When to report new job to TWC if onboarding starts before official start date?

congrats on the job! you report it when you actually START working and getting paid, not when you do paperwork. the onboarding stuff is just prep, not employment.

This exact thing happened to me back in February. You don't report anything until you actually START the job (first day physically working). Just keep claiming your weeks until your actual start date. But make sure when you do your payment requests, you answer "no" to the question "Did you work or were you self-employed during this period?" until you actually start. The onboarding paperwork isn't considered work - it's just administrative stuff.

Congratulations on your new position! To clarify the TWC rules on this: you only report employment when you begin performing work for which you receive pay. Completing onboarding paperwork is not considered employment. You should continue filing your payment requests until your actual start date (June 18th). Regarding your waiting week funds: You can apply for your waiting week reimbursement after you've received three benefit payments AND returned to full-time work. When you start working on June 18th, you'll report this on your next payment request. After you've reported returning to full-time work, TWC's system will automatically determine if you're eligible for your waiting week payment and process it accordingly. Keep all documentation of your official start date in case there are any questions later.

To add to what everyone's saying - the most important thing is being consistent with your employer and TWC. If your official hire paperwork says June 18th, then that's your start date for TWC purposes too. The system should automatically process your waiting week after you report returning to full-time work, but in my experience, that doesn't always happen smoothly. I had to call TWC to get my waiting week processed correctly because their system missed it. Took me 43 tries over 3 days to get through on the phone. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected - they have this system that holds your place in line and calls you when a TWC agent is available. Saved me hours of redial frustration. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh Just make sure all your payment requests until June 18th are submitted, then report your return to work on the next request after your start date.

THE TWC SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO TRAP YOU!!!! Be VERY careful about this! My cousin did his onboarding early but didn't start for 2 weeks and TWC tried saying he committed FRAUD because the employer reported his hire date as the day he signed papers NOT his actual start date!!! They wanted him to pay back TWO WHOLE WEEKS of benefits!!! Make sure your employer understands that your hire date on ANY paperwork they submit to state agencies should match your ACTUAL FIRST DAY WORKING! Get it in writing if you can!!!

To address the concern raised about potential discrepancies between paperwork and actual start dates - this is actually a common issue that can be resolved. If you're concerned, you can do two things: 1. Ask your new employer to clarify on your hiring paperwork that while documents are being completed now, your official start date (first day of work) is June 18th. 2. Keep documentation of your actual first day worked (your first timesheet, initial clock-in, or an email from your manager confirming your start date). If there's ever a question, TWC allows you to provide this documentation during the fact-finding process. The key determination is when you first performed work for wages, not when paperwork was processed.

Congrats on the new job! When I got hired back in January I had the same situation. Did all the paperwork and background check stuff two weeks before actually starting. My HR person told me my hire date was officially the day I actually started showing up for work not when I signed all the forms. Thats what I reported to TWC and everything was fine!

One more important thing - when you do your last payment request after starting the job, make sure you report the exact hours you worked and wages earned during that specific request period. Don't report future hours or full-time status until you've actually worked those hours. TWC calculates partial benefits based on your reported earnings for each specific period, not based on your employment status change.

Exactly! You'll report only the hours you actually worked during the claim period. For example, if your payment request covers June 11-24, and you start on June 18th, you would report only the days/hours worked from June 18-24, not the full two weeks. Additionally, on that payment request, you'll answer "Yes" to the question about returning to full-time work, and provide your employer information. The system will then recognize that you've returned to work full-time and should process your waiting week payment automatically. Just to be crystal clear: the waiting week is the first week of your claim period that would have been payable, but was withheld as your "waiting week." You become eligible for this payment after receiving three benefit payments AND returning to full-time work.

Congrats on the new job! Just wanted to add that you should also make sure to keep a copy of your offer letter or employment contract that clearly shows your June 18th start date. This can be really helpful if there are ever any questions down the line. I've seen cases where people had issues because their employer's HR system showed different dates than what was actually agreed upon. Having your own documentation makes everything much smoother if you ever need to clarify with TWC. Good luck with the new position!

Congrats on the new job! I went through this exact same situation last year. You're absolutely right to be cautious about this - timing is everything with TWC. The key thing to remember is that your "employment" officially starts when you begin performing work duties for pay, not when you sign paperwork. So you're good to keep claiming until June 18th. Just make sure when you do your payment requests between now and then, you answer "no" to working during that period. Once you actually start on June 18th, that's when you report it on your next payment request. The waiting week should process automatically after that, but keep all your documentation just in case. You're being smart to ask about this upfront - it'll save you potential headaches later!

