Can get unemployment if fired? What Texas TWC actually looks at

So they actually contact my employer too? I didn't realize it was a back and forth thing. My old supervisor has been pretty hostile so I'm worried about what they might say.

yeah twc mails your last employer a notice and they have like 14 days to respond with their side of things. then TWC looks at both and makes a call. your employer saying something negative isn't automatically a disqualification, they'd need to actually show misconduct happened

That makes sense, I'll just make sure I document everything I can remember about my employment there. I kept a few emails that show I was doing my job fine.

this is right. i got fired from a call center job in early 2026 and was terrified TWC would just rubber stamp whatever my employer said but they actually looked at whether what I did counted as misconduct and approved my claim

Knowing there's an appeal option makes me feel a bit better. I'll keep requesting payments while I wait like I read I'm supposed to do.

Don't forget you should be doing your required work search activities every week too, even while the claim is pending. TWC mails you a letter with your specific number based on your county.

My claim just entered adjudication so this is actually really timely. I might use that if the waiting gets too bad.

My sister used it when she got fired from a restaurant job and needed to ask TWC whether a performance improvement plan her employer mentioned counted as documentation of misconduct. The agent walked through her specific situation with her.

going to bookmark that for when my own adjudication starts, been waiting forever just to hear something

I actually do have a few emails from my supervisor complimenting my work about two months before I got fired. That should help show there wasn't some ongoing documented issue right?

That kind of thing can definitely support your side of the story. Just be ready to explain the full timeline clearly when TWC asks for information.

the emails thing is smart. i wish i had saved more stuff when i got fired last year

Not automatically approved, it depends on the specifics. The distinction is roughly whether you intentionally failed to do your job or if the company just had expectations you didn't meet. There's no guarantee either way but performance complaints alone don't equal misconduct in most cases.

ok that makes more sense. so i should just file and see what they say

definitely file, the worst case is a denial you can appeal within 14 days of when the determination letter is mailed to you

Four weeks is about what I've been told to expect. Did you just keep submitting your payment requests during that whole waiting period?

Yes, every two weeks on schedule. That part is super important because TWC only pays weeks you actually requested on time. Don't wait for the determination to come through before you start requesting.

the payment request timing thing trips so many people up. file them even before you hear anything back about eligibility

That's actually a pretty common myth. Being fired doesn't automatically disqualify you. It depends on whether TWC determines the reason was misconduct or not. A layoff, a business cutting positions, or a firing that wasn't for misconduct can all lead to approved claims.

oh wow okay i had no idea. my coworker was so confident about it too lol

A lot of people assume that because getting fired sounds bad, but TWC treats it differently than quitting without a good reason. The analysis is about what actually happened, not just the label your employer puts on it.

I did set up my WorkInTexas.com account when I filed. Is there anything specific I need to do with it beyond registering?

Keep your profile updated and log all your job applications and contacts. TWC can ask to see your work search log at any time so you want to have dates, company names and what kind of contact you made all written down.

i learned that lesson the hard way. kept meaning to log everything and then when twc asked I scrambled to piece it together from my email history

TWC looks at whether what you actually did rises to the level of misconduct as they define it. Making mistakes generally isn't the same as intentionally neglecting your job or violating policy. Even if some of their complaints about you had a grain of truth, that doesn't automatically mean misconduct. It's more about intent and severity than whether anything went wrong.

okay so it's not like they add up points against me and I lose if I hit a certain number

Right, it's more of a qualitative judgment about whether the reason for firing was actually misconduct, not a scorecard. Just give TWC your honest account of what happened.

Work search requirements start from the week you file, not when you get approved. You need to be doing the required activities every week your claim is active, including while you're waiting for a determination. Don't wait to start logging.

ugh okay glad I asked before I just sat around waiting. starting today

The letter TWC mails you will confirm your specific number. If you're in Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar or Travis county it's five activities a week. Other counties vary so check your letter when it comes.

