Can you get unemployment if you are on social security? Texas TWC question

That's such a relief to hear. So retirement SS is treated differently from disability SS when it comes to TWC? I'm on straight retirement, not disability, so it sounds like I should be okay.

Yep that's how it works. Retirement doesn't come off your benefit, but ability and availability to work full-time is still something TWC looks at every week regardless.

Makes sense. I'm definitely available for full-time work, the warehouse job was part-time by choice so that shouldn't be an issue.

Pensions only get deducted if they're from an employer who was in your base period — like if your old company pays you a pension, that might reduce your UI. Social Security retirement is totally separate and TWC doesn't take it off. Completely different thing.

oh ok didn't realize there was a distinction there, thanks for the correction

I did see a question about other income when I was filing the initial application. I listed the Social Security amount there. Hoping that's all they needed from me upfront.

My situation involves a small pension on top of everything so I want to make sure I report things right too. Might try that to get specifics on mine.

The other income question on the application is the right place for it. Good that you already did that.

I did get a letter about payment requests and the dates, so I knew that part was coming. First one should be in a few days. Do I keep reporting the Social Security amount on every payment request?

Every payment request asks about income from other sources, so yes, report it each time. Better to report it than skip it.

Definitely report it every time. The payment request form asks week by week and you just answer honestly each time around.

I worked there for four years steady even if it was part-time, so I had wages in multiple quarters. Hoping the numbers work out. I won't know the actual weekly amount until the determination comes through.

Four years of steady wages even part-time should give you a solid base period. The weekly amount is basically your highest quarter divided by 25, so you can get a rough estimate if you have your pay stubs.

right if your best quarter had decent hours that number can be higher than you'd expect from a part-time gig

Work search is required yes. The number of activities per week depends on which county you're in — TWC mails you a letter with your specific number after you apply. Some counties require more than others. Keep a log of everything you do because TWC can ask to see it at any time.

Okay so I need to wait for that letter before I know my exact number. Got it. I registered on WorkInTexas.com already, is that one of the activities?

Registering is required but it's a one-time thing, not a recurring weekly activity. Your weekly activities are things like submitting applications, attending job fairs, things like that. The letter will spell out what counts.

Adjudication just means TWC is looking into something before they can make a decision — could be the job separation, a work search question, anything. It doesn't automatically mean bad news. You just have to wait for a determination letter.

okay that makes me feel a little better. How long does that usually take?

The determination can take around four weeks from when you applied. TWC mails separate determinations for each issue they look at.

Keep submitting payment requests on schedule the whole time even with adjudication pending. You won't get paid until it clears but if you miss a payment request window you lose that week.

Different things. The base period is the four quarters of your past wages TWC uses to figure out if you qualify and how much you get. The benefit year is the 52 weeks from when you applied, which is how long you have to collect whatever you're entitled to.

okay that actually makes a lot of sense when you explain it that way, thank you

I mixed these up for weeks before someone explained it to me. Very common confusion.

The card takes up to 10 business days after your first payment to arrive. If it's been longer than that you can contact U.S. Bank directly or call TWC. Also double check that you've actually had a first payment processed, not just an approval.

Ah — I might not have had an actual first payment yet. Still waiting on the first one. That would explain it.

yeah the card doesn't ship until actual money moves so approval alone doesn't trigger it

So the waiting week isn't just automatically released after a couple payments?

Both conditions have to be met. Two times the weekly amount paid out, plus returning to full-time work or exhausting benefits. If you return to work you have to actively request it — it doesn't happen on its own.

Good to know. I would have assumed it just came automatically after a while.

I didn't know you had to request it manually if you go back to work. Would have missed that.

Yes, gig work counts. All work counts — side jobs, gig apps, reselling, everything. For self-employed work you report net profit. And you report it for the week you did the work, not when the app pays you out.

Okay noted. So if I drove on a Saturday I report it in that Sunday-to-Saturday week even if the deposit hits my account the following week. Got it.

I did not know it was based on when you worked, not when you got paid. That's an important detail.

It's genuinely terrible. I had the same experience. I ended up checking UBS obsessively every day for updates instead.

