If you get fired from a job can you get unemployment in Texas TWC?

That's a relief - I was spiraling a bit thinking I had zero shot. So TWC actually talks to both me and my employer before deciding?

Yeah, TWC mails your former employer a notice and gives them 14 days to respond. Then they look at what both sides say and mail you a determination. Usually takes around four weeks total from when you applied.

Misconduct is a word that trips a lot of people up. It's not 'you weren't good enough' - it's more like 'you deliberately did something wrong or against the rules.' There's a real difference there.

I've been having zero luck getting anyone on the phone. I'll check that out, thank you.

My situation was a layoff but I still had a ton of questions after applying. Good to know there's a way to actually reach someone.

Useful to know. My determination letter just showed up and I need to ask about next steps, so I might try this.

Should I be gathering any kind of documentation - like old emails about the quota changes or anything like that?

Absolutely save anything you have. Emails, performance reviews, anything showing the goalposts moved. You don't submit all of it right away necessarily but having it ready is smart especially if this goes to an appeal.

Documentation is huge. Even screenshots of your schedule or any written warnings (or lack thereof) can matter down the line.

This is really helpful to hear from someone who went through it. Did your employer push back when TWC contacted them?

My old company absolutely responded and disputed it. TWC still approved me. The process works, just takes a few weeks of patience.

I want to add one correction here though - it's not purely about 'deliberate' either. TWC looks at a few things together, like whether you were capable of doing the work. Someone who genuinely couldn't do the job might be treated differently than someone who refused. So the OP's situation where they were TRYING but hitting impossible targets is actually a good fact pattern.

Wait, I'm supposed to request payment before they even decide if I'm eligible? That seems strange.

Yep, that's exactly how it works. You request on schedule no matter what. If they approve you, they go back and pay the weeks you requested. If you skip weeks because you were 'waiting to hear,' those weeks can be lost.

This trips up so many first-time claimants. The determination and the payment requests run on completely separate tracks. Keep requesting every two weeks regardless.

Learned this the hard way on a previous claim. File those requests on time even if your claim shows no status update at all.

How many activities per week does it usually end up being? Is there a standard number?

It varies by county - Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant and Travis all require five per week. Other counties can be anywhere from one to five. The letter TWC sends you is what controls your requirement, so check that number specifically.

Don't just list the same company five times in a week either. Each activity needs to be a real, separate contact or application. Keep dates, company names, job titles, how you applied.

Correct - TWC doesn't just take whatever the employer writes on a form at face value. They send out notices, collect both sides, and make a judgment call based on the full picture.

Glad I actually checked before panicking. My cousin has strong opinions about TWC that aren't always accurate lol.

Okay I had no idea those were connected. Good to know before I ignore that site entirely.

Yeah they share the login and TWC links the two accounts. Your WorkInTexas profile being active is part of meeting your requirements each week.

Also every time you log into UBS it'll ask for a one-time code, just so you're not surprised by that the first time.

Two full years of consistent wages, so hopefully that part is straightforward at least.

Should be. And your weekly benefit amount comes from dividing your highest quarter wages by 25. So if your best quarter was, say, $12,000, your weekly amount would be $480.

I definitely thought adjudication was a bad sign. That makes me feel a lot better.

Very common mix-up. Adjudication just means they haven't decided yet. It can take a few weeks, especially when there's a job separation to look into. Keep requesting payment during that time.

My claim sat in adjudication for almost three weeks and then came back approved. The wait is stressful but it's part of the normal review for any claim that involves being fired.

That's a tight window. Where do I file an appeal if it comes to that?

You can do it right in UBS under 'Submit An Appeal,' or in person at a Workforce Solutions office. Can't do it by email or phone - has to be written and submitted through one of those channels.

And keep requesting payments the whole time an appeal is going on. TWC will only pay weeks that were requested on time, even if you eventually win the appeal.

That's encouraging to hear. I've been writing out a timeline of everything just in case I need to explain it.

That's exactly the right instinct. Having a clear timeline you can refer to when TWC asks for your statement is really useful.

Good to know about the earnings thing. I was thinking about picking up some gig work while I job hunt and wasn't sure how that affects things.

Report whatever you earn in the week you do the work, not when you get paid. All work counts including gig stuff - report net profit for self-employed type work. Keep track of it week by week.

The reporting is by the Sunday-to-Saturday week the work happened. Easy to mess up if you're doing delivery or freelance stuff where pay days don't line up with claim weeks.

So that money isn't just gone, it's held until a certain condition is met?

Right, it's not lost. It's deferred. The 'gone forever' idea is a myth. As long as you request it when you're eligible, you get it.

Requesting your waiting week when you go back to work is a step people forget. UBS has an option specifically for it or you can use Tele-Serv Option 2 then Option 4.

Appreciate you sharing that. Interesting to hear the perspective from the other side of the job separation coin.

TWC takes both situations seriously but the rules are genuinely different. For a quit, you have to show a work-related reason that would push most reasonable people out the door. For fired, TWC has to find actual misconduct to disqualify you. Different standards.

Might do this if my claim status doesn't update in another week or so. I really want to understand what stage it's in.

Reaching an actual agent vs. navigating the automated system is night and day when you have specific questions about your claim.

Setting up a simple spreadsheet for this today. Good call.

Spreadsheet is perfect. Easy to export or print if TWC ever asks for it.

Some people use a notes app on their phone and just log it right after applying. Whatever works, the key is doing it immediately.

Hadn't thought about the tax angle yet. Probably smart to have them withhold now rather than owe a chunk later.

You can set that up in UBS. A lot of people skip it and then regret it in spring.

Honestly that's a fair point. The company did lose a big client a few months before I was let go. I just assumed it was about the quotas.

Tell TWC about that context. The timeline of losing a client and then the termination is relevant background. They want the full picture.

Companies sometimes dress up layoffs as performance issues and TWC has seen that before. Give them all the context you have.

That's exactly the kind of specific question I'd want to ask someone directly instead of guessing.

Yeah it's the kind of thing where the county-specific answer really matters and you don't want to assume.

Coming back to say my claim just moved out of adjudication and I got my determination - approved. TWC found no misconduct. Incredibly relieved.

Great outcome. The process works when you give TWC the full honest picture. Keep up with your payment requests and work search log.

Good news. For the quota situation specifically, TWC tends to look hard at whether the standard being applied was reasonable and consistent. Sounds like it went the right way.

Glad it worked out. Now just stay on top of requesting payments every two weeks and keep logging those work search activities.