TWC claim pending - will I get backpay for payment requests while waiting for approval?
I'm totally confused about the payment timeline for my TWC claim. I just submitted a payment request yesterday through Tele-Serv (as instructed by the TWC agent who helped me file my initial claim), but Tele-Serv still says my claim status is 'pending.' According to what I understand, my former employer has 14 days to respond to TWC about my claim, which should be up next Monday. My big question is: since I wasn't paid for these past 2 weeks because my claim is still pending, will TWC pay me retroactively for these weeks once my claim gets approved? Or do I just lose those weeks of benefits? I filed a claim years ago and can't remember how the backpay works (if it even exists). Really worried about making rent next month if those first two weeks don't come through eventually.
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Ryan Kim
Yes, you'll get paid for those weeks retroactively once your claim is approved, as long as you submitted your payment requests on time. Those weeks don't just disappear. The TWC system is designed to hold your payment until your claim is fully processed, but they'll pay you for all eligible weeks once approved. Keep submitting your payment requests every two weeks exactly as scheduled - even while waiting for approval. Mark your calendar for your next request date and don't miss it!
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Daniela Rossi
•Thank you so much!! That's a huge relief. I was stressing so bad thinking I'd just lose those weeks. I've got my next payment request date marked on my calendar already.
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Zoe Walker
dont worry youll get that money. i was in the same boat last month, claim was pending for like 3 weeks cause my employer tried to fight it. once it got approved i got all my backpay for the weeks i requested payment for. just make sure you keep doing the payment requests on your scheduled days even if your still pending!!!
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Elijah Brown
•This isnt always true! My sister had a claim that was pending for 5 weeks and she only got paid for 3 of them. TWC told her something about 'backdating limitations' or whatever. OP should call and make sure they know exactly what theyll get paid for.
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Maria Gonzalez
I went through this exact situation in January. The system is designed to hold payments until your claim is fully processed, but will release all eligible backdated payments once approved. The critical thing is that you've filed your payment requests on time during the pending period. Something to be aware of: if your claim is denied and you have to appeal, the process gets more complicated with potential delays in payments. If your employer is contesting your claim (which might be why you're still pending), you should prepare for that possibility. Keep detailed records of all work search activities and any communication with TWC during this time.
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Daniela Rossi
•I'm hoping it won't come to an appeal... my separation was pretty straightforward. My position was eliminated due to budget cuts. Do employers typically contest even in situations like that? Really hoping next Monday comes and everything just processes smoothly.
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Maria Gonzalez
•If your separation was due to position elimination/budget cuts, it's less likely to be contested. Those are typically straightforward. Still, companies sometimes contest everything as policy. Either way, just keep doing your payment requests and work searches while you wait. The TWC site won't show much detail during the pending period, which is frustrating.
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Natalie Chen
THEY BETTER PAY YOU THOSE WEEKS!! That's YOUR money. The system is broken and makes people wait forever. I had to wait 5 WEEKS last year for my claim to be approved and they did eventually pay all my back weeks, but only after I spent HOURS calling them every single day!!! The problem is getting through to someone who can actually help you check what's happening with your claim if it stays pending past Monday.
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Santiago Martinez
•Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to TWC? I was in the same boat - calling for days with no luck. Then I found this service claimyr.com that got me connected to a TWC agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours redialing. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh Saved me so much frustration when I needed to check why my claim was still pending after three weeks. The TWC agent was able to tell me exactly what was happening and when I could expect resolution.
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Natalie Chen
•Never heard of that but wish I had known about it last year!! Bookmarking for the future because knowing TWC I'll probably need it at some point lol
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Samantha Johnson
What does your claim status show online? Tele-Serv doesn't always give the complete picture. Log into your TWC account through the website and check the claim status there. Sometimes it'll show if there's a specific issue that's holding up your claim. Also, I think theres different kinds of "pending" - like pending employer response vs pending TWC review vs pending ID verification. Each one means something different for how long you'll wait.
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Daniela Rossi
•Online it just says "pending" with a message that my claim is being processed. There's nothing about what specifically is pending or why. I did the ID.me verification right away and got the confirmation email that it was successful, so I don't think that's the holdup. I guess it's just waiting on employer response?
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Samantha Johnson
•Yep, sounds like waiting on employer response. Since you said it should be up on Monday, you're probably right. Most claims that are just waiting for the employer response timeframe to expire do get processed pretty quickly once that date passes. Just hang in there a few more days!
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Nick Kravitz
Im on my third unemployment claim in 5 years (construction industry lol) and i always get back pay for the weeks that were on hold while my claim was pending. just keep requesting payment every 2 weeks like clockwork. the most important thing is DONT MISS A PAYMENT REQUEST even if your still pending cuz you cant go back and request later.
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Daniela Rossi
•Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely keep up with the payment requests. I'm just worried because money is getting super tight. Do you remember approximately how long it took for your payment to come through once your claim was approved?
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Nick Kravitz
•usually like 2-3 days after approval it hits my direct deposit. some people with the debit card say it takes an extra day or two.
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Ryan Kim
One more thing to know - when your claim is approved and they release those back payments, they'll all come at once as a lump sum (for the weeks you've requested so far). So you might go from $0 to a larger payment that covers multiple weeks. Just something to be aware of for your budgeting.
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Daniela Rossi
•Oh that's good to know! I was assuming they might trickle in one week at a time. A lump sum would actually be perfect right now to catch up on some bills.
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Elijah Brown
my husband and I both had to file last year when our company shut down and we had totally different experiences? his claim went through in like 5 days and mine took 3 weeks but we both got all our back weeks paid. nobody at TWC could explain why mine took so much longer even though we worked at the same place and got laid off the same day. the system is so random sometimes!
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Zoe Walker
•same thing happened with me and my roommate! we both got laid off from the restaurant we worked at and filed on the same day. his went through in a week and mine took almost a month. no explanation.
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