What must an individual do each week they receive unemployment benefits in Texas TWC?

Five a week sounds like a lot honestly. I'm in Bexar County, do you know if it's the same number everywhere or does it vary?

Travis County is five, yeah, TWC mails you a letter with your specific number so check that first before assuming.

My letter said five too and I'm in Harris County. The letter is what actually counts according to TWC.

Wait so the payment request is every two weeks but the work search is every week? I was thinking they were both on the same schedule.

Exactly right, they're on different schedules. Work search activities happen every single week your benefits are active. The payment request covers two weeks at a time and asks you about each week separately.

This tripped me up at first too. Each payment request will literally ask you week one and week two as separate questions, so you answer both during one submission.

Don't forget it asks about earnings too, any work you did that week even side jobs you have to report gross pay rounded down.

Does registering once cover it or do you have to log in and do something there every week?

Registering is the main requirement but your work search activities themselves need to be recorded. You keep a log and TWC can request it at any point.

The UBS login and WorkInTexas.com actually use the same username and password, worth knowing if you haven't set that up yet.

That part makes me a little nervous, what counts as 'available'? Like if I have a doctor's appointment one day does that make me unavailable?

A single appointment wouldn't disqualify you, it's more about whether you could realistically accept and start a full-time job that week. Someone who's out of town for two weeks on vacation would have a problem but a quick appointment wouldn't.

Yeah it's about full-time availability in general, not perfection. The key is you're not turning down suitable work offers.

My letter says three a week and I'm in a smaller county outside the main metro areas. Definitely read your letter.

Okay so I need to actually find my letter because I don't remember what number it said for me. I think I might have tossed it thinking it was just general info.

Call the Tele-Center if you can't find the letter, they can confirm your required number. The number is 800-939-6631 during business hours.

Yes, every dollar. You report the gross amount for the week the work happened, not the week you get paid. All work counts including gigs, side jobs, reselling stuff for profit, everything.

Okay that's what I figured but wanted to confirm. What if earnings are under some threshold, does it still cut into the benefit?

So up to 25 percent of your weekly amount you don't lose anything. Above that the payment gets reduced by whatever you earned over that 25 percent. And if you earn more than your weekly amount plus that 25 percent buffer in one week, no payment at all for that week.

The math on that is basically: if your weekly benefit is $480 like this person said, you can earn up to $120 without any reduction. After $120 it starts coming off your payment dollar for dollar.

I didn't get severance but good to know that's a thing. My layoff was just a straight cut with two weeks notice, no package.

Then you're probably fine on that front. Just keep up with the payment requests and work search and you should be okay.

Severance can actually pause your benefits in some cases depending on how it's structured, TWC mails you a decision on it. Worth knowing for anyone who did get a package.

Wait so I might not see that first week's money for a while? That's kind of a big deal when bills are due.

Yeah it's the system. If you go back to full-time work before you exhaust benefits you can request the waiting week through UBS or Tele-Serv, there's a specific option for it. Otherwise it comes at the end.

Both things have to be true though right? Not just one or the other. You need the two payments AND the return to work or exhausting benefits before the waiting week pays out.

Exactly both conditions together, not either one alone.

Partially right. The normal window is Sunday through Wednesday. You can file late Thursday through Saturday of that same week. But if you miss the whole week entirely, those weeks are just gone, you can't go back and file for them later.

Okay so there is a small grace window, good to know. I was worried I'd lose everything if I forgot one day.

Set a Sunday reminder on your phone, makes it much easier to stay on schedule.

This is exactly the kind of mix-up I could see myself making. So even after approval you have to actively do something every two weeks or the money just doesn't come?

Exactly right. Approval doesn't mean money automatically arrives. You have to request each payment period through UBS or Tele-Serv, and you should start requesting about one to two weeks after applying even before you hear back on eligibility.

The mailed instructions you get after applying should include the specific date TWC wants you to start requesting, look for that document.

TWC can request the log at any time so keeping it thorough is the right call. Date, employer name, how you contacted them, what position you applied for. The more detail the better.

Yeah mine has all that. I was just wondering how common audits actually are. Sounds like it's just random.

My neighbor got asked for theirs after about six weeks. She had everything logged and it was fine. The problems come when people don't keep records at all.

Oh wow I had no idea about the tax part. How do you opt in to withholding?

You can set it up in UBS in your account settings, or ask when you call the Tele-Center. Way easier to withhold now than scramble at tax time.

Texas doesn't have state income tax so it's just the federal portion to worry about. The 10 percent optional withholding covers the federal side pretty well for most people.

That's really useful actually, I didn't know there was a time-based threshold. So the bar for what you have to accept goes lower the longer you're on benefits?

Right, you get a little more leeway later on but the expectation is you're genuinely looking and accepting reasonable offers throughout.

The 'suitable work' part matters too, it's not just about pay. The job has to be something you're reasonably qualified for given your experience.

How does the waiver work if someone IS expecting a recall, do they have to request that separately?

You'd need to contact TWC to find out if you qualify. It's not automatic just because you expect to go back. My cousin found out the hard way.

Overpayments are brutal too because TWC is required to collect them no matter what, there's no hardship exception or way to get it forgiven.

I'm in one of those counties so five it is. At least now I know for certain.

Five is doable when you plan it out across the week. Don't cram five applications into Saturday night.

Spreading them out also makes your log look more natural if TWC ever reviews it.

Mine kept asking for a code and I thought I had an account issue, good to know it's normal.

Totally normal. Have your phone nearby when you log in. It sends the code and you have a limited time to enter it.

If you change your phone number you have to update it before you get locked out of codes, learned that one the annoying way.

Was it straightforward to get set up with that service? I might need to call TWC about my work search number.

Pretty simple, just follow what it tells you. The agent picked up and I explained my issue right away.

This is a really clear summary, saving this. The work search logging is the part I was most fuzzy on before this thread.

The logging seems tedious but it protects you if TWC ever questions your activities. Keep it updated the same day you do each activity, way easier than trying to reconstruct it later.

Don't forget the taxes piece too. Setting up that 10 percent withholding now is worth it.

And the payment request timing. Miss that window and there's no catching up for those weeks.

Does it work for checking on adjudication status too? Mine has been in review for a couple weeks and I'd like to ask an agent about it directly.

That's exactly the kind of thing it's for, any reason you need a live agent. Adjudication questions, payment discrepancies, work search issues, all of it.