


Ask the community...
I'm currently going through my first TWC appeal and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I wanted to add that might help others - I've been keeping a detailed timeline of everything that happened leading up to my unemployment claim being denied. It's really helped me organize my thoughts and identify which documents I need to gather. Also, for anyone feeling anxious about the process (like I am!), I found it helpful to read through TWC's official appeal guidelines on their website. It's dry reading but it gives you a better sense of what they're actually looking for. @Oliver Brown - hang in there! From what everyone's saying, preparation seems to be key. We've got this! 💪
@Sean Murphy That s'such a smart approach with the timeline! I wish I had thought of doing that when I was preparing my case. Having everything organized chronologically really does help you see the bigger picture and spot any gaps in your documentation. The official TWC guidelines are definitely worth reading too - they can be boring but they really do help you understand what the hearing officers are trained to look for. Thanks for the encouragement and good luck with your appeal! 🤞
Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been lurking here for a while but finally going through my own appeal process. Reading through all these responses has been so reassuring - it's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling overwhelmed by all this! One thing I learned the hard way is to make copies of EVERYTHING before you submit it. I almost lost some important documents when I mailed them in. Now I have digital copies and physical backups of every single piece of paper related to my case. Also, if anyone is dealing with language barriers or has trouble expressing themselves clearly on the phone, TWC does offer interpreter services for the hearings. I found this info buried on their website but thought it might help someone here. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this community is a lifesaver! 🙏
@CosmicCommander Thank you so much for mentioning the interpreter services! I had no idea that was available and it could really help my mom who's also dealing with an appeal right now. The tip about making copies of everything is spot on too - I learned that lesson the hard way with other government paperwork. It's amazing how much easier this whole process feels when you have people sharing real experiences instead of just reading the official (confusing) guidelines. This community really is incredible! 💕
I can add another recent success story to help confirm what everyone is saying! I just went through this process 3 weeks ago with a part-time position at only 26 hours/week, so your 25-hour job will absolutely qualify. My experience was very similar to what others have shared: - Waited 3 business days after my final regular payment cleared - The waiting week request option appeared in my TWC portal automatically - Completed the online form in about 8 minutes with basic employer info - Payment arrived exactly 6 business days later The requirements were just what everyone mentioned - employer name, address, start date, and hourly wage. No documentation needed to upload, and the system was pretty straightforward to navigate. Don't stress about the conflicting information regarding full-time requirements. Based on all these consistent experiences from people working 18-30 hours/week, part-time employment definitely qualifies. Your situation sounds identical to what many of us went through successfully. Just make sure your direct deposit information is up to date before submitting, and you should be all set! The whole process is much simpler than the TWC website makes it seem. Congratulations on the new job - you're almost done with this whole chapter!
I went through this exact same situation about 4 months ago and can definitely confirm that part-time work qualifies for the waiting week payment! I was working only 23 hours/week at a retail job when I successfully claimed mine. Here's what I experienced: - Waited 3 business days after my final regular payment processed completely - The "Request Waiting Week Payment" option appeared automatically in my TWC portal - Completed the simple online form with basic employer information in about 10 minutes - Payment arrived in my account exactly 5 business days later You'll just need your employer's name, address, your exact start date, and hourly wage - no documentation upload required. The system handles verification automatically through their databases. Your 25-hour position will definitely be sufficient - don't worry about any conflicting info suggesting full-time requirements. That seems to be outdated information based on all the recent success stories shared here. One tip: make sure your direct deposit information is current in your TWC account before submitting the request to avoid any payment delays. Congrats on the new job and good luck with claiming your waiting week! You're so close to finishing this whole process. 🎉
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!
Great advice from everyone here! I just went through this exact situation a few months ago. One thing I'll add - when you do your final payment request and report your work, make sure you enter your GROSS earnings (before taxes), not your net pay. I made that mistake initially and had to call TWC to correct it. Also, if you worked any hours during your waiting week or have any vacation/PTO being paid out, make sure to report that too. TWC wants to know about ALL compensation related to work during the claim period. The key is being 100% transparent - it's much easier to get things right the first time than to deal with corrections later. Best of luck with the new position!
