How to stop unemployment benefits when you get a job in Texas TWC

So I still submit a payment request for the week I started, just report those couple days of earnings on it?

Exactly. Report the gross for the days you worked that week and TWC will calculate it. After that week you just stop requesting.

This is the right answer. The week your full-time job starts is the cutoff for eligibility but you still account for it on a payment request with your earnings reported.

Does TWC actually cross-check with employers? Like how would they know if someone didn't report?

Yes, they get quarterly wage data from employers. It's how overpayments get discovered months later sometimes. Always report and let the system do the math.

Found this out the hard way on a previous claim. Report everything and don't assume no payment = no need to report.

Mid-week start is my situation exactly. Good to know the payment request handles it and the agent confirmed it works that way.

My start date is next Monday and I've been paranoid about getting this wrong. Might use that to get a straight answer from TWC before I mess up my last request.

The partial week thing confused me too. Glad to see it's just a matter of entering what you earned and letting TWC calculate.

You submit the payment request for the week you started, report the earnings, and TWC will typically pay zero or a reduced amount depending on what you made. After that week, no more requests because you're full time. So you submit for it but most likely get nothing.

Okay that makes more sense. I was confusing 'submit the request' with 'get paid.' Got it.

Yeah the request is how you stay in compliance and report the earnings. Getting paid or not is a separate outcome TWC calculates.

Once you're employed full time your work search requirement effectively stops because you can't certify that you're able and available for full-time work. You don't need to keep logging after your start date.

That's a relief, I was logging jobs I wasn't even applying to just to hit the number. Stressful week.

I had the same question honestly. Good to know the work search piece wraps up at the same point.

I had no idea about the waiting week. So I could still have money coming from TWC even after I stop requesting?

Possibly yes. Log into UBS and look for the waiting week request option. If you haven't received it yet and you're going back to full time, you can claim it. Both conditions have to be met though — the two-times-your-weekly-amount payment threshold AND the return to work.

Went through this last year and was confused why my waiting week just sat there. You have to actively request it after returning to work, it doesn't release on its own.

Going to check UBS tonight for that option. Really glad this came up.

Does that mean if you started on a Wednesday you still report earnings just for Wednesday through Saturday on that payment request?

Right, you report whatever you grossed from your start date through Saturday of that week. Even if it's two or three days, those earnings go on the request.

The agent I spoke with said the same thing. Report the gross for the actual days worked in that claim week, not a full week of estimates.

The process is: submit one last payment request for the week you start, report what you actually earned those days, and then don't submit any more after that. That's really the whole thing.

That's so much simpler than I was making it in my head. Thank you.

How far back can they go with that? Like if someone didn't report earnings from two years ago could TWC still come after them?

TWC has to recover overpayments regardless of when they happened, there's no expiration on it. So yes, old undisclosed earnings can absolutely resurface as overpayments.

This is why I always report even when it feels pointless. The safety of doing it right outweighs any imagined benefit of not.

Once you're off unemployment and not requesting payments, you don't report to TWC anymore. The reporting only matters during weeks you're actually requesting benefits. If you're not claiming unemployment, there's nothing to report.

Makes sense. I was worried I'd have some ongoing obligation but that tracks — no claim, no reporting.

I did not set up withholding and now I'm slightly nervous. At least I know to expect the 1099-G.

You've got until tax time to figure it out. Just don't be surprised by the form in January.

Had no idea TWC sent a tax form. Good to know before I do my taxes next spring.

That's exactly what I needed to hear. I was also under the impression I had to call and 'close' something.

Nope. The claim just goes inactive when you stop requesting. No ceremony required.

I told my cousin the same thing last month and she spent half a day trying to reach someone. No one tells you this upfront.

I was honestly wondering about that account. Good to know I can just leave it as-is.

Yeah it's tied to your UBS login so it stays in the system. No action needed.

This is a real thing. The waiting week doesn't come up during the application process in a way that makes it obvious, so people miss it all the time.

Logging into UBS tonight specifically to look for this. Appreciate the heads-up.

My mom never got her waiting week from her claim last year and I wonder if this is exactly why. She just assumed it was done.

If you're working 40-plus hours a week the able-and-available requirement basically cuts off your eligibility because you're not available for other full-time work. The 1099 versus W-2 distinction doesn't change that. You'd report your net earnings for those weeks.

Okay so hours are what matters, not the classification. Good to know.

Right, it's about whether you're available for full-time work and what you're earning, not whether the company considers you an employee.

You report what you earned — meaning the week the work was done, not when the check arrives. If you worked Monday through Friday you report those gross wages for that claim week even if you don't get paid until the following Friday.

That's tricky to calculate if you don't know your exact salary breakdown yet. I guess I'd just estimate from the offer letter?

Use the offer letter math to figure the daily rate and report the days worked. Report gross, before any deductions, and round down to whole dollars.

Did you have to give a lot of personal info to use it? Just want to know what I'm getting into before I try.

It's pretty easy to set up. I didn't find the process complicated at all.

Ten minutes with an actual agent vs an hour on hold sounds worth it honestly.

Hadn't thought about that scenario but good to file away. Really hoping this job sticks though.

Yes and in that situation your claim doesn't restart from zero — you'd pick back up within the same benefit year if there are weeks left.

That's the full checklist basically. Good luck at the new job.

Thank you, this thread genuinely helped me prep for something I had no idea I needed to prep for.

Good point. Mine is on the ReliaCard and I haven't activated it properly yet. Going to check that too.

The card takes up to 10 business days to arrive after the first payment so if you haven't gotten it yet it may still be coming. Check UBS for the status.

The waiting-on-hold part is what I hate most about TWC. Might try it before my last request just to make sure I'm doing it right.

Same, never know if you're doing the last request correctly and having an agent confirm it sounds worth the effort.