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.

I went through this exact nightmare last summer! The miscommunication between TWC departments is absolutely ridiculous. What saved me was doing both things simultaneously - I completed the ID.me verification AND filed the appeal within the 14-day window. Here's what worked for me: After completing ID.me, I called the main TWC number every hour on the hour starting at 7am. It took me 4 days of constant calling, but I finally got through to someone who could see both my uploaded documents AND my completed ID.me verification. She was able to reverse the disqualification on the spot without waiting for the appeal hearing. The key is being persistent and explaining that you followed the first rep's instructions exactly, but still completed ID.me to cover all bases. Have your confirmation emails and document upload receipts ready when you call. Don't give up - this system is broken but you can get through it!

I'm going through something very similar right now and it's absolutely infuriating! Got the same runaround where one rep told me I didn't need ID.me because I was uploading docs directly to their system, then boom - disqualification letter for not completing identity verification. What's really frustrating is that it seems like there's zero communication between different TWC departments. The left hand literally has no idea what the right hand is doing. I've been reading through all these comments and it's clear this is happening to tons of people - there's definitely a systemic issue with how they're handling the transition to ID.me verification. I'm taking the advice from several people here and doing both the ID.me verification AND filing an appeal. Already completed the ID.me part (surprisingly quick once you get started) and planning to submit my appeal tomorrow with all the documentation I can gather. One question for anyone who's been through this - when you call TWC after completing ID.me, do you ask for a specific department or just explain the situation to whoever answers? I want to make sure I'm talking to someone who can actually access both systems and see the full picture of what happened. Really hoping this gets resolved quickly for all of us dealing with this mess. The stress of not knowing when benefits will come through is almost worse than the financial impact itself.

This is such a common issue with TWC! I went through something similar last month where the phone rep was looking at an old claim from 2022 instead of my current one. The determination letter is definitely the official word - those go through legal review before they're sent out, while phone reps sometimes pull up the wrong file. Pro tip: When you call TWC (if you need to in the future), always start the conversation by giving them your claim filing date and asking them to confirm they're looking at the correct claim period. Something like "I filed my claim on [date] and my benefit year began on [date] - can you confirm you're looking at that claim?" Also, keep that determination letter safe! You'll want to reference the benefit amounts and dates if any issues come up later. Congrats on getting approved and good luck with your job search!

This is exactly why I always recommend getting everything in writing with TWC! Phone reps can make mistakes or look at the wrong claim, but determination letters are official legal documents. If your letter shows specific benefit amounts and you're approved, that's what counts. Just went through a similar situation last year where I had overlapping claims and the phone rep kept referencing an old closed claim instead of my active one. The stress is real! But once I confirmed my online account matched the determination letter, I felt much better. Make sure you start your work search activities right away and document everything thoroughly. TWC can audit your work search at any time, and you'll need detailed records of each activity. Also, don't forget to request your payments on schedule even while you're job hunting - missing payment requests can cause delays or complications with your benefits.

Hey Jayden, I went through almost the exact same thing last year and wanted to share what worked for me. Like others mentioned, you probably won't qualify for a new UI claim in December based on your wages, but don't lose hope yet. First, definitely do the gig work thing - I started with Uber Eats and DoorDash while job hunting and it helped cover gas and some bills. Not great money but better than nothing. Second, call 211 ASAP about rental assistance. In my county they had an emergency program that covered 3 months of rent for people who'd exhausted unemployment. The waiting list was long but I got approved. Most importantly - expand your job search beyond warehouse/retail. I was stuck in that same mindset and it took me 7 months to find work. Finally got hired at a small manufacturing company through their temp-to-hire program. The pay was actually better than my warehouse job. Check indeed for "temp to hire" and "entry level manufacturing" - there are more opportunities than you'd think. Also, if you have a car, look into Amazon delivery driver positions. They're always hiring and usually start around $16-18/hour with benefits after 90 days. Not ideal long-term but it's steady income while you keep looking. You've got this - 8 months of job hunting is brutal but don't give up. The right opportunity will come along.

I've been following this thread and wanted to add a few things that might help. I work as a benefits counselor and see situations like yours regularly. First, regarding your December reapplication - based on the wages you mentioned ($3,400 in January + $1,100 in March), you'll fall short of the minimum earnings requirement. You'd need about $16,169 total in your base period, and you're probably around $4,500. However, there are some options people haven't mentioned: 1. **Pandemic-era debt relief**: If you're struggling with bills, contact your utility companies directly. Many still have hardship programs that can defer payments or reduce bills. 2. **Texas Rent Relief Program**: While the main program ended, some cities/counties still have local rental assistance. Check your county's website or call their housing authority. 3. **Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)**: This federal program provides funding for job training and education. You might qualify for free certification programs in high-demand fields like CDL, medical assistant, or IT support. 4. **Texas Department of State Health Services**: They have emergency assistance programs that aren't widely advertised. The key is to apply for everything you might qualify for while working gig jobs. I've seen people turn their situations around, but it usually takes combining multiple forms of assistance rather than relying on just one program. Don't give up - there are more safety net programs available than most people realize.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just completed my ID.me verification 4 days ago and my account is still showing ineligible. This entire thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea it was a manual review process that could take up to 2 weeks. I've been panicking thinking I did something wrong with the verification. What really stood out to me was Victoria's advice about continuing to request payments even while showing ineligible. I wasn't sure if I should keep doing that, but it makes total sense to maintain the schedule so you don't miss out once it gets resolved. I also just set up text alerts after reading Giovanni's suggestion. The hardest part is definitely the uncertainty and lack of communication from TWC about what's happening behind the scenes. But knowing that 7-10 business days seems to be the normal timeline for most people gives me hope. I'll try to be patient for another week before considering calling or using that Claimyr service. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's such a relief to know this delay is unfortunately normal!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Completed my ID.me verification 8 days ago and still stuck on the dreaded "ineligible" status. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief - I was starting to convince myself that I had somehow screwed up the verification process. The most helpful thing I've learned from this thread is that it's actually a manual review process that can take 7-10+ business days, not some automatic system update like I initially thought. I've been checking my account like 5 times a day expecting it to magically flip to eligible overnight, which was just making my anxiety worse. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about continuing to request payments even while showing ineligible - that makes total sense so you don't miss out once everything gets resolved. Also just set up those text alerts that Giovanni mentioned so I can stop obsessively logging in every few hours. The lack of transparency from TWC is honestly the most frustrating part. A simple "verification under review - please allow 7-10 business days" message would save so much stress for all of us going through this. But knowing that most people eventually get it resolved within 2 weeks gives me hope. Thanks everyone for sharing your timelines and keeping each other sane during this nightmare waiting period!