Company suddenly shut down today - urgent questions about final paycheck and TWC benefits

I'm really sorry to hear about your husband's job situation. Sudden company shutdowns are incredibly stressful.\n\nRegarding the final paycheck: Yes, Texas law requires final paychecks within 6 days of termination. Since the company shut down abruptly, they should still comply with this law. However, if they were closing due to financial problems, there's a chance of delays. The method of payment should match his normal paycheck method (direct deposit or check), but in shutdown situations, sometimes they mail physical checks instead. Document everything right now - hours worked, normal pay rate, PTO owed, etc.\n\nAs for unemployment: TWC typically takes 2-3 weeks to process new claims, but it can be faster or slower depending on their current workload. And yes, TWC benefits are roughly 40-50% of your husband's average weekly wage up to the maximum benefit amount ($654 per week currently). The exact amount depends on his earnings history.\n\nMake sure he requests payment every two weeks as scheduled even if his initial claim is still pending. Also, he needs to register with WorkInTexas.com and begin documenting at least 3 work search activities each week.

Thank you for this detailed response! That's really helpful. I didn't realize he needs to request payment every two weeks even while the claim is pending - I'll make sure he does that. And I'll tell him about the WorkInTexas registration too.\n\nDo you know if there's any way to check his claim status online? Or does he just have to wait for something in the mail from TWC?

Been thru this exact thing last year with a tech startup. The paycheck situation is tricky - theoretically yes they have 6 days but when companies fold they sometimes don't follow the rules. Document EVERYTHING. Take screenshots of his last few pay stubs if he has online access. If they don't pay within 6 days, you can file a wage claim with the Texas Workforce Commission. The tricky part is finding who to hold accountable when a company vanishes.\n\nFor unemployment - my claim took exactly 14 days to process last year. Your husband should be able to see his claim status on the TWC website (ui.texasworkforce.org). And yes, the benefit amount is roughly half of what he was making, up to the maximum. Mine worked out to about 43% of my previous income.\n\nMake sure he responds to ANY correspondence from TWC immediately. They will sometimes request additional info and if you miss those deadlines it can really delay things.

Not totally true about the wage claim. If the company filed bankruptcy, the wage claim process gets WAY more complicated. Happened to my brother-in-law. He had to file as a creditor in the bankruptcy court and ended up getting like 30% of what he was owed after 8 months. Total BS how they treat workers when companies fold.

OMG the exact same thing happened at my job last year!! Everyone showed up and doors were LOCKED! No warning at all! We all stood in the parking lot confused until someone found an email from the CEO saying they were \

5 weeks?! That's terrifying. We really can't go that long without income. Were you able to do anything to speed up the process?

when my company closed we never got r final checks at all. had to file wage claims with twc. took like 4 months to get the money. unemployment was about 40% of my normal pay not half. make sure he does the payment requests every 2 weeks exactly when theyre due or it messes everything up.

That's awful you never got your final check! I'm starting to get really worried about whether they'll pay him at all. Did you have to provide any special documentation for your wage claim?

After reading everyone's comments, I want to emphasize something important: your husband needs to be EXTREMELY diligent about his work search requirements. TWC requires 3 work search activities every week, and they DO audit these. I've seen people lose benefits because they thought it wasn't a big deal or that they'd get a job quickly.\n\nAlso, make sure he knows exactly which day his payment requests are due. TWC assigns a specific schedule, and missing it can cause major delays.\n\nOne more tip - if the claim gets stuck in processing or you need answers fast, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to TWC. They got me connected to an actual person at TWC when I couldn't get through for weeks. They have a video demo of how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh \n\nIt was the only way I could resolve my identity verification issue that was holding up my claim for almost a month.

Thank you for the tips about the work search requirements! I'll make sure he keeps detailed records of his job search activities.\n\nI've never heard of Claimyr before - did it actually work to get through to TWC? The wait times sound terrible from what everyone is saying. I'll check out that video.

I wanna address your question about the benefit amount - it's not exactly half. TWC calculates your husband's benefit amount based on his earnings during the \

Thanks for explaining that! I'll look for the calculator on the TWC website. His income has been pretty consistent for the past year, so hopefully that makes the calculation straightforward.

Just to add to what everyones saying - make ABSOLUTELY SURE he sets up his ID.me verification correctly! This is the number one thing that delays claims now. TWC requires this identity verification and if it doesn't match perfectly or if there are ANY issues with it, the claim gets stuck in limbo forever. Made that mistake and it took 7 weeks to fix.\n\nAlso, did the company give ANY kind of WARN notice? If they had over 100 employees and didn't provide 60 days notice of mass layoff, they violated federal law and he might have additional claims beyond just unemployment.

This is excellent advice about ID.me - that system is incredibly picky! And you're absolutely right about the WARN Act. Any company with 100+ employees must provide 60 days notice for mass layoffs or pay 60 days of wages/benefits. Definitely worth looking into if the company was that size.

Following up on your question about checking claim status - yes, he can check his status online through the TWC unemployment portal (ui.texasworkforce.org). Once his claim is processed, he'll see his benefit amount, remaining balance, and payment request schedule there.\n\nIf the company truly shut down permanently, he should also gather evidence of this. Sometimes TWC requires proof of job separation, and having documentation ready (emails, news articles about the closure, communication from supervisors, etc.) can prevent delays in the approval process.\n\nAlso, make sure he selects \

Thank you for the follow-up! I'll make sure he checks his TWC portal regularly. He does have some emails from today and screenshots of workplace chat messages about the shutdown, so hopefully that will be sufficient documentation if they ask for it.

After seeing people mention ID.me - YES THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!! When I got laid off, the ID.me verification was a NIGHTMARE. The system kept rejecting my husband's driver's license for some reason, and we had to do a video call verification that took FOREVER to schedule. Make sure he does this ASAP if he hasn't already!!

This is a common issue with ID.me. If anyone has trouble with the automated verification, don't wait - immediately schedule the video verification option. The wait times for video verification appointments can be 1-2 weeks, so doing this early can save a lot of claim processing time.

btw after u do the id.me thing make sure u log back into the twc unemployment account again. alot of ppl think there done after id.me but u have to go back and finish the claim on the twc site. also the first payment is always the slowest, after that its usualy pretty quick if u do the payment requests right

That's great to know! I'll make sure he completes both steps. So after the initial approval, the subsequent payments should come more quickly?