@Giovanni Moretti Great point about reporting gross earnings! I almost made that same mistake - was about to enter my take-home pay instead of the full amount before deductions. Also really helpful to know about vacation/PTO payouts needing to be reported too. I hadn t'thought about that since it s'technically pay for time I already worked at my old job. This whole thread has been incredibly educational - feels like I have a complete roadmap now for properly transitioning off unemployment. Thanks everyone!
One more thing to keep in mind - if you're starting a new job but won't work a full week during your first claim period, you can still receive partial unemployment benefits for that week! For example, if you start work on Thursday but the claim week runs Sunday-Saturday, you'd report working 2 days and earning whatever you made those 2 days. TWC will calculate a partial benefit payment for the days you didn't work. This is totally legitimate and helps bridge that gap between unemployment and your first full paycheck. Just make sure to accurately report the days worked and gross earnings, and TWC will handle the math. Many people don't realize they can get partial benefits during transition periods like this!
@Dylan Campbell That s'really helpful to know! I actually do start mid-week Thursday (so) this could apply to me. I was wondering if I should just skip that payment request entirely since I d'be working, but getting partial benefits for those first few days makes total sense. Thanks for pointing that out - I probably would have missed out on money I was entitled to. Just to confirm my understanding: I d'report working Thu-Fri of that week, report my gross earnings for those 2 days, and TWC would pay me partial benefits for Sun-Wed when I was still unemployed?
Melody Miles
I've been getting TWC payments for about 5 months now with KeyBank and wanted to share my experience since I haven't seen anyone mention KeyBank yet. My payments always post at 5:15am the morning after TWC shows them as processed - super consistent timing once you get past that first payment. Like everyone else has mentioned, my first payment took forever - 5 business days! I was convinced I'd entered my routing number wrong or something. But after that initial delay, it's been incredibly reliable. KeyBank seems to process ACH transfers in their overnight batch right around 5am. One thing that helped my anxiety during that first payment wait was setting up account alerts through my bank's app. They'll send you a text or email as soon as any deposit hits your account, so you don't have to keep manually checking. Made those first few days much more bearable! After reading this whole thread, it's clear that pretty much every bank follows the same pattern - first payment takes 3-5 days due to verification, then overnight posting after that. Hope this helps anyone else waiting on their first payment!
0 coins
Ezra Collins
•Thanks for mentioning KeyBank! I'm actually with them too and have been waiting on my first payment for 3 days now, so it's really reassuring to hear that 5 business days is normal for the first one. That account alert tip is genius - I'm definitely setting that up right now so I can stop obsessively checking my app every few minutes! It's amazing how consistent all these banks become after that initial verification period. Really appreciate you sharing the KeyBank-specific timing since I hadn't seen anyone else mention them in this thread.
0 coins
Connor O'Reilly
I've been on unemployment for about 7 months now and wanted to share my experience with Discover Bank since I haven't seen anyone mention them yet. My payments consistently post at 4:25am the morning after TWC shows them as processed - it's been that exact time for months now! But just like everyone else has mentioned, that first payment was a nightmare - took 6 full business days to appear and I was absolutely panicking by day 4. I kept thinking I'd made some mistake with my account info or that TWC had lost my application somehow. Called Discover twice thinking there was an issue on their end, but they assured me first-time government ACH transfers often take extra time for verification. What really helped me was realizing that TWC has to verify your identity, employment history, and bank account details before releasing that first payment. It's actually a good security measure, even though it's stressful when you're waiting for money to pay bills. After that initial verification though, the system becomes incredibly reliable - I can literally set my watch by when the money hits! For anyone waiting on their first payment, hang in there! The delay is completely normal and doesn't mean anything went wrong. Once you get past this hurdle, unemployment payments become as predictable as clockwork.
0 coins