TWC claim active but got laid off again - confused about restarting benefits after brief employment

You don't need to formally pause your claim when you start working - you just stop requesting payments, which is exactly what you did. When you get laid off, you just start requesting payments again. But here's the important part: you SHOULD file a report of your employment and earnings for those weeks you worked, even though you weren't requesting payment. This updates your claim record. Log into your account, and instead of just requesting payment, look for the option to report employment/earnings for previous weeks. Once you've updated that information, your next payment request period should align correctly with the time after you were laid off. The system should automatically adjust after you report those earnings.

jst had this happen 2 me last month. u can still request payment for those weeks but report ur earnings. the system will show $0 payment for those weeks cuz u made more than ur benefit amount. then ur next request will b normal. no need 2 call TWC

You handled this correctly by not requesting benefits while working. To restart your benefits: 1. Request payment on your normal schedule 2. Report your earnings for the weeks you worked 3. For those weeks, you'll receive $0 (since you earned more than your weekly benefit) 4. Your future payment requests will automatically align to your current situation Your benefit year remains open until its expiration date (typically 1 year from when you first applied). As long as you have benefits remaining and are within your benefit year, you can continue claiming after brief periods of employment. One important note: since this is a new separation from employment, TWC may review your eligibility based on the circumstances of this latest layoff. Be prepared to provide details about why you were laid off if they request it.

UGH the TWC system is SO CONFUSING on this!!! I had almost the EXACT same situation last year and wasted THREE WEEKS trying to get straight answers. Called every day, got hung up on, disconnected, or told different things by different people! The problem is that when you start working, there's NOWHERE on the website that clearly tells you what to do when you get laid off again. They expect everyone to just magically know their stupid procedures!!

I had a question related to this too. I'm confused about the benefit year. If you use some benefits, work for a while, then need benefits again - does your benefit year get extended? Or do the remaining benefits still expire on the original end date?

I tried calling TWC for weeks about a similar situation and could NEVER get through. The phone lines are always busy or they just disconnect you after being on hold forever. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected with a TWC representative within about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh The agent explained that I needed to report my earnings for the weeks I worked even though I wasn't requesting payment for those weeks. After I did that, everything sorted itself out automatically. Saved me weeks of stress!

wait im confused... if you already got your waiting week paid then why would you need to do the waiting week again? doesn't that only happen once per claim? also what happens if you accidentally requested payment for a week you worked full time? asking for a friend...😳

Update: I followed the advice and requested payment for the two weeks I worked, but reported my full earnings. The system showed $0 payment for those weeks as expected. Now my payment request schedule is back on track! I was also able to find more info in my TWC correspondence - looks like brief employment periods (under 30 days) are considered temporary work and don't typically require a new work separation review when you're laid off, as long as you're returning to an existing claim. Thanks everyone for the help! The TWC website really should make this clearer for people in our situation.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out! You did everything correctly. For future reference (for anyone reading this thread): 1. Always report earnings for ALL weeks, even if you're not requesting payment 2. If you work full-time or earn more than your weekly benefit amount, you'll receive $0 for that week 3. Your claim stays open for the full benefit year regardless of brief work periods 4. You only serve one waiting week per benefit year 5. Keep requesting payment on your regular schedule, even after employment periods This is one of the most common points of confusion with TWC claims, so you're definitely not alone in finding it confusing.