Texas Unemployment
CommunityGovernment Services
Can't reach Texas Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the TWC
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the TWC drops your call
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Can my boyfriend claim TWC benefits after being laid off then having short-term job that didn't work out?
My boyfriend got laid off from his construction job after they lost a major contract back in January. He immediately found a job at another construction company, but after only 3 weeks they let him go because they said he wasn't meeting their expectations (no write-ups or warnings though). He's been looking everywhere but hasn't found anything stable in 6 weeks now. Can he still file an unemployment claim based on the first job where he got laid off? Or does that short 3-week job mess everything up? I'm trying to help him figure this out because our savings are getting really low and his car payment is due next week. He worked at the first place for over 2 years if that matters.
Join the conversation
TWC Self-Employment application - where to input my business information?
I'm trying to file for unemployment as a self-employed person and I'm really confused about where I'm supposed to enter my business information. When I go through the application, it keeps asking for employer info like it assumes I worked for someone else. Does the TWC system give me options specifically for entering self-employment details? I ran a small photography business for 3 years before it went under last month, and I need to make sure I'm filling everything out correctly. Has anyone here filed as self-employed recently? What did the screens look like for you?
Join the conversation
anybody know if u can still get benefits if u still do like a little bit of self employment work? i still get like one small job a month but not enough to live on
Yes, you can still receive partial unemployment benefits while doing some self-employment work. You'll need to report any income you earn each time you request payment. TWC will deduct a portion of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. Just be sure to accurately report all income - if you earn over a certain amount (around 25% more than your weekly benefit), you might not receive benefits for that week, but you'll still keep your claim active.
Thank you all for the helpful advice! I just completed my application and found the self-employment option after clicking through a few screens. For anyone else in this situation: there's a specific question that asks if you were self-employed, and after selecting "Yes," it takes you to screens tailored for business owners. I entered my business name, used my home address since that was my business address, and made sure to clearly explain that the business closed due to economic conditions. Now I'm just waiting on the determination letter. I'll update once I hear back!
Will do! I've started keeping track of my work search activities already. Is it still 3 per week for Texas? And do they have to be in the same field as my photography business, or can I apply for different types of jobs?
Yes, Texas still requires 3 work search activities per week. They don't have to be in the same field as your photography business - you can apply for any suitable work that matches your skills and experience. Just be sure to log all activities in your TWC account. Each work search activity should include the employer name, contact information, position applied for, and application date. Save copies of job applications or email confirmations as proof in case TWC requests verification.
TWC payment stuck in processing since July 14 - anyone else experiencing delays?
Getting worried here... I requested payment on July 14 (almost two weeks ago) and it's still showing as processing. Nothing has hit my account yet. I checked Tele-Serv and got that automated message saying I submitted my payment request "less than 2 weeks ago" but that doesn't seem right. For context, my previous payment request was on June 30th which processed quickly (by July 2nd) but I didn't actually receive money because one week was disqualified (I missed my work search activities) and the other was my waiting week. Is the system backed up right now or should I be concerned something's wrong with my claim? Anyone else waiting longer than usual for payment processing?
Join the conversation
When this happened to me I just kept resubmitting my payment request every day until it went through lol
Please don't do this! Submitting multiple payment requests can actually flag your account for potential fraud review, which will delay your payment even further. The system only allows one payment request per biweekly period - additional requests don't speed up processing and can cause problems.
UPDATE: My payment finally processed this morning! It took exactly 15 days from request to processing. Looks like everyone was right about the delays. Thanks for all the advice and reassurance - it really helped keep me from panicking. For anyone else still waiting, hang in there!
congrats!! hopefully mine goes thru tomorrow then! 🤞
Great news! Glad it worked out for you.
TWC requiring ID.me verification but husband blocked by duplicate accounts issue - 3 months no resolution
My husband's TWC claim is completely stuck because of this ID.me mess! They're demanding he verify his identity, but when he tries to log in, ID.me says he has "duplicate accounts" and can't proceed. The bigger problem? He can't access his old email address that's tied to whatever account they think exists. We've been dealing with this nightmare since September. First call, they promised to "submit a ticket" and we heard absolutely nothing back. Called again in October, and they gave us an email address to manually send verification documents to. My husband sent everything - driver's license, social security card, utility bills - and guess what? Complete silence AGAIN! Meanwhile, his unemployment benefits are on hold, bills are piling up, and every time we call TWC, we get transferred around in circles with zero actual help. Has anyone gotten past this ID.me duplicate account issue? I'm at my wits' end and we're about to be late on our mortgage because of this ridiculous verification loop!
