If I get a job while on unemployment, what do I tell Texas TWC?

That's exactly the kind of clarification I needed about which week the earnings go on. I kept second-guessing myself on that. Going to look into that service too because I've been trying to get through to TWC for days.

Reporting earnings in the week you work them, not when you get the check — that's tripped up so many people I know. Good call actually verifying it with an agent.

So does it matter what day of the week the job starts? Like if someone starts on a Thursday does the whole first week still count or only the days worked?

Wait so I should still file a payment request for the week I start, even if it's a full-time job starting day one of the week?

Yes, file it and report what you earned. The system needs you to close out your claim properly, not just go silent. If you don't file you can miss out on anything you might still be owed for partial weeks.

This is way more involved than I thought. I always assumed you just quit filing and that was that.

The partial week thing is real though. Starting on a Wednesday means you only worked part of that week so there might still be a payment for the days you weren't working yet.

I had no idea there was a step I had to take to get the waiting week released. I assumed it would just come automatically when I went back to work.

The waiting week thing confused me too when I went through this. You really do have to actively request it, it doesn't just show up in your account.

A lot of people miss it because nobody tells you at the start. The option is in UBS under the payments section once you're back to full-time work.

Does the waiting week only get released if it's a full-time job? What if someone goes back part time?

That's a really frustrating outcome. Missing that one step cost real money.

Worth pointing out for anyone reading — TWC says that waiting week payment isn't lost forever, but you do have to request it properly while your claim is still active. Once the benefit year closes it gets much harder to do anything about it.

My benefit year had already ended by the time I realized. So yeah, timing matters a lot.

That's helpful to know, I would have overthought that for sure. The two-week format always throws me off.

The payment request questions walk you through it week by week, which helps, but yeah the first time you do it while also starting a job it feels like a lot at once.

Does TWC automatically know when someone gets a job or do they only know what you report? Just wondering if there's a way they cross-check it.

The overpayment thing is scary. I was pretty careful but I still double-checked every payment request before submitting just to be safe.

That's what I'm most worried about honestly — accidentally under-reporting or putting earnings in the wrong week and ending up owing money back.

Reporting gross pay for the week you actually worked it, as described earlier in this thread, is the key. If you stick to that you're in good shape.

The agent I spoke with through claimyr.com also mentioned that side gig work and freelance has to be reported too — net profit counts as self-employment income. Worth noting if anyone has any side stuff going on while on unemployment.

Good to know. I've kept my log religiously so I'm covered there, but I wasn't sure exactly when the work search requirement stopped.

How many activities a week does TWC require? I've heard different numbers from different people.

The number depends on where you live — it's set by the local Workforce Development Board and ranges from one to five per week depending on the county. Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant, and Travis counties are all five per week. TWC mails you a letter with your specific number when you start your claim, and that letter is what you go by.

I had someone tell me it was always three per week everywhere in Texas. Sounds like that's not right.

That's reassuring. I've been psyching myself out about it but maybe the form itself will walk me through it.

UBS is clunky in some ways but the payment request flow is pretty straightforward once you've done it a couple times.

Part-time work doesn't trigger the waiting week release — going back to full-time work is what does it. If you're working part-time you can still keep filing payment requests and reporting your part-time earnings, and eligibility continues as long as you meet the other requirements.

oh okay so like you could technically work part time and still get some payment on weeks where your earnings are under the weekly benefit amount? that makes more sense now

Yep, that's exactly how it works. The 25% threshold and the reduction formula still apply every week regardless of whether it's a consistent part-time job or just a few hours here and there.

That's smart. I've actually been printing confirmation pages for every payment request but I wondered if that was overkill. Sounds like it's not.

Not overkill at all. Got questioned on a payment request from about four months earlier once and was really glad I had screenshots.

The UBS history is usually there but it can lag or sometimes payments get amended and the original isn't easy to find. Screenshots are worth the two seconds it takes.

I hadn't thought about that at all. Good to know that the benefit year doesn't restart if I lose the new job and need to come back.

Exactly — a new claim would start on its own Sunday, with its own base period, and you'd need to re-qualify based on new wages. The old benefit year doesn't just sit there waiting.

Does going back to work and then getting laid off again affect how much you'd qualify for on a new claim?

Your wages from the new job would be part of the base period for any new claim you filed later. So yes, the new job's earnings would factor into the new weekly benefit calculation.

That makes sense. So for my payment request covering the week I start, I'd report what I earned that week and also indicate it was a full-time job, and TWC would calculate accordingly?

That's the idea, yes. The payment request form asks if you worked that week and if it was full-time, and you answer honestly and report the gross earnings. The system handles the math.

Has anyone had an issue where TWC kept sending payment reminders after they went back to full-time work? I keep getting emails saying to request payment even though I reported my job start.

I didn't know Tele-Serv handled payment requests, I thought it was just for checking your balance. Good to know I have another option.

Tele-Serv is old school but reliable. The login error thing happens in UBS sometimes especially if you haven't logged in for a few weeks — clearing cache usually fixes it.

Yeah the cache fix worked for me eventually but by then I'd already done the request by phone so it was fine either way.

Three days of busy signals sounds like a nightmare. Good that she got it resolved quickly once she actually got through.

That hidden flag thing is real — sometimes your account has an issue that doesn't show up clearly on the claimant side and you only find out by talking to someone.

The disconnect problem is so frustrating. Spent almost an hour on hold once and then it just dropped.

I did not set up withholding when I applied, so I'll be dealing with that come tax time. At least now I know to expect the 1099-G.

You can still turn on withholding now for any remaining payments, though if you're starting full-time work it might not matter much. It's an option in UBS.

Wait so unemployment is taxable income? I genuinely didn't know that.

Yes, it's taxable at the federal level. It doesn't get a special exemption — it counts as regular income when you file your return.

I've been logging on WorkInTexas.com every week. Good to know it's tied into the TWC system.

WorkInTexas.com registration is actually required when you apply — it's not optional. So anyone reading who hasn't registered needs to do that.

True, and your WorkInTexas.com login is the same as your UBS login, same user ID and password. So if you're already in UBS you're already set up.

A disqualification from a job separation ends when you get a new job, earn at least six times your weekly benefit amount or work at least 30 hours a week for six weeks, then lose that job through no fault of your own. You'd also need to send TWC proof of that. So the old disqualification doesn't follow you forever — you can essentially work your way past it.

So it's not automatic — I'd need to show TWC documentation proving how I left the new job?

Right, you'd need to provide proof that you separated from the new job through no fault of your own. That's what clears the previous disqualification and opens up eligibility again.

How long does it usually take TWC to process that kind of documentation? Just asking for a theoretical future situation.