TWC denial for 'insufficient wages' between claims - can I count unreported self-employment income?

This is a tricky situation but I've seen people navigate it successfully. TWC does count self-employment income, but you need to have reported it properly on your taxes to use it for UI qualification. Did you file Schedule C with your tax returns for 2023 and 2024 showing this income? If so, you can definitely use that in your appeal.\n\nFor your appeal, gather as much documentation as possible: tax returns, client payments, invoices, a log of work performed, etc. You'll want to be very thorough since you're essentially asking TWC to consider income they don't automatically have record of.\n\nThe key requirement is that you need to have earned at least 6 times your weekly benefit amount from your previous claim during the period after your benefits ended and before your new application. So if your weekly benefit was $300, you need to show you earned at least $1,800 in that period.

Thank you for such a detailed response! I did file taxes and included all my self-employment income on Schedule C for both years. My weekly benefit amount was $385 last time, so I'd need to show about $2,310 in earnings. I definitely made more than that over the 18 months between claims. \n\nDo you know how long the appeal process usually takes? Should I bring physical copies of everything to the appeal hearing?

i went thru the exact same thing last year!!!! worked doordash between claims and twc said no at first. you DEFINTELY need to appeal and bring ALL ur proof. bank statements, venmo, cash app, texts from clients, EVERYTHING. the more the better!!

That's encouraging to hear! Did they accept your DoorDash income when you appealed? How long did the whole process take from when you filed the appeal until you got a decision?

Hey there, I was in a similar situation but with Uber driving income. From what I understand, self-employment CAN count toward the minimum wages needed between claims, but TWC will only accept it if it was properly reported on your taxes, like the first commenter mentioned. Also if you didnt get 1099s from these jobs, they'll look at your bank deposits as evidence. Gather up everything!!!!!

This is correct. A common mistake people make is thinking cash jobs

Thanks for the explanation! Do you think it's worth getting statements from some of my regular clients? I have a few families I babysat for consistently and a couple of homes I cleaned bi-weekly. Would letters from them help my case?

I don't think anyone here is mentioning the REAL problem - TWC is so backed up right now that even IF you file an appeal, you'll be waiting MONTHS to even get a hearing date!! I filed an appeal for a similar issue in February and still haven't gotten a hearing scheduled. The system is COMPLETELY BROKEN and they don't care at all about people struggling!!

I know the wait can be frustrating, but in my experience, if you need to contact TWC directly about your appeal or claim status, Claimyr has been incredibly helpful. I was stuck in appeal limbo for weeks until I used their service at claimyr.com to get through to an actual TWC agent. They connected me within about 20 minutes versus the days of redialing I was doing on my own. There's a good video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh\n\nThe agent I spoke with was able to check on my appeal status and even expedited it because of my financial hardship. Might be worth looking into while you're gathering your documentation.

wait i'm confused... if you did odd jobs why didn't u just report that income weekly to TWC during your claim period instead of waiting til now?? aren't u supposed to report ALL income when claiming?

I think you misunderstood my situation. I was on unemployment April-October 2023. After my benefits ended in October 2023, I did odd jobs and self-employment work until April 2025 when I filed a new claim. TWC is saying I didn't earn enough during that 18-month period between claims to qualify for a new claim. I wasn't trying to hide income during my previous claim period.

oh ok my bad, i get it now!

Based on your situation, here's what you need to know about the appeal process:\n\n1. File your appeal within 14 calendar days of receiving the determination letter\n\n2. Specifically for self-employment income, TWC will need:\n - Tax returns with Schedule C for 2023 and 2024\n - Proof of payments (bank statements, Venmo, etc.)\n - Evidence of actual work performed (communications with clients)\n - A detailed log of jobs, dates, and amounts earned\n\n3. You'll need to show you earned at least 37-40% of your previous base period wages in the new base period. This is in addition to the 6x weekly benefit amount requirement.\n\n4. Prepare a clear written statement explaining your work situation during the gap period\n\nOne thing that often helps is organizing your documentation chronologically and creating a summary sheet that shows all your earnings by month. This makes it much easier for the hearing officer to verify you met the requirements.

This is super helpful! I just checked my determination letter again and it says I need to show earnings of at least $4,620 in my new base period (which I think should be from January 2024 to December 2024). I definitely made more than that with my odd jobs, but it's spread across a lot of different clients and payment methods. I'll start organizing everything chronologically like you suggested.

also check ur mail EVERYDAY becuz TWC sends the hearing notice and if u miss the hearing date ur screwed!! happened to my cousin

THIS!!! They sent my hearing notice to my OLD address even though I updated my address in the system THREE TIMES! Then they claimed I \

Something else to consider - while you're waiting for the appeal, make sure you're still doing your work search activities and documenting them. If your appeal is successful, TWC may require you to show that you were actively searching for work during the waiting period to receive retroactive benefits. The current requirement is 3 work search activities per week in most Texas counties.

Oh that's a good point! I'm already applying to jobs but wasn't tracking them formally. I'll start documenting everything right away. If my appeal is successful, would I need to submit all the payment requests for the weeks I missed while waiting for the appeal decision?

Yes, if your appeal is successful, you'll need to submit payment requests for those missed weeks. TWC will usually provide instructions on how to do this once your appeal is approved. Keep track of everything in the meantime!

i had a situation kinda similar but with uber eats money and they ended up accepting it during appeal but it took foreverrrrr like almost 3 months from start to finish just be prepared for the wait