I'm new to this community and dealing with this exact situation right now! I started receiving Social Security retirement benefits about 3 weeks ago while still on unemployment, and I've been so stressed about whether I'm handling everything correctly. After reading through all these responses, especially the detailed experiences from @Freya Pedersen, @Kaiya Rivera, and @Muhammad Hobbs, I feel much more confident about the right approach. It's incredibly helpful to see multiple people who have actually gone through this process and can confirm the same guidance from TWC agents. The consensus is crystal clear: Social Security retirement benefits don't get reported on biweekly payment requests (those are only for work income/earnings), but we should notify TWC through correspondence about starting benefits after our claims were established. I'm going to follow everyone's lead and send a notification through my UI portal correspondence system this week. Yes, I might face a benefit reduction like others have experienced, but transparency is definitely better than potential compliance issues down the road. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - this discussion has been invaluable for understanding how to navigate this confusing situation properly! It's such a relief to find people who've actually been through this rather than just guessing about the rules.

I'm new to this community and just started dealing with this exact situation! I began receiving Social Security retirement benefits last week while still collecting unemployment, and I was really panicking about whether I needed to report it on my biweekly payment requests. After reading through this entire thread, I feel so much more informed and less anxious. The real experiences shared by @Freya Pedersen, @Kaiya Rivera, @Muhammad Hobbs, and others have been incredibly valuable. It's clear that there's a distinction between what gets reported during biweekly payment requests (work income only) versus what should be communicated to TWC for their records (major changes like starting retirement benefits). I'm planning to follow the same approach everyone has recommended: continue only reporting work income on my biweekly requests, but send a notification through the correspondence system about starting Social Security benefits. While a potential benefit reduction isn't ideal, the peace of mind from being transparent and following the proper process is worth it. Thank you all for creating such a helpful discussion! It's amazing how much clearer this becomes when you hear from people who've actually navigated the process successfully rather than trying to decipher the confusing TWC website alone.

I'm currently going through this exact same situation! Filed my claim about 10 days ago after being laid off, got approved, but no payments yet. I also received a severance package that I reported on my application. This entire thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had absolutely no clue that severance gets divided by your weekly benefit amount to create a disqualification period. No wonder I haven't received any payments yet! I was starting to think there was some kind of system error or that I had filled something out wrong on my application. I'm going to log into my TWC account right now and check that correspondence inbox for my determination letter. Based on what everyone's saying, that should tell me exactly when my disqualification period ends so I can stop wondering and actually have a timeline to work with. Really grateful to have found this community - it's such a relief to know this confusion is completely normal and that so many others have successfully navigated through it. TWC definitely needs to be way more upfront about explaining how severance affects your payment timeline instead of leaving people stressed and in the dark about what's happening with their claims!

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! The severance disqualification period is honestly one of the most confusing aspects of the whole TWC system, and they really don't explain it well upfront. Here's what I learned from my experience: 1. **Check your determination letter** - Like others mentioned, this will be in your correspondence inbox and will show your exact disqualification dates. Mine was buried pretty deep in there, so don't give up if you don't see it immediately. 2. **Keep requesting payments religiously** - Even though you won't get paid during the disqualification period, you MUST continue submitting your biweekly payment requests. Missing even one can mess up your entire claim. 3. **The phone system confusion is normal** - The automated line and live reps really do access different systems. I got different answers constantly until I learned to just focus on what the determination letter said. 4. **Document everything** - Keep track of your work search activities, payment request dates, and any calls you make. I used a simple notebook and it saved me later when I had questions. The good news is once your severance period ends, payments typically start within 2-3 business days of your next payment request. The system is actually pretty reliable once you get past this initial hurdle. Hang in there - this waiting period is definitely the most stressful part, but you're handling it exactly right by asking questions and staying informed!

I'm dealing with this exact situation too! Got my notice three weeks ago for $5,100 from 2020-2021. What really gets me is that I have email records showing I tried to contact TWC multiple times through their online portal asking for clarification on how to report my freelance income alongside my part-time W2 job, but never got responses back then. I've been reading through all these comments and taking notes - it's both terrifying and reassuring to know so many of us are going through this. I'm definitely requesting a phone hearing based on what everyone's saying here. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: I found some old bank statements that show exactly when I received payments from my freelance clients, which I'm hoping will help prove I was trying to report the income correctly, just maybe in the wrong weeks due to confusion about when to report it. The stress of potentially owing this much money is keeping me up at night, but reading about @a7bb1ddb2dc9 getting a 60% reduction and @d1310504bfbb's info about the updated guidelines gives me some hope. We all did our best during an impossible situation when the state's own systems were completely overwhelmed.

