Just to give you some peace of mind - even if your card is taking longer than expected, your benefits aren't going anywhere. They'll remain on the card whenever it arrives. And if you need to request a replacement, the funds will transfer to the new card automatically. The waiting is frustrating, but your money is secure.

One more tip: when your card does arrive, call to activate it immediately and change the PIN from the default. There have been cases of mail theft targeting unemployment debit cards. Also, download the ReliaCard app so you can monitor your balance and transactions in real-time. The app will also alert you when deposits are made to your card.

Based on what you're describing, this sounds like a wage reporting error. When you said "earnings exceed WBA" that's a very specific determination. It means TWC believes you earned more at a job than your weekly benefit amount allows. Here's what to do: 1. File an appeal for this NEW issue right away (separate from your existing appeal) 2. In the appeal, clearly state you have not worked or earned any wages during the claim period in question 3. Try calling the TWC Tele-Serv system at 800-558-8321 to see if there's more information about the specific earnings they think you received 4. Contact your previous employer to make sure they haven't accidentally reported you as still working 5. Keep requesting payments every two weeks even if it says you're ineligible - this preserves your claim If you win your appeal, you'll receive back payments for any weeks you were eligible. The key is to appeal within the 14-day window.

UPDATE: I finally got through to TWC this morning! Turns out my previous employer reported wages for me for last week (even though I haven't worked there since January). The agent said this happens sometimes when employers batch-report or make clerical errors. She put in a request to have the wages removed from my record, and said my payments should resume once that's processed. I also went ahead and filed the appeal just in case it takes them too long to fix it. Thanks everyone for your help!

One more thing to be aware of - even after you win the appeal and the determination is in your favor, it can take 10-14 business days for the payment to be processed. They have to manually review and release the back payments. If it goes longer than two weeks after you receive the favorable determination letter, that's when you should start calling to follow up.

MY THEORY is they deliberately make everything confusing and slow hoping people will just give up. I had to appeal THREE TIMES because of TWC's own errors! They kept saying my employer filed an appeal when they NEVER DID - it was a system glitch! Finally got someone on the phone who fixed it after MONTHS of waiting. The whole system needs an overhaul!!

Honstly the TWC system is total BS! Dont get 2 excited, my employer didnt show up either and I STILL got denied!! Took 3 weeks to get the stupid letter and they said I didn't provide enough evidence or something, even though I sent them ALL my emails. The whole system is rigged against workers and for employers. Now I'm having to appeal AGAIN and its been 4 months without a penny!!! This is my 3rd time on TX unemployment and its getting worse every time.

Quick update - I just checked my TWC account today and my status changed from "Appeal Pending" to "Eligible" and there's a determination letter dated yesterday in my correspondence! The hearing officer ruled in my favor since the employer failed to appear and present evidence of misconduct, plus my witnesses' testimony proved inconsistent application of company policy. All my backpay is being processed now! Just wanted to share the good news and timeline - it took exactly 8 days from hearing to determination in my case. Thanks everyone for your support and advice during this stressful time!

Just to clarify - even if you found part-time work, you still need to report your 3 work search activities per week unless you're specifically exempt. Working part-time doesn't automatically waive the work search requirement unless you're working 30+ hours and earning more than your weekly benefit amount. If you didn't report work search activities thinking you didn't need to because of the part-time job, that could definitely be causing the delay.

UPDATE: I finally got a callback from TWC today, about 48 hours after submitting the online callback request. The issue was exactly what we suspected - the system flagged my account for a work search verification. The agent reviewed my activities, added some notes to my file, and released my payment. It should be in my account within 2-3 business days. If you haven't heard back yet, I'd recommend trying again first thing tomorrow morning. The early call trick does work!

omg the exact same thing happened to my sister!!! her boss was horrible and made her afraid to file then when she finally did it took foreverrrrr but she did get all her back pay eventually. just keep doing your payment requests even after u start working and report your new income honestly. good luck with the new job!!

One thing to watch out for - make ABSOLUTELY SURE you report your new job income correctly. If you under-report, they'll hit you with an overpayment later that you'll have to pay back with interest. And if they think you deliberately misreported, they can disqualify you for benefits entirely and potentially pursue fraud charges. The TWC system is broken in a lot of ways, but they're VERY efficient at finding overpayments!

It's on the news banner that sometimes appears at the top of the dashboard after you log in. Not everyone sees it depending on your claim type. If you don't see it, try logging out and back in, or check the 'Announcements' section under the Resources tab.

UPDATE: My payment finally showed up in the system this morning! Status changed from "payment request received" to "payment processed" with today's date. The portal says direct deposit should hit my account by Monday. A bit late but at least it's coming. Hope everyone else sees their payments updated too!

I had same problem and fixed it by going to the TWC office in person! Waited about 2 hours but at least got it fixed same day instead of waiting forever on the phone

Just to add some helpful information for others: for seasonal school employees, TWC requires you to upload documentation showing your return-to-work date. This helps verify that you have "reasonable assurance" of returning after the break, which is required for eligibility. You'll want an official letter from your school stating your employment terms and specific return date. Also, remember that you still need to do the 3 work search activities each week, even though you have a job to return to. I've seen claims delayed because people think seasonal workers are exempt from work search - they're not!

This reminds me of when I got laid off from my job at the grocery store back in 2023... totally different situation I guess since it was a layoff not firing but man the TWC website was so confusing trying to figure out which buttons to click lol. Took me like 3 hours just to submit my application!

One more important point: when you file your initial claim, you'll be asked for the reason for separation. Be truthful but precise - don't simply say you were fired for attendance. Instead, explain that you were terminated after unavoidable absences that were properly reported according to company policy (assuming that's true). The exact wording matters a lot in how TWC initially categorizes your claim. Something like "Terminated after absences due to documented vehicle failure and child's illness, all reported according to company policy" frames it more accurately than just "fired for absences."

my friend ran into this same issue back in january!!! she ended up having to file a whole new claim and it was approved but took like 5 weeks before she got any money. the hotel situation sounds rough tho, have u checked with local charities that might help with housing? salvation army helped her for a couple weeks

Based on your comments about having worked some small jobs since your last claim, I'd recommend filing a new initial claim immediately. Bring all documentation of those jobs - even if they were short-term. TWC will calculate if you've earned enough in your base period to qualify. Regarding your housing situation, contact your county's Health and Human Services department. Many counties have emergency housing assistance, especially if you're actively looking for work. As for your former employer, while they don't have to rehire you, if you believe their refusal is based on retaliation for filing unemployment or based on a protected characteristic (race, gender, age, disability, etc.), you might have grounds for a discrimination complaint. The Texas Workforce Commission's Civil Rights Division handles these types of complaints.