Do I still request the waiting week if it's my final TWC payment with no job yet?
Hi everyone, I'm at the end of my unemployment benefits (exhausting next week) and still haven't found work despite applying everywhere. I'm confused about the waiting week situation. Do I still need to request payment for my waiting week even though it's my final payment request? My regular benefits are about to run out and I'm not sure if I need to do anything special for this last request since I don't have a job lined up yet. The TWC website isn't clear about this specific situation and I really need that waiting week payment to cover bills until something comes through. Any help appreciated!
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Sean Murphy
Yes, you absolutely should request your waiting week payment! The waiting week is the first payable week of your claim that TWC initially holds back. You become eligible to receive that week after you've received 3 times your weekly benefit amount AND either return to full-time work or exhaust your benefits. Since you're exhausting your benefits, you qualify to receive it now. Make sure to request it just like a normal payment request - same process, same work search requirements. Don't leave that money on the table!
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Anastasia Ivanova
•Thank you so much! So I just do the regular payment request through the portal or Tele-Serv like usual? Will it automatically know this includes my waiting week or do I need to specify something?
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StarStrider
just went thru this last month. u definitely need to request it!! its YOUR money they been holding. do exactly what u normally do for payment request. system knows its ur waiting week.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•Thanks! That's a relief. Did you get the waiting week payment on the same schedule as regular payments?
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Zara Malik
When I exhausted my benefits in January, I was so confused about this too! The TWC system is NOT user-friendly at all. Yes, request your waiting week payment just like any other payment. BUT be prepared that it might take a little longer to process than your regular payments did. Mine took about 10 days instead of the usual 2-3 days. Make sure you've completed all your work search activities too - I had to report 3 per week in my county.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•That's really helpful to know it might take longer! I've been doing my work search activities consistently (5 per week in my area), so hopefully that part will be fine.
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Luca Marino
WRONG INFO ABOVE!!!! You only get waiting week if you go back to WORK for at least 4 weeks!!!! TWC keeps that money if you don't find a job!!!!
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Sean Murphy
•That's not correct information. The TWC policy clearly states you can receive your waiting week payment if you either 1) return to full-time work OR 2) exhaust your benefits. The original poster mentioned they're exhausting benefits, so they qualify. Here's the exact wording from TWC: you can receive the waiting week payment when you have 'received benefits equal to three times your weekly benefit amount and returned to full-time work OR exhausted all of your benefits.' Both scenarios qualify you for the waiting week payment.
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Nia Davis
I recommend trying to contact TWC directly about this since everyone is saying something different. I tried for 3 days to get through using the regular number but kept getting busy signals or disconnected. Then I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to a TWC agent in about 20 minutes. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh. The agent confirmed I was eligible for my waiting week since I was exhausting benefits, and they actually helped process it while on the call. Saved me a ton of stress.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•Thanks for the tip. I've been trying to call for days with no luck. Might try this if my payment doesn't show up within a couple weeks.
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Mateo Perez
When I exhausted my benefits last September, I absolutely received my waiting week payment without returning to work. The key is that you must have received benefits equal to 3 times your weekly benefit amount (which happens pretty quickly) AND either returned to work OR exhausted benefits. Since you're exhausting benefits, you qualify. Make your payment request as usual, but be aware that your waiting week payment might be slightly different than your regular benefit amount because it's not eligible for any federal supplements (though those aren't active now anyway). Also, they will withhold taxes if you opted for tax withholding on your regular benefits.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•This is super helpful, especially the part about taxes being withheld! I did opt for tax withholding so that's good to know. Really appreciate the detailed explanation.
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Aisha Rahman
This whole system is such a joke. They hold onto our money for the entire claim period and then make it confusing to get it back. Classic TWC bureaucracy. I exhausted my benefits in March and had to follow up THREE TIMES to get my waiting week. The agents kept giving different information every time I called. What a nightmare.
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CosmicCrusader
•Same experience here! One agent told me I wasn't eligible, another said I was but needed to submit a special request, and the third finally processed it correctly. The inconsistency in training is unbelievable. I spent hours on the phone getting transferred around before finding someone who knew what they were doing.
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Anastasia Ivanova
Update: I submitted my final payment request including the waiting week yesterday through the online portal. The system didn't look any different than usual, but I made sure to complete all my work search activities. Crossing my fingers it processes correctly! Thanks everyone for your help.
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Sean Murphy
Good job! Just to set expectations - it typically takes 2-3 business days for regular payment processing, but as someone mentioned earlier, the waiting week might take a bit longer. If you don't see it pending in your account after 7-10 business days, that's when I'd recommend following up. Hope it comes through quickly for you!
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