Unemployment benefits in Texas

Can I get benefits?

You must have wages in at least two quarters of your base period, and your total base-period wages must be at least 37 times your weekly benefit amount.

Law: Tex. Labor Code sec. 207.021(a)(6)-(7)

If you quit

Most people who quit do not get benefits.

If you were fired

You may get benefits if you were fired for a reason other than misconduct.

Law: Tex. Labor Code secs. 207.044, 207.045, 207.046, 207.047

Quit, fired, refused work and the federal rules →

The wage test, the amount and your estimate →

How much and how long?

Weekly benefit

$76–$619

Weeks

Up to 26 weeks

Waiting week

A waiting week

Working part time

The amount not deducted is the greater of $5 or 25% of your weekly benefit amount.

How it is figured, the full rules and the estimate tool →

How to file in Texas

Apply online at Unemployment Benefits Services (UBS), open 24/7, in English or Spanish. If you cannot apply online, call a Tele-Center at 1-800-939-6631 during regular business hours.

Apply as soon as you are unemployed or your hours are cut, but not before your last workday.

What to have ready

• Your Social Security number
• A valid (unexpired) Texas driver license or state ID card number
• Your last employer's business name, address and phone number

Certify (claim your weeks)

Every two weeks. Request payment every two weeks on your assigned filing day, online in UBS or by phone through Tele-Serv (1-800-558-8321).

Everything about filing →

Appeal a denial

• Appeal to the Appeal Tribunal — 14 calendar days from the date TWC mailed the Determination Notice
• Appeal to the Commission — 14 calendar days from the date TWC mailed you the Appeal Tribunal decision (the deadline is printed on the decision's cover sheet)
• Lawsuit for judicial review in a county court at law or state district court — 28 calendar days

Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →

The hearing

Format

Telephone hearing before a hearing officer.

Overpayments and waivers

An overpayment happens when TWC pays you benefits you were not eligible for, for example because earnings were not reported correctly or an appeal decision reversed your eligibility.

Appeal within

14 days from the date TWC mailed the Determination on Payment of Unemployment Benefits that created the overpayment

Fraud penalty

15% added when the overpayment is fraud

Waiver

Not available in our data for regular benefits.

Law: Tex. Labor Code secs. 214.002, 214.003

Waiver details and the hearing checklist →

Someone filed a claim in your name

If someone filed a Texas claim using your Social Security number, report it once on TWC's online fraud portal. Choose "Did Not File the UI Claim" (or "Did Not File the UI Claim But Now Need To" if you need to file your own claim), and upload any TWC letters and a copy of your driver license. Once TWC confirms the identity fraud, you do not owe any overpayment on that claim. If your employer gets a claim notice, ask it to answer that an imposter filed the claim.

• Report it online

National steps

1. Report it to the state where the claim was filed and follow its instructions. Some states ask for a police report or a sworn statement.
2. If you got a 1099-G for benefits you did not receive, the state will send a corrected 1099-G. When you file taxes, report only the income you actually received; do not wait for the corrected form.
3. Check your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228. Report other identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.
4. You can also report unemployment identity fraud that happened after March 2020 to the U.S. Department of Justice National Center for Disaster Fraud. You must still report it to the state.

U.S. Department of Labor: report unemployment identity fraud

Good to know in Texas

• The minimum and maximum weekly benefit change every October. For claims starting on or after October 4, 2026, they are $76 and $619.

  Law: Labor Code sec. 207.002

  Source: TWC Eligibility & Benefit Amounts page

• Texas appeal deadlines are short: 14 days from the mailing date for both the first appeal and the Commission appeal.

  Law: Labor Code secs. 212.053, 212.153

  Source: TWC appeals page

• TWC cannot waive an overpayment, even when it was not your fault.

  Source: TWC Overpayments page

Changes in 2024–2026

Maximum weekly benefit: $591 (from October 6, 2024), $605 (from October 5, 2025), $619 (from October 4, 2026); minimum $74, $75, $76. H.B. 2760 (2025), effective September 1, 2025, amended Labor Code sec. 212.201 so court review is filed in a county court at law or district court. H.B. 3698 (2025), effective September 1, 2025, amended the reemployment-services rule in sec. 207.021(a)(9).

Questions about unemployment in Texas