I owe unemployment money can I still collect if I file a new claim in Texas TWC?

This is genuinely the most helpful thing I've read so far. So they DO let you keep collecting, they just garnish part of it? That's way less terrifying than what I was imagining.

Same basic thing happened on my sister's claim — they withheld from her new payments automatically. She still got something every week, it just wasn't the full amount.

How long did it take for the agent to actually pull up your account info once you got through? I have a complicated situation with mine and want to know if one call is usually enough.

Do I need to do anything special to tell them about the overpayment when I apply, or does it just show up in their system automatically?

Their system already has the overpayment on record. You don't have to self-report it separately when you file the new claim. It's already attached to your Social Security number in their database.

Yep the system flags it on their end, you don't have to do anything extra. Just file normally and go through the process like anyone else.

That's really reassuring honestly. Did she end up getting her payments pretty quickly or was there a big delay because of the overpayment situation?

Delays on a new claim are usually about the job separation review, not about the overpayment. The overpayment is a separate thing running in the background while your eligibility gets determined.

This matches what I've seen. The overpayment doesn't add extra time to the eligibility decision, those are two different tracks within TWC's process.

I haven't gotten that letter yet, is it normal for it to take a few days to arrive after you apply?

Yeah the letter usually arrives within the first week or so after you apply. Check your UBS account daily too since TWC updates overnight and you'll see any notices there before the mail sometimes.

The letter is what counts for how many activities you have to do, not whatever number someone tells you online. Wait for it before you assume anything.

I did register on WorkInTexas.com, the UBS process walked me through it. So at least I got that part right.

Good because TWC does cross-check and if your WorkInTexas.com registration isn't complete it can hold things up. Glad you got that sorted early.

The login connection between the two sites trips a lot of people up. Worth knowing they also send a one-time code every time you log in, so make sure you have access to whatever phone number or email is on your account.

Four weeks is brutal. Did you submit your payment requests during that waiting period even before getting a decision?

Yes and you absolutely should. They tell you when to start requesting payment in the instructions they mail you, it's usually about one to two weeks after you apply. Don't wait for the eligibility decision to start submitting those requests because they won't pay you for weeks you didn't request.

This is the part that bites so many people. You file, you think you just wait, and then you find out you were supposed to be submitting payment requests the whole time. Start them when the mailed instructions say to.

So the weekly amount they calculate for me is based purely on what I earned at the logistics company and my wages before that, not reduced because of the debt?

Exactly right. The benefit amount calculation and the overpayment recovery are completely separate. You'll get the full weekly amount they determine you're owed, minus whatever deduction goes toward the old balance.

For what it's worth, your weekly amount is roughly your highest base period quarter divided by 25. So if your best quarter of wages in the base period was something like $15,000, your weekly amount would be around $600. The minimum is $76 and the max is $619 for claims filed now.

They apply a portion, not the entire check. You still receive some benefit each payment. The deductions happen on a schedule and you get a billing statement showing how it works. It's not an all-or-nothing wipeout.

ok that makes way more sense. i was picturing them just zeroing out every payment until the debt was gone which would be pointless

If they zeroed it out nobody would ever file a new claim while owing them money. The whole system is set up so recovery happens gradually alongside you still getting some income support.

I had no idea about the waiting week thing. So even if my claim is approved and I start getting payments, that first week is just held back until one of those two conditions is met?

Exactly. Both conditions have to be true — you need to have received payments totaling at least twice your weekly amount, and you need to either exhaust your benefits or return to full-time work. If you return to work, go into UBS and request it manually, there's an option for it.

A lot of people assume the waiting week pays out automatically after a couple payments and then get confused when it doesn't. You have to actively request it if you go back to work before exhausting everything.

The overpayment is from 2024 so I'm definitely past any appeal window. I just need to figure out how to manage it going forward while also getting the new claim benefits I need right now.

Understood. In that case just proceed with the new claim, keep your payment requests on schedule, and the automatic deductions will chip away at the old balance over time. There's no hardship exception and TWC can't dismiss the balance, but they also don't block you from getting new benefits you're eligible for.

This is accurate. TWC has to recover every overpayment, full stop. But they also process new eligible claims regardless of old balances. The two things run in parallel.

