Can I receive unemployment and social security at the same time? Texas TWC question

That's genuinely the first clear answer I've gotten on this. So TWC doesn't reduce the weekly benefit amount based on what I'm getting from Social Security?

Confirmed on this. SSI and SSDI work differently from retirement SS but regular Social Security retirement specifically is not deducted by TWC. The rule is different for pensions from employers you worked for during your base period - those DO get deducted. Worth knowing the difference.

The base period pension thing is making me think - I do have a small pension from a company I left about 8 years ago. Would that count as a base period employer?

Half a day redialing sounds exactly like what I was dreading. Did they handle questions about multiple income sources in one call or do you have to call back separately for different issues?

The queue thing is real, TWC lines are brutal. Might try that myself since I have a severance question that's been sitting unanswered for two weeks.

Okay that's actually really helpful. Left that company in 2018 so it's definitely not in my base period. Sounds like the pension is safe.

Wait so they look back over a year for the base period? I thought it was just the last 6 months of work.

Four full calendar quarters, so it's closer to 15-16 months back from when you file. Quarter means January-March, April-June, etc. The most recent completed quarter before you apply doesn't even count - that's why it's the first four of the LAST five.

Yeah the layoff part at least feels straightforward. My concern was more about the SS piece disqualifying me somehow.

The clean separation definitely matters. My buddy had a layoff claim sail through in about 3.5 weeks from filing to first payment. Yours being a clear contract-loss situation should look similar.

Makes sense - I'm on regular retirement, took it at 62. I can absolutely work full time, just got laid off.

This is an important distinction because I've seen people get tripped up by their SSDI when they try to file unemployment. The 'able and available' requirement every week is not optional.

Exactly - and it's not just at filing, it's every payment request. If something changes your availability during the benefit year you need to flag it.

I'm in Galveston County - wonder what the number is there. I assume the letter will tell me exactly?

The letter TWC sends after you apply will have your exact number. That letter is what counts - don't guess from what you read online because it varies by county and can change.

Also register on WorkInTexas.com if you haven't, that's required as part of the work search setup. Same login as UBS which is convenient.

ID verification - is that something I'll get separately in the mail or does it show up in UBS?

She got a notice through UBS and I think also by mail. You do it through ID.me online. If you pick the in-person post office option there's a 7-day deadline to finish it after you get the USPS code, so don't sit on it.

The ID.me online route doesn't have a hard deadline the way the post office option does, but obviously you don't want to delay it because it holds up your whole claim.

If the highest quarter was something like $22,000 that would put me right around $880 divided by 25... wait that math gives me $880, but you said $619 is the max?

Right - the formula can produce a number higher than the cap but $619 is the ceiling regardless. So if your calculation comes out above $619, you get $619. You'll see your actual determined amount in UBS after TWC processes your claim.

The 26-week maximum is worth knowing too - it's 26 times your weekly amount OR 27% of all your base period wages, whichever is less. High earners sometimes hit the percentage ceiling before the week ceiling.

About four weeks is typical from application to first decision letter, sometimes a bit more. The employer has 14 days to respond to TWC's notice before they can even finalize anything. Frustrating but unfortunately pretty normal.

FOUR WEEKS. I have bills due next week not in four weeks.

While you wait, make sure you're submitting your payment requests on the schedule TWC gave you - even without an eligibility decision you file them on time. If you get approved, they pay the weeks you requested on schedule. Miss the request window and that week is just gone.

UBS shows a payment request section separately from the application section right? I want to make sure I'm looking in the right place.

Yes, once your claim is set up UBS shows the payment request option distinctly. TWC also mails instructions with the date your first payment request should be made - look for that letter called something like 'Instructions: Requesting Benefit Payments.

Tele-Serv at 800-558-8321 Option 1 also works for payment requests if you prefer phone over the website. Some people find it faster.

How specific were they able to get about the pension calculation? Like did they actually tell you upfront whether it would affect your payment or just that you had to report it?

They were pretty specific about what type of pension it was and what reporting I needed to do. TWC mails you a determination on the pension separately - the agent explained what to expect and that helped me understand the letter when it arrived.

Good to know about the pension determination being separate. I've been wondering what to do about a lump sum severance situation and sounds like that's also something TWC sends a decision on individually.

Wait so I'll never see that first week paid out unless I go back to work?

You will see it - but only once you hit both conditions. If you exhaust all your benefits without going back to work, TWC pays it then. If you return to full-time work first, there's a way to request it through UBS or Tele-Serv. Either way it eventually comes.

Someone told me the waiting week just disappears after two payments and that's wrong. It's both the payment amount condition AND either returning to work or exhausting benefits. Both conditions together.

I've been doing some small consulting jobs on the side since the layoff - nothing huge, maybe $200-300 some weeks. Sounds like I need to be reporting that on every payment request.

Every payment request, yes. The form asks week by week. Report gross earnings for the week the work was done. Self-employed you'd report net profit. Don't skip it - unreported work is how people end up with overpayment problems.

And overpayments are not forgiven or dismissed no matter what - TWC has to recover every dollar, even if it was their own error that caused it. Report everything accurately upfront and you avoid all of that.

Feels a lot clearer after reading through this thread. When I first posted I was genuinely expecting someone to tell me the SS disqualified me entirely.

That's the outdated understanding a lot of people have. Texas specifically does not deduct Social Security retirement - pensions from base period employers yes, SS retirement no. Night and day difference.

That's actually exactly what I was going to do - put the SS down on the payment request to be safe. So I leave that field blank for SS?

Based on what the agent told my brother-in-law, yes - but honestly for your own peace of mind call and confirm because the payment request form asks about income from other sources and you don't want to either over-report or under-report by mistake.

Agreed that a direct call is worth it for something that affects every single payment request you'll make over potentially 26 weeks. It's the kind of question that takes two minutes to get answered definitively by an agent.

Good point - hadn't even thought about the tax piece yet. I'll probably just opt for the withholding to keep it simple.

You set that up in UBS. It's not automatic, you have to actually elect it. Worth doing early.

The 1099-G also shows up in UBS under the tax information section if you ever need to pull it before January or need a copy.

Did they give you any timeline on when to expect that pension determination letter?

Agent said to watch the mail and also check UBS since determinations sometimes post there. Didn't give a specific number of days but said it comes separately from the main eligibility decision.

Gonna try that myself. I need someone to actually explain my pending status and the form letters I keep getting are useless.

For the first eight weeks TWC expects you to accept suitable work paying at least 90% of what you normally made. After eight weeks that threshold drops to 75%. Part-time work by itself doesn't necessarily end eligibility but it has to be reported and it affects your payment for that week.

The 'available for full time work' piece is about being ready and able to accept full time work - it doesn't mean you're forced to take every offer. But refusing suitable work can be an issue so know the thresholds.

Okay so rejecting part time work below my normal wage during the first 8 weeks would probably be fine since it's both part time and lower pay. Good to know.

Did the full profile including resume upload. WorkInTexas.com and UBS use the same login which was convenient.

Perfect, that's the right move. Some people create an account and forget to fully register which can cause issues later during a work search audit.