TWC benefits - Do payments start from claim date or filing date?

welcome 2 the club! i thot the same thing & missed out on $$ bc i waited 2 file. benefits only start from when u apply, not when u got laid off. sux but thats how it is

The previous response isn't entirely accurate. Let me clarify how TWC claims work: 1. Your claim effective date is typically the Sunday of the week you file your initial claim 2. There is a mandatory one-week waiting period (called the "waiting week") where you won't receive benefits 3. The claim backdating policy depends on your specific circumstances If you have good cause for filing late, you can request that TWC backdate your claim to when you became unemployed. Valid reasons include website technical issues, hospitalization, or misinformation from TWC staff. Just being unaware of the process generally isn't considered good cause. You should call TWC directly and explain why you delayed filing to see if they'll backdate your claim. Don't wait - the longer you delay, the harder it becomes to get a backdated claim approved.

Unfortunately, hoping to find another job quickly isn't considered good cause for backdating a claim. The TWC is pretty strict about their backdating policies since COVID ended. They used to be more flexible during the pandemic. But it doesn't hurt to try! When you call them, explain your situation clearly and ask if there's any way to backdate. Sometimes you can get a sympathetic agent who might help, but don't get your hopes up too much. Also, remember that even with backdating, you'd still have that one waiting week where you don't get paid. So at most, you'd recover one week of benefits, not the full two weeks.

This happened to me too! I waited almost 3 weeks to file because my boss said they might hire me back. BIG MISTAKE. When I finally got through to someone at TWC they said tough luck basically... wish someone had told me to file right away regardless of my situation. So frustrating.

Good luck getting through to TWC by phone!! I spent DAYS trying to reach someone about my backdating request. Busy signals, disconnections, hours on hold only to get hung up on. FINALLY used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through in about 15 min. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh Worth it to actually talk to a real person about your options. The agent I spoke with explained that while they rarely approve backdating for just not knowing to file immediately, there are some exceptions they can make. Don't give up without talking to someone!

The TWC system is designed to start benefits from your filing date, not your unemployment date. It's frustrating but that's how the system works. I filed back in 2023 and made the EXACT SAME MISTAKE - waited 3 weeks because I thought I'd get another job quickly, and I lost all that money. I even tried to argue my case with them but no luck. The law actually says that you should file AS SOON AS you become unemployed, even if you think you'll find work right away. If you find work quickly, you can just stop claiming. But if you delay filing, those weeks are usually gone forever. This is one of those expensive lessons we all seem to learn the hard way. 😣

I'm so confused by all of this. Does anyone know if this is the same for partial unemployment? My hours got cut way back but I'm not completely unemployed. Do I still have to deal with the waiting week and all that stuff?

One other thing to be aware of - even if you CAN'T get backdated to your actual unemployment date, make sure you're claiming every week going forward! A lot of people file their initial application but don't realize they need to request payment every two weeks. You have to keep certifying even while waiting for your claim to be approved, or you'll lose those weeks too. The TWC system is seriously designed to trip people up in my opinion. They make everything so complicated that people miss out on benefits they're entitled to.