If your field has limited postings in a given week, you might attend a professional networking event online, update your LinkedIn profile (if it's specifically for job searching), or reach out to contacts in your industry. The key is that these need to be genuine job search activities, not just busy work. I'd also suggest checking with TWC directly if you're consistently having trouble finding 3 qualifying activities - they might have guidance specific to your situation or industry.
I went through something similar when I first started collecting unemployment in Texas. The confusion is totally understandable! Just to echo what others have said - you're absolutely right that there's nowhere to upload your work search logs during regular payment requests. You'll just answer "yes" when asked if you completed your required activities. One thing I learned the hard way is to be really specific in your record keeping from day one. I initially wrote things like "applied at Home Depot" but when I got audited after 2 months, they wanted way more detail - which specific position, application method, confirmation numbers if available, etc. Now I use a simple spreadsheet with columns for date, company name, specific job title, how I applied (online, in-person, email), contact person if applicable, and any follow-up actions. Also wanted to mention that Texas allows some flexibility in what counts as work search activities. If you're struggling to find 3 traditional job applications in a week (which can happen depending on your field), remember that things like attending virtual career workshops, updating your WorkInTexas.com profile, or having informational interviews with people in your industry all count too. The key is making sure they're genuine efforts to find employment, not just going through the motions. Good luck with your first payment request - sounds like you're already being diligent about tracking everything!
This is really helpful advice, especially about being specific from the start! I'm curious about the virtual career workshops you mentioned - do you have any recommendations for where to find legitimate ones that TWC would accept? I work in IT and sometimes the job market can be pretty quiet for my specific skill set, so having those alternative work search activities could be really valuable. Also, when you mention informational interviews, did you find those through professional networks or cold outreach? Thanks for sharing your experience!
Wesley Hallow
I'm actually going through my second TWC appeal right now after losing the first one. Just wanted to add that if your case involves any kind of documentation or evidence disputes (like mine did), it might take closer to the full 14 days. My first appeal took 13 days because they had to review additional documents my employer submitted last minute. The waiting is absolutely brutal - I've been there! But keep doing your weekly certifications like others mentioned, because if you win, those back payments will be a lifesaver. Good luck with your decision!
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Katherine Shultz
•Sorry to hear you're going through a second appeal - that must be incredibly stressful! You're absolutely right about the documentation disputes potentially extending the timeline. I went through something similar where my employer submitted contradictory evidence, and it definitely added some anxiety to the waiting process. The advice about continuing weekly certifications is spot on too. Hoping your second appeal goes much better than the first one! The fact that you're persisting shows real determination.
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Jenna Sloan
I'm currently waiting for my appeal decision too - had my hearing 6 days ago and the anxiety is real! It's so helpful to see everyone's experiences with timing. I've been checking my TWC account obsessively like others mentioned. My case also involved some conflicting evidence from my former employer, so I'm mentally preparing for it to potentially take the full 14 days. Thanks for sharing your success story Amara - it gives me hope! And thanks to everyone else for the practical tips about continuing payment requests and the appeals department phone number. This community has been invaluable during such a stressful process.
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