My unemployment check was sent last Monday and I still haven't received it. I have USPS informed delivery and it's not in the mail today either. I live in Dallas, it shouldn't take over a week to arrive from Austin. I have received all of their other mailed correspondence within 2 days of sending it out. This is ridiculous, if I don't receive it tomorrow then the earliest will be Friday. I have another payment request on Sunday, at this rate I'll be getting 2 payments at the same time.

That's definitely unusual for Dallas! I'm also in the DFW area and my checks have consistently arrived within 4-5 business days. Since you have informed delivery and can confirm it's not coming, I'd definitely call TWC first thing tomorrow morning. The early morning tip (7:30-8:00 AM) that others mentioned really works - I got through in under 20 minutes when I called early. Since it's been over a week and you're approaching your next payment request, ask them about issuing a replacement check or if they can expedite it somehow. Also double-check with your apartment complex/neighbors in case it got misdelivered - that seems to happen more often than it should with these checks. The good news is that your next payment request won't interfere with the missing one - they're processed separately. But definitely get this sorted out ASAP since waiting for two checks to arrive would be even more stressful! Let us know what TWC says when you call.

Just went through this exact scenario last month! You definitely still need to file your payment request even if you made more than your weekly benefit amount - this keeps your claim active. When you report earnings that exceed your WBA, you'll get $0 for that week, but those benefits aren't lost forever. They stay in your account for future weeks when you might not have work or earn less. The key is to always report your earnings for the week you actually WORKED (not when you got paid) and keep doing your required work search activities. I made the mistake of thinking I didn't need to do work searches during a week I was working temp jobs and almost got hit with an overpayment issue. TWC's system will automatically calculate everything once you report honestly, so don't stress too much about the math - just focus on filing on time and being accurate with your reports!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - if you're doing temp work through an agency, make sure you understand how they report your earnings to TWC. Some agencies report weekly, others bi-weekly, and timing can affect which certification period your earnings get attributed to. I had a temp agency job where they paid me for week 1 and week 2 together at the end of week 2, but I had to report the earnings separately for each week I actually worked. Also, keep all your pay stubs from temp work - TWC sometimes asks for documentation during reviews, especially if there are any discrepancies in their system. Better to have everything organized from the start than scramble to find paperwork later!

That's wonderful news about finally getting through to TWC! It's such a relief when you can actually speak to someone who can look into your specific situation. The employer response delay is unfortunately very common, especially during company restructuring when HR departments are overwhelmed. I'm really glad TWC will make a determination even without the employer response - that's actually a protection for claimants so unresponsive employers can't indefinitely delay benefits. The payment advance option is something many people don't know about, so definitely worth exploring for your car payment situation. Thanks for sharing the update - it gives hope to others dealing with similar delays that persistence with calling really does pay off!

I went through something very similar last month! My ID.me verification was complete but my benefits were stuck in "pending" status for almost 4 weeks. Turns out there was a wage discrepancy - TWC had different employment dates than what I reported, and they were waiting for my employer to clarify. The frustrating part is they never sent me any notice about this issue, I only found out when I finally got through to an agent. My advice: keep calling early morning (around 7:15am works best for me), and don't give up on requesting your weekly payments even though nothing seems to be happening. Once they resolve whatever secondary issue is causing the delay, all those pending payments will process at once. Hope you get it sorted out soon!

I went through the exact same thing a few months ago! Got denied initially but kept getting those ID.me emails and was so confused. Turns out it's completely normal - the ID.me verification is required for your TWC account regardless of whether your initial claim was approved or denied. I actually called it the "bureaucratic chicken and egg problem" because you need to verify to appeal, but you get denied before verifying! The good news is that once I completed the ID.me verification and filed an interstate claim (I had worked in New Mexico), everything got sorted out. The verification itself took maybe 15 minutes - just have your driver's license ready and make sure you're in good lighting for the video selfie part. One tip that saved me a lot of headache: when you do get through to TWC, ask them to put a note in your file that you completed the ID.me verification on [whatever date you do it]. Sometimes there's a delay between when you complete it and when it shows up in their system, and having that note prevented me from having to redo the process later. Hang in there - the system is definitely confusing but it sounds like you're on the right track with the interstate claim angle!

I just went through this same process last month and wanted to share what I learned! The ID.me verification is actually required for ALL TWC accounts now, regardless of your claim status. So even though you got denied, you still need to complete it because it's tied to your account, not your specific claim. The really important thing here is that your denial was likely because TWC's system initially only looks at Texas wages. Since you worked in Oklahoma, you'll probably need to file what's called an interstate claim or combined wage claim to include those out-of-state wages. I had a similar situation with Arizona wages and once I got the right type of claim filed, I qualified easily. My advice: Complete the ID.me verification ASAP (it's pretty quick - just need your driver's license and decent lighting), then focus on getting through to TWC to discuss filing an interstate claim. The verification requirement isn't going away, so you might as well get it done now rather than having it delay things later if your appeal or new claim gets approved. Don't let the confusing system discourage you - it sounds like you should definitely qualify once they look at your Oklahoma wages!

I went through this exact same nightmare with the EM22 error about 6 months ago! In my case, it was triggered because I had worked as a contractor for one employer while also being a W-2 employee at another company during the same time period. The TWC system just couldn't handle that scenario automatically. After reading through all these helpful responses, I wish I had known about some of these alternatives back then. I ended up getting through by calling at exactly 7:00 AM on a Tuesday morning and staying on hold for over 2 hours. The agent was super helpful once I finally connected and completed my entire application over the phone in about 35 minutes. One thing I'd add - make sure you have your Social Security card handy when you call. The agent asked me to verify the full number even though I had already entered it online. Also, if you received any final paychecks or vacation payouts, have those exact dates and amounts ready. The system is very particular about getting all the financial details correct. Don't give up! The EM22 error is frustrating but it's definitely resolvable once you get a human on the line.

I've been following this thread closely as I'm currently stuck with the same EM22 error. Based on everyone's experiences, it seems like this error is much more common than TWC lets on, especially for people with any kind of non-standard employment situation. For anyone still struggling with this, I wanted to share that I found the TWC website actually has a page explaining error codes (though it's buried deep in their help section). EM22 specifically means "Employment verification required" - which confirms what others have said about needing manual review. One strategy I haven't seen mentioned yet: if you have a local TWC office that's open for in-person visits, that might be another option. I called my local office directly and they said they can sometimes help with application errors during walk-in hours, though you'd need to bring all your employment documentation with you. The system really needs to be updated to handle these common scenarios automatically instead of forcing everyone through phone support. But until then, at least we have this community sharing solutions!