Join the conversation
I had similar issues but not with duplicate accounts. What I don't understand is why TWC relies on this terrible verification system that nobody can get help with??? My benefits were delayed 7 weeks because of ID.me problems. Even when I finally did the video verification, it took another 2 weeks for TWC to acknowledge it in their system. The left hand doesn't know what the right is doing.
You're right that there's a synchronization delay between ID.me and TWC systems. After successful verification with ID.me, claimants should wait 48-72 hours, then contact TWC to confirm the verification status has been updated in their system. Sometimes this requires a manual update on TWC's side. This is particularly important in cases involving duplicate accounts or identity verification issues.
Update: We're making progress! We tried several of your suggestions. First, we sent an email to ID.me support with "TWC VERIFICATION - DUPLICATE ACCOUNT" in the subject line. Then we also scheduled a video verification call (3 hour wait but worth it). The video agent was able to confirm my husband's identity and said they've noted the duplicate account issue and are merging them. They said it would take 24-48 hours to complete and then the TWC system should update within another 72 hours. I'll post again once we know if the benefits are flowing again. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help! TWC really needs to provide better guidance on these ID.me issues rather than leaving people stuck for months.
That's awesome news! The video verification is definitely the way to go. Fingers crossed your husband's benefits start flowing again soon. Please do update us!
TWC put benefits on hold after declining WFH job due to sick child - will I lose unemployment?
I'm freaking out a little bit and need advice from anyone who's been in a similar situation! I'm currently receiving unemployment benefits, but I had a job offer for a work-from-home position that was supposed to start on December 14th. The company required us to be on camera for the ENTIRE 6-week training period (like, constantly monitored). Problem is, I had a sick child at home during this time and couldn't guarantee I could be on camera uninterrupted for 8 hours a day, so I had to decline the offer. I properly reported the potential job to TWC when I originally got the offer. This morning I had to call TWC because my regular payment is suddenly on hold, and they asked me all these questions about why I turned down the job. I explained about my child being sick and needing care, but the lady just took notes and didn't tell me if this was acceptable or not. Now I'm worried they'll cut off my benefits for refusing "suitable work." Is taking care of a sick child a legitimate reason to turn down a job? I'm wondering if I should have just told them my internet speed didn't meet their requirements instead (which honestly might also be true, they wanted super fast internet). Has anyone dealt with something similar? Will I still get my benefits?
Join the conversation
Has anyone received the determination yet? I'm invested in this story now and wondering what TWC decided.
Not yet! It's only been two days since they put my payment on hold. I'll definitely update once I hear something. Still nervous but all the advice here has been really helpful.
I work in HR and deal with TWC issues regularly (from the employer side). To clarify something important: in Texas, caring for a sick family member CAN be good cause for refusing work, but it depends on the specific circumstances. TWC typically looks at: - Whether you had alternatives for care - If the illness was temporary or long-term - If you asked for accommodations before refusing What often hurts claimants is not being specific enough. Don't just say "my child was sick" - explain exactly why this prevented you from accepting a position with camera monitoring requirements, the duration of the illness, and what steps you took to try to resolve the conflict. Also, be prepared to provide some form of documentation if requested - pediatrician notes, appointment records, etc.
This is so helpful, thank you! I'll make sure I have the doctor's note ready and be very specific about why the camera requirement was impossible with a sick child at home. Would it help to mention I've applied to other WFH jobs that don't have the same strict camera requirements?
Yes, absolutely mention that! It shows you're not refusing work in general, just this specific situation that was incompatible with your temporary caregiving needs. That distinction is crucial for TWC.
Yuki Yamamoto
One final tip: If TWC schedules a phone interview about the job separation (which is likely with multiple employers), make sure your boyfriend is prepared with specific dates and details: 1. The exact date he was laid off from the first job and the reason given 2. The start and end dates at the second job 3. The specific explanation given for why the second job ended 4. Names and titles of supervisors at both companies if possible Having this information readily available makes the interview go much smoother and helps the TWC agent make a quicker determination on the claim. Good luck!
0 coins
Ethan Brown
Thank you so much! I'll help him put together all this information tonight. You all have been incredibly helpful - this was way more complicated than I thought but I feel like he has a good chance now.
0 coins