TWC payment request by phone with bonus income - furloughed but not laid off

Yes, you absolutely need to report that money. The TWC considers ANY income during your benefit period reportable, even if it's not from your employer. Those "bonuses" from coworkers would be considered income. When you request payment through Tele-Serv (800-558-8321), they'll ask if you received any income during each week. You'll need to say yes and report the amount in the week you received it. The system will then adjust your benefits accordingly for that week.

OMG i was in almost the same situation last mnth!!! coworkers gave me $$ when i got hours cut. i didnt report it bc it wasnt on a paystub and nobody would know anyway. TWC is already stingy with benefits why give them a reason to pay u less???

I went through something similar when I was furloughed (not laid off) during covid and received some money from family. Here's what you need to understand - furlough means you're still employed but not working hours, which is why you qualify for unemployment. But ANY money you receive during your benefit period must be reported, whether it's from your job or not. When you call Tele-Serv at 800-558-8321 to request payment, it will ask specifically if you received any income for each week. Say YES, then it will ask for the amount before taxes. The system will then calculate if you're eligible for partial benefits for that week. As for calling vs. online, they collect the same information, but the phone system (Tele-Serv) is actually more reliable when the website is having issues. Just have your PIN ready and follow the prompts.

When you call Tele-Serv (800-558-8321) to request payment, follow these steps: 1. Call and enter your Social Security Number and PIN 2. Select option 1 for payment request 3. Answer whether you've worked or earned wages for each week 4. For the week you received the $950, say YES 5. Enter the amount when prompted TWC reduces your benefit by approximately 25% of what you earn. So if you earned $950, they'll reduce your benefit by about $237.50 for that week. If your weekly benefit amount is less than that, you won't receive benefits for that week. And yes, any gift of cash that large should be reported, especially when it's coming from coworkers. The TWC considers this income even if it wasn't technically wages.

I had to call TWC about this exact situation a couple months ago and it took me THREE DAYS to get through. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected after waiting on hold forever. I finally found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a TWC agent in under 20 minutes. Totally worth it because I needed answers about reporting some side money I got while furloughed. Check out their video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh The website is claimyr.com if you're struggling to get through.

Am I the only one who thinks its RIDICULOUS that we have to report cash gifts now??!! The government wants to take EVERYTHING from us. Those aren't wages from your employer so TWC has no business taking that away from you. Your friends were trying to HELP you, not get your benefits reduced!!!!

Update: I talked to a TWC rep and wanted to share what I learned. They confirmed I do need to report the $950 from my coworkers during the week I received it. The agent explained that it will reduce my benefits for that week using a formula (they subtract about 25% of what I earned from my weekly benefit amount). Since my weekly benefit amount is $425, and 25% of $950 is $237.50, I'll still get $187.50 for that week ($425 - $237.50). The money only affects the week I received it, not future weeks. The agent also mentioned that being furloughed (vs laid off) doesn't change my eligibility as long as my hours were reduced or eliminated. Hope this helps someone else!

wait so they TOLD u that gifts from friends count?? that makes no sense. did they say anything about how theyd even know about cash that wasnt from ur job???

If you really wanna hear something crazy I got furloughed last year then they gave us all "retention bonuses" to stay with the company even though we weren't working any hours? Makes no sense. TWC counted that against my benefits even though I wasn't actually working to earn it. The whole system is weird.