I'm so relieved to find this thread! I just got my overpayment notice yesterday for $3,650 from early 2021 and I've been in complete panic mode. Reading everyone's experiences here is the first thing that's made me feel like maybe this isn't completely hopeless. Like so many others have mentioned, I remember spending entire days trying to get through to TWC back then - I actually kept a log because I was so frustrated. Between March and June 2020, I logged 47 attempted calls that either went to busy signals, disconnected after hours of holding, or went to that useless automated system that couldn't help with my specific questions about reporting my restaurant shifts alongside some Door Dash income. The determination letter says I "failed to properly report earnings" but honestly, I tried so hard to figure out the right way to do it! The online system kept changing and the instructions were so confusing about when to report income vs when you actually worked. I even have some old screenshots on my phone showing different error messages I got when trying to submit my weekly requests. Based on what everyone's sharing here, I'm definitely going to request a phone hearing and start gathering every piece of documentation I can find. @d1310504bfbb, your information about the updated guidelines is incredibly helpful - should I specifically mention Appeals Policy Letter 08-24 in my hearing? And @a7bb1ddb2dc9, hearing about your 60% reduction gives me so much hope. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. This situation is terrifying but knowing we're not alone and that there are people getting reasonable outcomes makes all the difference.

This entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm so impressed by how this community rallied together to help solve QuantumQuest's urgent situation. As someone who's dealt with TWC's frustrating system failures multiple times, I can really relate to that panic when their website breaks right before a deadline. What you all have created here is honestly better than any official TWC troubleshooting guide - the combination of documenting everything with screenshots, trying the direct overpayment phone line (512-936-3338), and having the local Workforce office as a reliable backup plan covers every angle. The fact that QuantumQuest was able to get it resolved in person and even got documentation on their account about the website issues is such a relief to hear! For anyone else who finds this thread: definitely save it! This is the kind of real-world problem solving that makes all the difference when you're stuck dealing with TWC's unreliable systems. Props to everyone who shared their experiences and phone numbers - this community support is what gets people through these stressful situations! 👍

This thread has become the ultimate TWC troubleshooting masterclass! As someone who works in tech support, I'm honestly blown away by how thoroughly this community has documented every possible workaround for TWC's notorious system failures. The step-by-step approach you all created here - screenshots for documentation, direct phone numbers, off-peak hour attempts, and the local office backup plan - is more comprehensive than most official support guides I've seen. QuantumQuest, your follow-up showing the successful resolution really drives home how important it is to have multiple strategies when dealing with government systems that seem designed to fail at the worst moments. The fact that the local office staff confirmed their payment system was having issues validates what everyone suspected - it's not user error, it's their infrastructure! For future reference, I'd also suggest trying to access their system through incognito/private browsing mode sometimes, as cached data can cause authentication issues. But honestly, the local office route seems to be the gold standard solution based on all the success stories here. This thread should definitely be preserved as a community resource! 🔧

This has been such an amazing thread to follow! I'm a recent Texas transplant myself (moved from Michigan about 4 months ago) and while I haven't needed unemployment benefits yet, reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly educational. The fact that you can use your SSN instead of a Texas ID number is such crucial information that really should be prominently displayed on the TWC website. I can imagine how many people get stuck at that exact point and just give up or waste weeks trying to get through on the phone. What really stands out to me is how this community turned a simple question into a comprehensive resource covering everything from interstate claims to browser compatibility issues to work search strategies. Javier, you asked one question and ended up with basically a complete roadmap for navigating unemployment in Texas as an out-of-state transplant! For anyone else who might find this thread in the future - definitely save all the advice here. The tips about documentation, timing, mail handling, and even technical troubleshooting are gold. This is the kind of real-world guidance that makes the difference between a smooth process and months of frustration. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. This is what makes online communities so valuable - people helping people with practical solutions you can't find anywhere else!

This thread has been absolutely phenomenal! As someone who moved to Texas from Washington state about 8 months ago, I can really relate to the frustration of trying to navigate unfamiliar state systems. The SSN workaround that everyone confirmed is such a lifesaver - I actually had to file unemployment about 3 months after my move and wish I'd known about this community then! One thing I'd add that helped me during my interstate claim process - if you have any W-2s from your previous state saved digitally, keep those easily accessible on your phone. TWC asked for mine about 3 weeks into the process as additional wage verification, and having them ready to upload through their secure portal saved me from having to request copies from my old employer. Also, for anyone else reading this who might be job hunting while their claim processes - don't overlook temporary staffing agencies. Many of them have contracts specifically for people with your skill set who are new to Texas, and even short-term assignments through them count as legitimate work search contacts. Plus, temp work can sometimes lead to permanent positions once employers get to know you. Javier, sounds like you're in great shape now with all this amazing advice! This thread should definitely be pinned somewhere - it's going to help so many people who find themselves in similar situations.