Good question @Lily Young! Contract/1099 applications definitely count toward your work search activities - TWC considers any legitimate job search effort valid, whether it's W-2 or 1099 positions. What matters is that you're actively seeking work that matches your skills and experience. Just make sure to keep detailed records of each application including the company name, position, date applied, and method (online, in person, etc.). You can also count networking events, job fairs, career counseling sessions, and even creating/updating professional profiles on sites like LinkedIn as work search activities. The key is showing consistent effort to find employment. Since you're in banking, I'd suggest mixing both traditional employment applications with contract opportunities since the financial sector often uses both types of positions.

I went through something very similar earlier this year! Filed for TWC after being laid off from my corporate job, then did a week of freelance work that ended up not working out. The key things that helped me: 1) File your claim immediately - don't wait, as your benefit year starts from when you apply 2) Be completely honest about the 1099 work when you do your weekly payment request for that week 3) Keep any text/email communication about why the contractor work ended (even if it's just "project scope changed") 4) Remember that your eligibility is based on your main W-2 job from the banking position, not the short contractor work. The 1099 earnings will just reduce that one week's benefit slightly, but won't affect your overall claim. TWC actually handles these mixed work situations pretty routinely - you're not the first person to take temporary work while job hunting! Just document everything and you should be fine.

Just want to add that timing matters here - if you're at the end of your regular benefits and expecting a job offer soon, you might want to file for the waiting week sooner rather than later. The processing can take a few days, and if you start your new job before the payment goes through, you'll need to report that employment change which could complicate things. Better to get it submitted while your status is clear and straightforward. Good luck with the job interview - hope you get that offer!

Hey Connor! I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago - had a really promising interview and was expecting an offer but wasn't sure about the waiting week timing. I ended up filing for it right away and I'm so glad I did! The key thing to remember is that you're answering questions about your current employment status, not what might happen in the future. When you certify that you're not employed, that's true at the moment you're filing. If you get the job offer next week (fingers crossed!), you'll just report that new employment on whatever your next filing would be. The waiting week payment took about 4 days to hit my account, and even though I did start my new job the following week, there were no issues at all. Don't overthink it - you've earned this benefit and you're entitled to claim it. Wishing you the best with that job offer!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else who might be searching this thread later - I got my expedited ReliaCard last week via UPS and it DID require a signature, but the driver waited about 30 seconds and then just left it anyway (which technically they're not supposed to do). So even if signature is "required," you might still get it if you're not home. Also, pro tip: you can create a free UPS My Choice or FedEx Delivery Manager account and sometimes see tracking info even if TWC didn't give you the number directly - just use your address and phone number to search for incoming packages. Saved me a lot of anxiety!

This entire thread is so helpful! I'm in a similar situation where I'm waiting for my expedited ReliaCard and the inconsistency in delivery methods had me confused. Reading everyone's experiences, it seems like the key takeaways are: 1) It could be FedEx, UPS, or even USPS depending on your location, 2) Signature requirements vary wildly, 3) Check ALL mail including plain envelopes, and 4) Set up those delivery manager accounts to potentially track packages even without a tracking number. For future folks dealing with this stress - sounds like expedited usually does work within 1-2 days, just be prepared for any delivery scenario. Also definitely setting up direct deposit immediately after getting the card seems like the smartest move to avoid this whole ordeal again!

I'm so relieved to see this thread! I'm 25 and have been going through the exact same nightmare with Work in Texas. The platform is incredibly frustrating - half the time it doesn't even load properly, and when it does, the job listings are either way above my experience level or paying almost nothing. I've been hesitant to apply elsewhere because I was worried TWC would reject my benefits, but seeing everyone's positive experiences using LinkedIn and Indeed is such a huge weight off my shoulders. I've actually found tons of relevant jobs on other platforms that actually match my skill level and career goals. Starting a detailed spreadsheet today and switching to better job sites this week. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community is incredible and you've probably saved me months of unnecessary stress! For anyone else reading this who's in the same boat: you're NOT alone and you're NOT doing anything wrong. Work in Texas just isn't designed well for people in our age group or many modern industries.

I'm 29 and went through this exact same frustration when I started my unemployment claim! Work in Texas is honestly one of the most outdated and poorly designed job platforms I've ever used. The experience requirements are completely unrealistic for most positions. Here's what I wish someone had told me from the beginning: You can 100% use LinkedIn, Indeed, company websites, and any other legitimate job search platform for your work search activities. I've been doing this for over 4 months now and TWC has never questioned a single one of my applications from outside sources. My weekly routine that's been working great: - Apply to 2-3 jobs on LinkedIn/Indeed that actually match my skills - Update my resume or LinkedIn profile (counts as 1 activity) - Sometimes attend virtual networking events or webinars For documentation, I keep everything in a Google Sheet with date, company name, position, application method, and confirmation details. I also save screenshots of application confirmations in a dedicated folder on my phone named by date and company. The relief you'll feel when you realize you're not stuck with Work in Texas is incredible! Focus on quality applications to jobs you're actually qualified for rather than forcing yourself to apply to irrelevant positions just to meet the requirement. Your job search will be so much more productive and less demoralizing. Don't stress about this - you're asking all the right questions and you're definitely not doing anything wrong!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! 🙌 I'm dealing with this exact same issue and was starting to panic before finding all this amazing advice. Based on everything I'm reading here, I'm planning my attack strategy for tomorrow: • Call at 7:59 and start dialing right at 8:00 AM sharp • Have my SSN, submission timestamp, and any confirmation emails ready • Ask them to check the "backend processing system" and "internal processing queue" • If they find it, request they "manually process" it and send email confirmation • Get rep name and case reference number • Absolutely NO resubmitting until they've checked thoroughly It's honestly insane that we need a PhD in TWC system architecture just to get our benefits, but this community knowledge is gold. The fact that so many people have experienced the same "sync issue" between their public portal and internal database gives me hope this is just another annoying glitch rather than a real problem. Thanks to everyone who shared their battle-tested strategies - you're all lifesavers! Will report back on how the call goes. We're all stronger when we help each other navigate this bureaucratic nightmare! 💪✊

This exact thing happened to me about 3 weeks ago and I was absolutely panicking! 😰 After reading all the amazing advice in this thread, I wanted to add a few things that helped me: • When you call at 8 AM (definitely do this!), if you get the automated system, press 1-2-1 to get to the payment request issues queue faster • Write down EVERYTHING during your call - rep's name, time, what they found, what they did. I had to call back twice and having those notes saved me so much time • If the first rep seems clueless about backend systems, don't be afraid to politely say "I need to speak with someone in technical support who can access your internal processing database" • After they manually process it, ask when you should expect to see it reflected in your account AND in your payment - sometimes there's a delay between the two The whole experience taught me to treat every TWC interaction like I'm documenting for court 📝 Sad but true! Also want to echo what others said - DON'T panic and don't resubmit. In my case, they found my request within 5 minutes once I got the right person. The system sync issues are real but your submission is almost certainly there. You've got this! This community has your back! 💪