TWC doesn't mandate one specific format for the log. What matters is that you can show, for each activity, things like the employer name, the date, the method of contact, and the position you applied for. A spreadsheet works fine. A notebook works. The point is that if TWC asks you to produce it you have something complete and organized that covers every week.

ok a spreadsheet it is. i was overthinking whether there was some official TWC form i was supposed to be using

No official form required. Plenty of people use a simple spreadsheet with columns for date, employer, job title, how you applied. As long as it's complete and you can back up every entry you're in good shape.

I actually forgot about the tax thing entirely. Is it easy to opt into the withholding through UBS or do you have to call?

You can manage it through UBS. And TWC mails a 1099-G each January showing what you received, which you'll use when you file your federal return. It's also available in UBS under the tax information section.

The 10 percent withholding is worth considering if you don't want a surprise tax bill in spring. Some people prefer to just track it themselves but having it withheld automatically saves the headache.

I'd rather do direct deposit. I'll set that up in UBS. Good to know the card takes up to 10 business days on the first one because I would have been checking the mailbox every day wondering where it was.

Yeah direct deposit is the move if you have that option. The ReliaCard works fine but direct deposit means money goes straight to your account and there's one less thing to track.

Just set it up early in the process — before that first payment hits if you can. Once a payment has already been sent to the card it stays on the card for that payment.

Mornings right when they open tend to be the least brutal but even then it's not great. The system is genuinely overloaded.

Tried that too. Spent 90 minutes on hold three times in one week and got disconnected twice. Eventually used Claimyr to get through — it handles the hold for you and connects you once an agent picks up. Got through to actually ask about how the overpayment deductions would affect my payment schedule.

Someone mentioned Claimyr earlier in the thread and it's good to hear multiple people having success with it. I might need to use it if I have questions after my adjudication decision comes through.

Good to know. I've been doing some freelance work here and there so I'll need to report that. Net profit counts for self-employed, right?

Yes for self-employment and gig type work you report net profit. For regular wages or freelance where you're being paid as a worker, report gross. The payment request will ask you week by week whether you worked each claim week.

The reporting piece is really important to get right. The overpayment this person originally owes — there's a decent chance that kind of issue starts with not reporting earnings correctly. Getting it right from the start avoids a whole new mess down the road.

This is exactly what I needed to hear. So even when you're sitting in adjudication limbo you should be submitting payment requests the whole time?

Absolutely. The payment requests and the eligibility decision are on separate tracks. Submit on schedule regardless of where your determination stands. If you're found eligible those weeks get paid; if you wait to request you lose those weeks entirely.

Adjudication just means they're reviewing some aspect of the claim — could be the job separation, could be something else. It doesn't mean denial. Keep requesting payments and check UBS once a day since they update overnight.

There's a short window. The normal filing days for payment requests are Sunday through Wednesday. If you miss that, you have Thursday through Saturday of that same week to still file for those claim weeks. After Saturday it's gone. So it's not quite as brutal as 'miss Wednesday by one day and lose it forever' but you can't come back a week later and make it up.

ok so a few extra days but not like a week of leeway. good to know. i've been religious about filing on sunday but it's good to have the backup dates memorized

Sunday is the safest habit. Gets it done right at the start of the window and you never have to worry about the Thursday-Saturday scramble.

Haven't gotten one of those yet but I'll keep an eye on my UBS account. I check it every morning anyway since they update overnight.

Good habit to be in. Everything important from TWC shows up in UBS first, often before the physical mail arrives. Watching it daily means nothing sneaks up on you.

The ID verification one caught me off guard on my last claim because I wasn't expecting it mid-process. If you see it in UBS, do it that same day if you can.

Thank you, this thread has been incredibly helpful. I went from full panic mode to actually feeling like I have a handle on what to expect. I'll keep submitting my payment requests, stay on top of my work search log, and let the automatic deductions do their thing on the old balance.

That's the right approach. Keep records of everything — your work search log, every payment request confirmation, any correspondence from TWC. If anything unexpected comes up with the new claim you'll have everything you need to follow up or appeal.

Rooting for the process to go smooth for you. It's a stressful situation but you're asking the right questions and doing things the right way. The claimyr.com option is worth having in your back pocket too if you ever need to reach a live agent and can't get through the regular way.