Can I work part time and get unemployment in Texas TWC?

That's actually really helpful, thank you. I've heard TWC phone lines are brutal so this might save me a lot of time and stress.

My sister used it to ask about her severance situation and it worked the same way for her. She just got connected straight to an agent.

Wait so even though I'm still employed I can apply? I thought you had to be fully laid off.

Reduced hours absolutely count. You still apply the same way, and when you do your payment requests every two weeks you report what you actually earned each week. TWC then calculates what you get based on your weekly benefit amount.

Confirm this. Filed when my hours got slashed at my warehouse job and it worked fine. Just make sure you report every dollar you earn.

Okay this is making more sense now. So some weeks I might still get a partial payment even if I work, just not the full weekly benefit amount.

Exactly right. And the key thing is you report gross earnings for the week the work was done, not when you get your paycheck. So if you work Monday through Friday, that's the week you report it, even if the check comes the following Friday.

The 25 percent thing confused me at first too. Took me a couple payment requests to actually get it right.

So I'd have to be applying to other jobs even though I want to keep my current one? That seems strange.

You have to make the required number of work search activities. That can include contacting employers, attending career events, things like that. The requirement doesn't get waived just because you're still partially employed.

Don't skip the work search log part. I know someone who got flagged during a random audit and they had to pay back benefits because they couldn't prove they'd done their activities. Keep records of everything.

Ugh, I really didn't want my manager to know. But I guess I don't have a choice if I need help making ends meet.

Most employers in service industries know exactly what partial unemployment is. If your hours were legitimately cut it's unlikely to cause any real issue. The notice is just part of how TWC verifies the claim.

Right, and if your hours were genuinely reduced and your employer confirms that, your claim should move forward without any drama. The problems come up when there's a dispute about why the hours changed.

I didn't know there was a specific date to watch for. I'll make sure to check the mail carefully.

The payment request screen in UBS walks you through it question by question so it's not as confusing as it sounds once you're in there.

Tele-Serv at 800-558-8321 is Option 1 for payment requests if you can't get online for some reason. Worth saving that number.

Four weeks is a long time. So I should definitely not wait to apply then.

File today if you can. Every week you wait is a week TWC literally cannot pay you because the claim only covers from the Sunday of the week you file forward.

The waiting week thing trips everyone up. TWC holds the first payable week and doesn't release it until you've been paid an amount equal to twice your weekly benefit AND you've either gone back to full time work or used up all your benefits. So two things have to happen, not just one.

Oh I had no idea they were connected. Good to know before I run into some random block on my claim.

Yeah the same User ID and password work for both, plus there's a one-time code they send at each login for security. Just don't be surprised when it asks for that code every time.

The frustration is real. You still have to keep requesting payments on schedule during the whole wait even if nothing's been approved yet. If you don't, they won't pay those weeks later.

That part is confusing to everyone. You're filing requests for weeks that haven't been approved and you just have to trust the system will catch up. It eventually did for me but not without a lot of anxiety.

This is making me realize I should just get everything set up immediately rather than waiting to fully understand all the rules first.

Solid approach. The work search log in particular can be hard to reconstruct after the fact. Dates, employer names, what kind of contact you made - all of it.

Exactly. I just added a row every Sunday night for the week that just finished. Five minutes a week saved me a lot of trouble later.

I'm going to do this starting now. Thank you for the practical tip.

This is a really common error. The rule is Sunday through Saturday is one claim week, and whatever you earned by working in that period gets reported for that period. Paycheck timing doesn't matter.

Learned the hard way. The correction process wasn't terrible but it added more stress during an already stressful time.

Overpayments are brutal to deal with. TWC has to collect every cent back and there's no hardship exception, no way to get it forgiven. So much better to just report everything correctly from the start.

I don't do any side work currently but I'll remember this if that changes.

Even social media income if someone pays you to post something. TWC is pretty comprehensive about what counts as earnings.

Oh interesting, so the cut in my hours might actually not lower what TWC calculates? That's good news potentially.

The benefit amount is backward-looking at that base period, not at your current wages. And the weekly benefit amount maxes out at $619 currently for claims filed right now, minimum $76.

Right, and the maximum total benefits are either 26 times your weekly amount or 27% of all base period wages, whichever is less. So high earners sometimes hit that 27% cap sooner than 26 weeks.

Wage discrepancies on partial claims happen more than people realize, especially in the first couple months when everything is getting set up. Good to know there's a way to actually reach someone.

I'll keep that in mind once I get into the payment request phase and something seems off.

Texas is an at-will employment state so this is more complicated than that answer suggests. The retaliation claim would depend heavily on specific facts and circumstances. Best not to assume legal protection without understanding your specific situation.

ok fair point i was oversimplifying. just saying it's your right to file and many employers don't even blink at it

How did you know it was in adjudication? Does UBS tell you that?

Yes, in UBS under your payment history it'll show the status for each week. Some weeks say processed and paid, some say adjudication. Check it regularly but don't stop requesting.

The adjudication thing worries a lot of people but it just means TWC is reviewing something. Keep requesting and don't assume a denial until you actually get a written determination.

My letter said three activities a week and I had a coworker insisting it was five everywhere in Texas. The letter is what matters, not what someone else's county requires.

Exactly. Five is the number for the biggest counties but plenty of places have lower requirements. Your letter tells you yours.

The withholding election is in UBS settings. You can turn it on or off during the claim. For people who are only partially unemployed and still getting wages too, the tax situation can get a little complex depending on your overall income.

TWC mails a 1099-G in January and you can also find it in UBS under IRS Tax Information. Keep that form safe for when you file.

That's reassuring. My manager actually told me in front of two coworkers that it was the slow season, so the reason is pretty clear.

Keep any texts or emails about it if you have them. Not because you'll necessarily need them but just in case there's ever a question during the claims process.

Soft documentation is smart. Even a note you wrote yourself right after the conversation with the date on it can help if something unexpected comes up.

Setting up direct deposit sounds smarter. I'll do that in UBS as soon as I get the application submitted.

You can set it up during the application or any time after in your UBS account settings. Just make sure your bank info is accurate because correcting a wrong account number takes time you don't want to lose.

The ReliaCard is fine if you don't mind having a separate card, but direct deposit is definitely simpler if you want it going straight to your checking account.

Good to know it works for specific questions like that too, not just big claim issues.

Had a similar experience using it for a question about reporting a one-time freelance payment. Got the answer I needed and filed correctly.