TWC waiting week confusion after federal job termination - when will I get paid?

You've got it right - your first week is the waiting week (which you don't get paid for unless you stay on unemployment for 3 consecutive months, then they pay it retroactively). Since your holiday pay covered the first day of that week, TWC is considering the following week as your waiting week. So yes, when you request payment on the 29th, you'll only be requesting for one week. After that, you'll request payment every two weeks as normal.

The TWC system is SO FRUSTRATING!!! When I lost my job last year, I had the same confusion about the waiting week. I think the way they explain it on the website is terrible. And then when you try to call them for help? HAHAHAHA good luck getting through! I spent 4 days calling non-stop before I gave up. I just had to wait and see what happened with my payments.

hi just wanted to say that yep its confusing but youll get used to it. the waiting week always trips ppl up but its just how texas does it. btw make sure your doing your work searches every week (3 per week) even for that waiting week or they might deny your claim later

To answer your question about when you'll actually receive money: After you request payment on the 29th, you should see the deposit within 2-3 business days if you have direct deposit set up, possibly a bit longer if you're getting the TWC debit card. And yes, you absolutely must do work searches for every week including the waiting week - that's one of the most common reasons people get denied benefits later. Unfortunately, you can't backdate work search activities in the system, but start doing them now and keep good records going forward.

I need to correct the information above - the work search requirement DOES apply to the waiting week. This is directly from the TWC website: "You must meet all eligibility requirements, including work search requirements, during your waiting week." The only exemption would be if you have a specific work search exemption coded to your claim, which is rare and would be noted in your correspondence.

When I first got on unemployment the whole waiting week thing threw me off too! I thought I'd done something wrong when no money showed up. My situation was kinda like yours where I had some holiday pay that complicated things. One tip: print out the payment request confirmation page each time you request benefits. I had an issue once where TWC claimed I hadn't requested payment but I had the printout to prove it!

To answer your question about logging work searches: Keep detailed records of all work search activities, including the date of contact, company name, position, method of contact (online, in-person, phone), name of person contacted if applicable, and result. You can use the TWC's work search log that's available on their website, or create your own spreadsheet with the same information. Applications through WorkInTexas.com count, as do direct applications through company websites. Just make sure you're doing at least 3 per week and can document them if asked. Other qualifying activities include attending job fairs, networking events, or job skills training.

When you request payment, you'll be asked if you completed your required work searches for each week you're requesting payment for. You just answer yes or no - you don't enter the actual details at that time. However, TWC can audit you at any point and ask for documentation of your work searches, so that's why keeping detailed records is so important. If audited and you can't provide proof, you could be disqualified and even have to pay back benefits. I recommend keeping your work search records for at least a year after your claim ends.