UBS just shows the same status for weeks with no explanation. I need an actual human.

Used claimyr.com last week to get through for my own claim — needed to ask about a determination letter I didn't understand. It waits on hold for you and calls you back when a live agent picks up. Agent walked me through exactly what the determination meant and what my next step was.

Not right at all. Social Security retirement doesn't disqualify you from unemployment. You still have to meet the regular requirements — base period wages, job separation not being your fault, available for full-time work, doing your work search activities. SS retirement just doesn't reduce your weekly amount on top of that.

Okay good. My cousin was pretty confident about it and had me worried for a minute.

A lot of people assume SS and unemployment can't go together. It's one of those things that sounds logical but isn't actually how the rule works.

Call TWC's Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 as soon as you can to correct it. Don't just leave it because unreported earnings can turn into an overpayment situation and those have to be repaid.

Is an overpayment a big deal if it was an honest mistake?

TWC has to recover every overpayment no matter what, even if it wasn't intentional. There's no forgiveness or hardship exception. So getting ahead of it by calling to correct the record is way better than waiting.

This is exactly why I'm scared of this whole process. Easy to mess something up and then owe money back.

Yes, 25% of your weekly benefit amount is the threshold. Anything up to that, no reduction. Above it, the extra amount comes off your payment dollar for dollar. So if your weekly amount is $400, you can earn $100 and get the full $400. Earn $150 and your payment drops by $50.

okay so it doesn't just cut off completely, it tapers. that's actually more reasonable than I expected

Right. Earning more than the weekly amount plus that 25% buffer is the point where you'd get nothing for that week.

I did register there, the application process walked me through it. It uses the same login as UBS which I thought was convenient.

Good — a lot of people miss that step and then run into issues when TWC checks.

didn't realize they're the same login, that actually makes things simpler

So SSDI and SSI are more complicated than regular retirement SS when it comes to unemployment?

Yes, because eligibility for those programs often involves showing limited work capacity. Unemployment requires the opposite — that you're able and ready for full-time work. They're not impossible to have at the same time but it depends on your specific situation.

This distinction is worth understanding before filing. Good that someone clarified this in the thread.

Really glad to hear this. Gives me some hope. Did Social Security come up at all in your determination, or was it just standard approval language?

Just standard language. Social Security wasn't mentioned at all in mine. I had reported it on the application and no one made it into an issue.

This is reassuring. I've been worried the SS piece would trigger extra scrutiny.

Bring documentation — photos, incident reports, anything that shows conditions were unsafe. For a quit to be considered good cause under TWC rules, you generally need to show the conditions were genuinely dangerous and that you tried to get them fixed before you left. Documented proof is what moves these hearings.

I did report the safety issues to management in writing a couple months before I quit so I have emails. Hoping that helps.

Written documentation like that is exactly what you want. Keep requesting payment on schedule the whole time the appeal is processing — if you stop making requests and later win, you won't get paid for the weeks you skipped.

Good luck with the hearing. The process is slow but appeals do get won with the right documentation.

TWC doesn't report your unemployment benefits to Social Security in a way that would affect your retirement payments. What does matter is federal taxes — unemployment is taxable income and you'll get a 1099-G from TWC in January. Social Security benefits are a separate tax question entirely.

Okay good. I was worried collecting unemployment would somehow mess with my Social Security.

Unemployment benefits don't affect your Social Security retirement amount. They're completely separate systems.

Glad this came up. I had the same underlying worry and now I feel settled about the whole thing. Filed my first payment request yesterday, everything looks normal on my end so far.

TWC can ask to see your work search log at any time — it says so right in the requirements they send you. Most people never get asked, but if they do request it and you don't have it, your benefits can be stopped. Keep the log every week regardless.

I've been keeping mine in a Notes app on my phone, is that acceptable?

The format doesn't matter as long as it has the employer name, contact info, date, and type of activity. Phone app, spreadsheet, paper — whatever you'll actually maintain consistently.

i use a google doc, been doing it since week one just in case

Address issues with TWC mail are so stressful. Glad you got that sorted out before a deadline passed.

The agent confirmed my appeal window hadn't closed yet so I was still okay. Would have been a disaster if I'd just waited.