That could definitely be relevant. If your employer claims you violated a policy but can't point to written documentation of it, that's something TWC would take into account. Make sure you tell TWC in your own account that the policy wasn't formally documented.

i have my employee handbook from when i started and the thing they cited isn't in there at all. should I mention the handbook specifically?

Bring that up when TWC contacts you for your side of things. Concrete details like that are exactly the kind of thing that helps your account. If the handbook is a document you have, keep it somewhere you can reference it.

It's 14 calendar days from the date the determination was mailed, which is printed right at the top of the letter, not from when you receive it. So open it immediately and don't wait. You appeal in writing through UBS online, in person at a Workforce Solutions office, or by mail or fax.

The date on mine is from two weeks ago and I just got it today because I was out of town. Am I already past the deadline?

If the mailing date plus 14 days has passed you're in a tough spot but it's worth contacting TWC directly to ask. Some circumstances may affect what options you have. Don't just assume it's over without asking.

that's such a frustrating design. the clock runs from when they mail it not when you actually get it

The weekly benefit amount has nothing to do with how you separated from your employer. It's calculated from your earnings during your base period, specifically the highest earning quarter divided by 25, up to a maximum. The reason for separation affects whether you're eligible, not how much you receive.

oh that's a relief, i was worried being fired would somehow reduce my check amount

The only thing that affects the weekly amount is your past wages. Fired, laid off, or anything else, the formula is the same if you're approved.

I hadn't realized they could send multiple letters for different issues. So I need to read every single letter they send carefully and not just assume one good letter means everything is fine.

Exactly. Each determination stands on its own. One determination that says it cannot pay you is enough to stop benefits even if other determinations came back in your favor.

this tripped up my neighbor who thought he was good after getting one approval letter and then a second letter came saying he had a work search issue that blocked payment

Give TWC your account of things honestly and completely. If there was no safety incident from your perspective, say that clearly when TWC asks for your statement. If you have anything from your time working there that speaks to your safety record, like training completions or anything showing normal operations, that's worth mentioning.

I used claimyr.com to get through to that agent because I'd been trying to reach TWC for three days with no luck. Worth it just to find out what the actual issue was so I could respond to it properly.

How did you know what to say when the agent answered? I'm always worried I'll forget something important on a stressful call like that.

I wrote down everything I wanted to ask before the call. Having it on paper in front of me made a huge difference. The agent was actually pretty thorough once I got through.

TWC typically reaches out to get information from both sides during the adjudication process. It might be a written questionnaire, a request to log in and answer questions through UBS, or a phone call depending on the situation. If they contact you, respond promptly because delays can slow everything down.

He waited like a week to respond to theirs and it caused a bunch of delays. Good thing he eventually got it sorted out.

responding fast is so important. i made the mistake of letting a TWC notice sit for a few days once and it pushed everything back significantly

You can still file for the weeks between jobs as long as you're otherwise eligible. Once you start the new job you'd stop being eligible but those in-between weeks may be payable. File as soon as you're unemployed, not right before the new job starts.

so it might only be a few weeks of payments but it's still worth doing?

Definitely worth filing. Even a couple of weeks of benefits is money you're entitled to if you qualify. The claim starts the Sunday of the week you file so don't wait.

Wait, so that first week just sits there until the end? That seems like a long time to wait for it.

It pays out when you return to full-time work, at which point you'd go into UBS to request it, or when you've exhausted your benefits. The good news is it doesn't disappear, just holds.

i thought the waiting week was just the first week where nothing happens and you don't get paid for it at all. good to know it comes back eventually

This is genuinely good to hear after all the stress of the past few weeks. I'm still in adjudication but seeing someone come out the other side approved helps.

Just make sure you used claimyr.com or tried early morning calls if you ever need to reach TWC directly. I had to reach them once during my claim and the hold times were brutal otherwise.

Congrats on the approval. The process is frustrating but it does move forward eventually.

This is the kind of update threads need. Good for you for staying on top of the payment requests the whole time.