Does unemployment come from the employer? Texas TWC explained

Wait, so the agent actually talked you through how it's funded? Did they say anything about whether the employer can block your payment?

Gonna try that for my own situation, been calling for days with no answer.

So my employer literally has no say in whether I get paid or not?

They can respond to TWC's notice and give their side of why you left, which affects eligibility, but they're not funding your individual payments from their bank account. That's a common mix-up.

This is what I thought too, the fund thing. My HR rep explained it similarly when I got laid off last spring.

Ah okay that makes more sense, so they care about claims but it's not like money leaving their wallet immediately.

Right, it's more like their insurance premiums going up, not a direct payment situation.

This indirect rate increase thing is actually why some employers fight claims even on legitimate layoffs, they want to keep their rate down.

Nothing at all. Workers in Texas never pay into the unemployment system through their wages. Only employers pay the tax. So you haven't been contributing to it from your check, and that's fine, it's just how it works here.

Honestly surprised, I really thought I was paying in this whole time.

A lot of people assume that. The withholding on your stub is for federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, stuff like that, never Texas unemployment.

That's not accurate at all. Benefits don't come out of an employer's operating budget directly. File your claim if you haven't already. What your employer told you would have cost you benefits you're entitled to.

Filed this morning after reading this thread. Seriously.

Glad you got that sorted, employers saying stuff like that after layoffs is unfortunately not unheard of.

The 0.32 to 6.32 range is wild, so employers with lots of claims pay way more?

Exactly. Their rate adjusts based on how many former employees have drawn benefits charged to their account. It's a built-in incentive for employers to avoid unnecessary separations, but again, nothing direct from their pocket to yours when you file.

Never knew the rate range was that wide. Makes sense why some companies are so aggressive about contesting claims though.

Okay this is exactly the kind of myth I was scared of believing. Good to know.

Yeah, the employer gets notified and has 14 days to respond with their version of events, but the decision is TWC's to make.

The 14 day response window trips people up, some folks think silence from the employer means automatic denial, also not true.

Mine was definitely a layoff, whole department got cut. So the employer response probably won't change much?

Layoffs where the work just isn't there anymore are generally not about misconduct, so there's less to dispute. The employer might still respond but the nature of a position cut usually supports eligibility.

My layoff determination came through in about four weeks, pretty standard from what I've seen people say here.

Payment requests, I keep seeing that phrase, is that the same as the weekly certification thing?

TWC calls them payment requests, not weekly certifications. You request every two weeks through UBS or by calling Tele-Serv. The first request is usually about one to two weeks after you apply, and the date will be in the mailed instructions TWC sends you.

Got it, 'payment request' is the term to use then. I'll watch for that letter.

How specific did the agent get about the work search stuff?

Pretty specific actually. They confirmed how many activities my county requires per week and reminded me to keep a log because TWC can ask for it anytime.

Work search requirements vary by county? I had no idea, I thought it was the same everywhere.

So I shouldn't just assume 3 activities or whatever I read somewhere online?

Don't guess, go by what your letter says. Some higher-population counties require 5 per week, so it really matters.

Learned this the hard way, assumed a number and was doing way fewer than required. Had to scramble to catch up once I actually read the letter.

That is the clearest summary I've seen in this thread, thank you.

Agreed, and the misconduct bar is specifically about things like violating company policy or failing to do the job when capable, not just 'we let them go.

TWC doesn't publish your benefit details to your former employer. They're notified of the claim and can submit information, but your weekly amount isn't something they're shown as a matter of course.

That's a relief honestly, felt weird thinking they might know exactly what I'm collecting.

Really important point, I would have probably stopped requesting if things felt up in the air.

A lot of people do, and then they lose those weeks because TWC only pays weeks you actually requested on time. Keep requesting no matter what.

Can't stress this enough. The appeal or determination process runs separately from your payment schedule.

The guilt thing is real though. A lot of people feel weird filing even when it's completely legitimate.

He was laid off, the company cut his entire division. Zero reason to feel bad about it.

I've felt a little of that guilt too honestly, this whole thread is helping reframe it.

That's the framing I needed. The fund exists whether I use it or not.

Exactly. Not filing doesn't save your employer money in any immediate sense anyway, and it definitely doesn't help you.

This is what I really needed to hear. I kept imagining my old manager calling TWC and tanking my claim.

It's a reasonable fear but that's not how it works. TWC evaluates the information from both sides and makes its own call.

The process is more insulated from employer pressure than most people realize.

Base period wage questions seem like exactly the kind of thing you need a live agent for.

Yeah the online stuff didn't have a way to flag the specific discrepancy I was seeing, needed a person.

The tax mechanism is the same regardless of whether you were full-time or part-time. Your eligibility and weekly amount would depend on your base period wages, but the funding source is the same state pool either way.

Okay good, I was part-time the last few months before the layoff so I wasn't sure if that changed things.

Eligibility depends on hitting certain wage thresholds during the base period, so part-time wages do matter for qualification, but how the fund works doesn't change based on your hours.

It almost stopped three of us at my old job. Would have been a significant loss of benefits for no reason.

And employers sometimes let the myth stand because it benefits them if fewer former employees file claims.

Already registered on WorkInTexas.com when I applied, didn't realize it was the same login though. Good to know they're connected.

The one-time code requirement every login tripped me up at first, make sure you have access to whatever phone or email you registered with.

Does it matter what time of day you try?

You still set it up during business hours since that's when agents are available, but the whole point is you don't have to stay on hold the whole time.