TWC benefits exhaustion vs. benefit year end - confused about which ends my payments

The benefits remaining is the maximum amount you can receive until your benefit year ends. Once that money runs out, your regular UI benefits are exhausted regardless of whether you've reached your benefit year end date. The benefit year is simply the maximum timeframe during which you can claim those benefits. So if you exhaust your $5,820 before March 2026, your benefits will stop. You won't receive any more money after that point unless you qualify for some other program (which is rare these days since most of the pandemic extensions have ended). Keep applying for jobs and documenting your work search activities. You need at least 3 work search activities each week to maintain eligibility while you still have benefits.

Went thru this last year!! When ur money runs out thats IT - they dont care about the benefit year end date at that point. I had like 4 months left on my "year" but when my balance hit $0 my payments stopped and nobody would help. Good luck!!!

Just to add to what others said - the way TWC calculates your total benefit amount is based on your past wages, and once that's gone, it's gone until you qualify for a new benefit year by working and earning enough in a new base period. The system is actually designed this way on purpose - the idea is that your benefits amount should be enough to cover you for about 26 weeks (6.5 months) of unemployment if you receive the full weekly amount each week. But if your weekly benefit amount is higher, you'll run through that money faster. One thing to be aware of: if you find part-time work, you might be able to "stretch" your benefits further. If you earn some income but still qualify for partial unemployment, you use up your benefits more slowly, making them last longer. Might be worth considering part-time work in a related field while you continue searching for full-time work in your specialty.

The simple way to think about it: - Benefits Remaining = How much money you have in your unemployment "account" - Benefit Year End = The deadline by which you must use that money Whichever comes first (running out of money or hitting the end date) will end your benefits. For most people, the money runs out first. Something else to consider: if you exhaust your benefits and are still unemployed, make sure you check with TWC about any additional programs you might qualify for. While the pandemic-era extensions are gone, Texas occasionally has other programs depending on economic conditions or your specific situation. Call and specifically ask if there are any extension options once you get closer to exhaustion.

I had the same problem trying to reach TWC when my benefits were running low. What finally worked for me was using Claimyr to get through to a TWC agent. It's a service that basically calls TWC for you and puts you in the queue without you having to keep redialing. Saved me hours of frustration. Check out their demo video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh or their website claimyr.com When I finally got through, I found out there weren't extensions available for me, but at least I got a clear answer instead of stressing about the unknown. The agent also gave me info about some workforce development programs I hadn't known about.

Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP doing your weekly payment requests even if you're getting close to exhausting your benefits! I made this mistake - thought I was out of money but had a small amount left, missed a payment request, and it caused all kinds of problems. Keep requesting payments until TWC specifically tells you that you've exhausted everything. Also, have you looked into the WorkInTexas.com resources? TWC requires us to register there anyway for unemployment, but they actually have some decent job listings and career services. It's not amazing but I've gotten a few interviews through it.

the benefit year is just how long u have to USE ur benefits but the money amount is the REAL limit. once ur money is gone ur done until u work again and can file a new claim. sorry its confusing, twc sucks at explaining this stuff!!!

One more thing to keep in mind: If you're approaching benefit exhaustion, you might want to start looking into assistance programs now rather than waiting until your benefits actually run out. Things like SNAP (food benefits), utility assistance programs, etc. often have application processing times of several weeks, so it's better to get that paperwork started early if you think you might need it. Also, remember that if you do find work but then lose that job again before your current benefit year ends, you can potentially reopen your existing claim if you have any benefits remaining. But if you exhaust all benefits, you'll need to earn enough in a new base period to qualify for a new claim in the future.

Just to confirm what others have said - once your benefits remaining amount hits zero, your payments stop regardless of the benefit year end date. But I wanted to add something important: How quickly you use up your benefits depends on your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA). For example, if your WBA is $580, then your $5,820 would last about 10 weeks. You can calculate roughly how many more weeks of full benefits you have by dividing your remaining balance by your weekly amount. This can help you budget and plan for how long your benefits will last if you continue getting full payments each week. And as others mentioned, part-time work can help stretch this further.