How to end unemployment benefits with Texas TWC when you go back to work

That's exactly the kind of clarity I needed, thank you. So I report the new job during my next payment request and the system handles the rest?

Yeah pretty much — the payment request asks week by week whether you worked, and once you report full-time work that week becomes ineligible automatically. No separate form or phone call needed just to close it.

The claimyr.com thing is good to know. My sister is about to start a new job too and she's been trying to reach TWC all week.

Wait, so even if my start date is mid-week, I report the actual earnings for whatever days I worked that week?

Exactly right. TWC counts weeks Sunday through Saturday. So if you start Monday the 2nd, that whole week from Sunday the 1st through Saturday the 7th is your first work week. You report whatever you earned during those days when you file your next payment request.

This tripped me up too. I thought I had to report what I'd be earning all month, but it's just gross pay for that specific Sunday-to-Saturday window, before taxes.

Oh good catch. My last full week without work ended Saturday the 1st, so I should still request payment for that week even though I start Monday?

Absolutely file for that last week. You were still unemployed for it. Just don't file for the week your job starts or any week after where you're working full time.

Filing days also matter here. You can submit Sunday through Wednesday without any issue. Miss that window and you've got Thursday through Saturday as a late backup still in that same week — but after Saturday it's gone.

Employers do report new hires to a state directory, but that doesn't replace your obligation to report on your payment requests. You need to report your work and earnings yourself — don't count on TWC matching the data before you file.

Ah ok so it's not like they'd just catch it automatically and stop your payments. Got it.

Right, the payment request is where you self-report. That's the official record. Relying on some background database match to do it for you is how people end up with overpayments.

That's honestly my fear. I don't want some weird open claim sitting there causing problems.

Yeah just file your last legitimate week, report the new job start on the following request if any week is split, and then stop filing. As long as you're not requesting payments for weeks you're fully employed, you're fine. The claim just becomes inactive.

Same thing happened to my brother. He stopped filing thinking it was fine and months later got flagged for not completing work search activities. Such a headache for something so simple.

Okay this is making my head spin a little. So for my actual start week I might still receive partial benefits?

Possibly, yes. It depends on how much you earn those first few days versus your weekly benefit amount. Just report what you actually earned gross for those days and TWC's system will calculate whether a payment is owed. Don't try to do the math yourself and decide not to file — always file and let them figure it out.

This is the part that bites people. They assume starting a job immediately cuts everything off, then either don't file for a split week they were owed or don't report earnings they should have. Report everything and let TWC sort it.

Honestly same. I wish there was like a one-pager that said 'here's what you do on your last two weeks of benefits.' Instead you're just supposed to figure it out.

EXACTLY. I called the Tele-Center like four times that week and couldn't get through to anyone. Would have been helpful to know about claimyr.com back then — apparently it gets you to a live agent way faster.

That frustration is real. I'm just glad I asked before I started instead of after.

Oh that's really good to know. So I shouldn't be worried about 'wasting' my remaining balance just because I'm going back to work?

Not at all. Your balance doesn't disappear when you go back to work. It just sits there until the benefit year ends. If you get laid off again during that period you just request payments again and pick up where you left off.

Just keep in mind you'd need to meet all the weekly requirements again like work search and availability. The balance being there doesn't mean automatic payments, you still certify each cycle.

The person who told you that had it partially wrong. TWC holds your first payable week — the waiting week — and there are two conditions to actually get it. You have to have been paid at least twice your weekly benefit amount total, AND you either fully exhaust your benefits or you go back to full-time work. If you go back to work, you have to actually request the waiting week yourself through UBS or Tele-Serv, it's not automatic.

So if I go back to work I have to actively ask for it? It won't just show up in my account?

Right, you request it through UBS — there's a 'Request Your Waiting Week' option — or on Tele-Serv using Option 2 then Option 4. Both conditions have to be met though. Just meeting one of them isn't enough.

This is a good thing to do before closing out. If you've been paid enough and you're returning to work, go request that waiting week. Don't leave money on the table.

TWC doesn't accept account changes or formal notifications by email. For something like notifying them of your return to work, the payment request is your official record. There's no separate 'close my claim' email to send.

Okay good to know, I'll pass that along to her. She was waiting for a confirmation reply that was never going to come.

No need to deactivate it. WorkInTexas.com is just a job search and résumé tool — having an account there doesn't affect your benefits one way or another. It'll just sit dormant.

That's a relief, I didn't want some automated system assuming I was still job hunting and flagging my account.

The work search requirement only applies to weeks you're requesting payment. Once you stop filing, there's nothing to track or report.

Good clarification. I've been collecting for two months so the withdrawal thing definitely doesn't apply to me.

Exactly, in your situation it's purely about correctly reporting your return to work on your payment requests and stopping after that. Nothing more complicated.

I mixed up appealing and withdrawing when I first started and was totally lost. Appreciate when someone just lays out what the different options actually are.

Oh right, I didn't set up withholding because I was in a panic when I first filed and didn't even think about it. Good heads up.

You can find the form in UBS under 'IRS Tax Information' too if you need it before the mailed version arrives.

The 1099-G thing snuck up on me my first time collecting. Set aside a little from each payment if you can — 10% is a reasonable estimate if you didn't withhold.

Filing days run Sunday through Wednesday, with a late window Thursday through Saturday for that same week. As long as you're filing for a week that ended before or during your first work week, the timing of when you file doesn't change your eligibility for those days. You're not too late just because you already started work.

Okay great. So I can file on Tuesday for a week that ended the previous Saturday even if I started a new job Monday. Got it.

Yes exactly. The payment request period is about reporting the past week, not the current one. What you're doing this week doesn't affect what you report for last week.

That's a little alarming. How do I check if anything is still pending on my claim?

Log into UBS and look at your claim status. If anything is flagged or in review it'll show up there. TWC also mails separate determination letters for each issue, so check your mailbox too.

Adjudications can take forever to resolve even after you stop collecting. Keep your UBS login active so you can check for mail and respond to anything that comes up.

This is reassuring. I start Monday so my situation is similar — a full first week of work but I still have one clean week before that to file for.

Then you're in good shape. File for that last clean week, then file for your first work week reporting your earnings, and you're done. After that just don't file and your claim goes dormant.

Makes sense. And if I need to refile in the future within this benefit year, I just log back into UBS and resume requesting payments?

Pretty much, yes. Though TWC would look at your work search activity and earnings since you last claimed, so make sure you've kept your WorkInTexas.com registration current if you think you might need to come back to it.

The benefit year thing tripped me up. I thought my claim just 'reset' when I got a new job. Nope, it's a fixed 52-week window from that original application date.

Wait really? So even if you've already moved on they can go back and pay old weeks?

Yes if the determination covers weeks you were unemployed and eligible, TWC can still issue back payment for those weeks. Doesn't matter that you're employed now.

This is why you never just ignore an open adjudication even when things seem resolved. Keep responding to anything TWC sends and check your status regularly.

Agreed, the guidance on ending a claim gracefully is weirdly absent from their FAQ pages.

Their UBS help section has some of it buried but you really have to dig. Calling the Tele-Center is often faster for specific questions about your own situation.

Not exactly easy to reach them by phone though. My hold time last week was over two hours before the line dropped.