If I get fired from my job can I collect unemployment in Texas?

My biggest problem is I can't even get anyone on the phone to ask anything, so this is actually useful. Going to look at that video tonight.

My sister tried calling TWC for three days straight and never got through. She ended up using claimyr.com after I told her about it and got connected same day. The agent confirmed her work search requirement for her county which she'd been confused about.

Used it myself for a severance question that wasn't answered anywhere on TWC's website. Got through, got my answer, done.

The 'intentionally messing up' part is what I'm not sure about. The warning I got was about not meeting a productivity quota, but I had just come back from a two-week medical leave, so my numbers were down for real reasons.

TWC asks your employer for their version of events too. They mail the employer a notice and give them 14 days to respond, then TWC looks at both sides and sends a determination. You won't just get automatically approved or denied based on what you say alone.

Right, and coming back from medical leave with lower numbers seems pretty different from just not doing the work when you were capable. That context matters. Document everything you have about that timeline.

Exactly this. I got fired for 'performance' once and TWC approved me because the company couldn't actually show I did anything deliberately wrong. Filed the same week I was let go, got my determination about four weeks later.

Four weeks feels like forever when you've got rent coming up, but okay. At least there's a real shot here.

file asap regardless, TWC can only pay you starting from the week you actually apply. they can't go backwards even if they wanted to.

Applied this morning actually after reading through this thread. It went through and I got a confirmation. Now I guess I wait?

After applying, check your UBS account once a day. TWC updates overnight. Also watch your mail — they'll send something about requesting payments, and that'll tell you when to make your first payment request. Don't wait for a decision before you start doing that.

Also register on WorkInTexas.com if you haven't already — that's required as part of the process. And you'll get a letter telling you how many work search activities your county requires each week. Keep a log of everything you do, TWC can ask for it.

Work search starts right away, not after approval. You need to be meeting the requirement every single week because TWC can ask for your log at any time, and if there's a gap it can cause problems with your payments retroactively.

oh no I didn't know that. I've been waiting for my determination letter before starting to apply places. been 3 weeks already

Start the log immediately and backfill what you actually did over the last few weeks — job applications, interviews, anything that counts. And call TWC or check your mail for that letter about how many activities your specific county requires because it varies.

my letter said 3 per week. I've probably done at least that many informally, just didn't write any of it down. lesson learned.

Based on what I made, I think I'd be somewhere around $500 a week if I qualify. Not what I was making but it helps to know the number.

You also don't get paid every week you request — the very first payable week gets held back until you either return to full-time work or you've been paid twice your weekly amount AND one of those two things happens. It never disappears though, it just gets paid out at the end or when you go back to work.

that held week thing confused me so much when I was going through this. the TWC rep explained it on the phone but it's also in UBS if you dig around

The 'keep requesting payments' part — I haven't gotten a determination yet, should I already be doing that?

Yes, absolutely. You make payment requests starting about one to two weeks after you applied, every two weeks. The mailed instructions you got tell you your specific date. You do NOT wait for approval first. That's a huge mistake people make.

Seconding this hard. Missed payment requests can't be recovered as easily. The window is Sunday through Wednesday each week, and if you miss that, you get Thursday through Saturday as a makeup but after that it's gone for that week.

I've been doing some DoorDash to get by. So I need to report that?

Yes, report it. For self-employed and gig work you report net profit, not gross. And the formula still applies — under 25% of your weekly benefit amount gets you no reduction, over that and your payment drops by whatever amount exceeds that 25% threshold.

don't skip reporting this stuff thinking it won't come up. TWC matches information and if there's unreported income it becomes an overpayment situation which is way worse to deal with after the fact.

They gave me a written warning but it referenced the quota. It didn't say I was ignoring my responsibilities, just that my numbers were low after I came back from leave.

That framing actually works in your favor. 'Numbers were low' is very different from 'repeatedly failed to follow clear directives' or 'knowingly violated policy.' Make sure when TWC contacts you, you explain the medical leave timeline clearly.

Also keep any texts or emails from that period if your supervisor said anything about the leave being the reason your numbers dropped. That kind of documentation can be really useful if it ever goes to appeal.

Two separate letters?? I didn't know that. So I could get approved on one and denied on the other?

Exactly. If even one determination says 'cannot pay,' your benefits are stopped regardless of what the others say. Read every piece of mail from TWC immediately and check UBS too.

And if you get a 'cannot pay' on anything, you have 14 calendar days from the date printed at the top of that letter to file an appeal. Not 14 days from when you receive it — from the date it was mailed. Count carefully.

wait the EMPLOYER also participates in that hearing? like they're on the same call?

Yes, usually. They get notified and can participate. But the hearing officer is neutral and you get to present your evidence too. The hearing packet comes in the mail five to ten days before, and you need to register your phone number 15 to 60 minutes before the hearing time.

Hopefully I won't need to get to appeal, but good to know the process isn't as complicated as I imagined.

the one time code thing catches people off guard if they changed their email or phone number since originally registering. update your contact info asap if anything has changed

Mine is current, thankfully. I've been checking UBS every morning since I applied.

Good habit. Check it in the evening too sometimes, since they update the system overnight and by morning the change will show but evening checks can catch same-day uploads occasionally.

This is accurate. TWC makes a determination based on the information they have. If the employer doesn't reply, they're working mostly from your side of the story.

My old company is big enough to have an HR department that definitely knows these processes. I'm assuming they'll respond.

Probably, yes. Big companies with HR usually respond. Just make sure your own statement is detailed and accurate — don't leave out the medical leave or the context around your numbers.

I haven't been trying to hide anything, I just didn't know what details to include. I'll make sure to explain the leave and the timeline clearly in whatever statements I submit.

yeah just be specific with dates and what happened. vague answers leave TWC guessing

wish i had known this. sat around waiting for a card for two weeks and then found out i could have just linked my bank account the whole time

Switching to direct deposit now before anything processes. Thank you.

Once you're set up for direct deposit, payments after the first one hit your bank within two business days of your request being processed. Definitely the faster route.

Severance has to be reported when you apply and also on payment requests when they ask about other income. TWC mails a decision on how your specific severance is treated because different types are handled differently. Some types pause benefits while they're being received. Can't tell you which category yours falls into — that's exactly the kind of question to ask TWC directly.

Okay so I need to actually call TWC about this. I've been dreading that because I can never get through.

The same service I mentioned earlier — claimyr.com — that's exactly why I used it, because getting through on severance questions is nearly impossible during peak hours. Got connected and had my answer within the same morning.

Setting that up now. Really don't want a surprise bill in the spring.

Smart move. The withholding option is under IRS Tax Information in UBS. You can change it at any time too if your situation shifts.

Nobody told me about this my first time on unemployment. Got a nasty surprise from the IRS. Set it up from day one.

I'm in Collin County, wondering what my number is. Haven't gotten that letter yet.

Should come in the mail within the first week or two of applying. Keep doing what feels like a reasonable number until it arrives, and document everything so you can show the full record from day one.

my letter said my county requires 3 per week. logged everything since then. they also said the log has to include the employer name, contact info, date, and type of activity

My termination letter just says 'failure to meet productivity standards.' Nothing about policy violations or anything like that. I kept a copy.

Keep that. If this ever goes to appeal, that document is evidence. Productivity standards are not the same as misconduct in TWC's framework, and that language supports your version of events.

Exactly right. 'Failed to meet productivity standards' is a very different finding from 'violated company policy' or 'neglected duties when capable.' The specific words matter a lot in adjudication.