Congratulations on landing the job! You're being really smart to ask about this upfront. I had a similar situation a few months ago where I did all my onboarding paperwork 3 weeks before my actual start date. I kept claiming my benefits right up until my first day of actual work, and everything went smoothly. The key is that "employment" for TWC purposes means when you're actually performing work and earning wages, not when you sign forms or do training modules. Just make sure your offer letter clearly states June 18th as your start date (which it sounds like it does), and keep that documentation handy. When you file your payment request for the period that includes June 18th, you'll report the actual hours worked starting from that date. The waiting week should process automatically once you report returning to full-time work, but don't stress if it takes a few weeks to show up - that's pretty normal. You've got this!

Congrats on the new job! I actually had a very similar situation about 6 months ago and was just as confused about the timing. What really helped me was calling my new employer's HR department directly and asking them to confirm in writing (email works) that my official employment start date for all reporting purposes would be June 18th, even though I was completing onboarding earlier. This gave me peace of mind and documentation to show TWC if needed. Also, when you do start on June 18th, take a screenshot or photo of your first day clocking in if possible - it's just one more piece of evidence that shows your actual work start date. The whole process ended up being much smoother than I expected, but having that extra documentation definitely made me feel more secure about everything. You're asking all the right questions!

Congratulations on the new job! I went through something very similar last fall - had to do all my background checks and I-9 paperwork about 10 days before my actual start date. I was so worried about messing something up with TWC! What really saved me was keeping a simple timeline document with all the key dates: when I signed paperwork, when I completed onboarding, and my actual first day of work. I also made sure to screenshot my TWC payment request answers each week to show I was consistently reporting "no work" until my actual start date. The waiting week did process automatically for me about 2-3 weeks after I reported returning to full-time work, just like others mentioned. One tip: if your new employer uses any kind of digital onboarding system, try to save screenshots of the pages that show your official start date - sometimes those systems update after you complete everything and it's nice to have the original info captured. You're being really proactive about this which is exactly the right approach!

Congrats on the new job! I just wanted to add one more thing that helped me when I was in a similar situation - make sure to check if your new employer has a specific policy about when they report new hires to state agencies. Some companies automatically report hire dates as the day paperwork is signed, while others report the actual work start date. It might be worth asking HR about their reporting process so you know what to expect. Also, don't forget that you can still look for other work opportunities until your actual start date (in case something even better comes along), and you should continue to be available for work as required by TWC until June 18th. You're handling this really well by getting all the details sorted out ahead of time - that's exactly what you should do to avoid any complications down the road!

Congratulations on your new job! This is actually a really common situation and you're smart to ask about it upfront. I went through something very similar earlier this year. The key thing to remember is that TWC considers you "employed" when you actually start performing work and earning wages, not when you complete paperwork or onboarding activities. So you're absolutely correct to keep filing your payment requests until June 18th. Just make sure you answer "no" to any questions about working during those weeks before your actual start date. When you do start on June 18th, that's when you'll report returning to work on your next payment request, and the system should automatically process your waiting week payment after that. Keep all your documentation (offer letter, first timesheet, etc.) just in case, but you should be fine following this approach. Good luck with the new position!

Congratulations on the new job! This is such a great question and I'm glad you asked before any issues came up. I actually had almost the exact same situation about 8 months ago - completed all my onboarding and paperwork 2 weeks before my actual start date. I was so nervous about reporting it wrong to TWC! What I learned is that you're absolutely right to wait until June 18th to report employment. The onboarding stuff doesn't count as "work" for TWC purposes. I kept filing my payment requests right up until my first actual day of work, and everything went smoothly. The waiting week processed automatically about 3 weeks after I reported returning to full-time work. One thing I'd suggest is taking a photo of your first day's timesheet or clock-in - it's just nice to have that documentation showing your actual work start date. You're being really smart about this and asking all the right questions upfront!

Congrats on the new job! I went through this exact situation about a year ago and was just as confused about the timing. You're absolutely doing the right thing by asking upfront - it shows you're being responsible about following TWC rules. Just to echo what everyone else has said, you definitely want to keep claiming benefits until June 18th (your actual first day of work) and answer "no" to any questions about working during that time. The onboarding paperwork is just administrative stuff, not actual employment. When you start working on June 18th, that's when you'll report it on your next payment request. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple folder (physical or digital) with all my documentation - offer letter, onboarding completion confirmations, first timesheet, etc. Having everything organized made me feel much more confident about the whole process. The waiting week did process automatically for me, but it took about 2-3 weeks after I reported returning to work. You're handling this perfectly by getting informed ahead of time!