Does TWC automatically know when you return to work or do you have to report it?

TWC does NOT automatically know when you return to work. You MUST report it when you request your payment for the period where you worked. Make sure to report ANY work and earnings during your payment request, even if it's just one day or a few hours. Eventually they'll find out through employer tax reporting, but that could be months later, resulting in an overpayment notice.

Congrats on the new job!! 🎉

You need to report that you're working when you make your payment request. There will be questions asking if you worked during the period and if you're still unemployed. Answer honestly that you worked and report your earnings. If you're fully employed and no longer need benefits, you can simply stop requesting payments after properly reporting your work. TWC will eventually close your claim after a few missed payment requests. Don't wait for TWC to "automatically" discover it through tax records - that's how people end up with overpayment notices and potential fraud investigations.

I had a similar question last year. TWC does not know automatically when you go back to work. When you do your payment request, you'll need to report your work and earnings. The system will ask if you worked during each week of the claim period and how much you earned (before taxes). Be super careful to report accurate earnings for the specific claim weeks. For example, if you worked April 1-7 but won't get paid until April 15, you still report those hours for the April 1-7 period. It's when you WORKED, not when you got PAID that matters to TWC. After that, you can just stop requesting payments. Your claim stays open for a year from when you filed, but if you don't request payments, you won't receive any benefits.

UGH the TWC system is such a mess! I went back to work part-time and reported everything correctly on my payment requests. They STILL overpaid me somehow and sent me a bill six months later!!! Had to spend HOURS on the phone trying to get it fixed. The whole system is set up to fail regular people.

Quick tip - I know it can be nearly impossible to reach TWC by phone if you do end up with any issues. When I had questions about reporting my return to work, I used Claimyr to get through to TWC in about 15 minutes instead of spending days calling. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh and their website is claimyr.com. It was super helpful for getting a quick answer about how to properly report my earnings.

Make sure u dont just ghost ur unemployment! My sister did that when she got hired and TWC flagged her account for fraud review! Always report ur work on ur last payment request. But after that u can just stop requesting payments and ur good.

One more important thing - if for some reason your new job doesn't work out during the first few weeks, you may be able to reopen your existing claim without filing a whole new application. You'd just start requesting payments again (assuming you're still within your benefit year). Just make sure you accurately report any work and earnings during those weeks.

Just wanted to add - keep documentation of everything! Screenshot your final payment request where you report your work, save any confirmation emails, and keep records of your start date and earnings. If TWC ever questions anything later, having that paper trail will save you a huge headache. I learned this the hard way when they questioned my earnings calculation months after I'd gone back to work. Good luck with the new job!

Really solid advice in this thread! Just to summarize the key points for anyone else reading: 1) TWC does NOT automatically know when you return to work, 2) You MUST report work and earnings on your payment request for the period you worked, 3) After properly reporting, you can simply stop requesting payments, and 4) Keep documentation of everything. The overpayment horror stories here are real - I've seen too many people get burned by assuming TWC would just figure it out. Better to over-communicate than deal with fraud investigations later. Congrats on the new job @Sean O'Donnell!

Great advice from everyone here! I just went through this exact situation a few months ago. One thing I'll add - when you do your final payment request and report your work, make sure you enter your GROSS earnings (before taxes), not your net pay. I made that mistake initially and had to call TWC to correct it. Also, if you worked any hours during your waiting week or have any vacation/PTO being paid out, make sure to report that too. TWC wants to know about ALL compensation related to work during the claim period. The key is being 100% transparent - it's much easier to get things right the first time than to deal with corrections later. Best of luck with the new position!

One more thing to keep in mind - if you're starting a new job but won't work a full week during your first claim period, you can still receive partial unemployment benefits for that week! For example, if you start work on Thursday but the claim week runs Sunday-Saturday, you'd report working 2 days and earning whatever you made those 2 days. TWC will calculate a partial benefit payment for the days you didn't work. This is totally legitimate and helps bridge that gap between unemployment and your first full paycheck. Just make sure to accurately report the days worked and gross earnings, and TWC will handle the math. Many people don't realize they can get partial benefits during transition periods like this!