Texas Unemployment Appeal Deadline | Unemployment Claim Map

Levels of appeal and deadlines

Appeal to the Appeal Tribunal

TWC Appeal Tribunal (a hearing officer)

Deadline

14 calendar days from the date TWC mailed the Determination Notice

Counts as filed

on the postmark date

Weekends and holidays

If the 14th day falls on a federal or state holiday, you have until the next business day.

How to file

Appeal in writing: online in UBS (fastest), by fax, by mail, or in person at a Workforce Solutions office. TWC uses the date and time of an online or fax appeal, or the postmark date of a mailed appeal. TWC does not accept appeals by phone or email. Appeal each decision you disagree with separately. If you fax, keep the fax confirmation.

Where to send it

Appeal Tribunal, Texas Workforce Commission, 101 E 15th St, Rm 410, Austin, TX 78778-0001

File online

Fax: 512-475-1135

It must include

Your name
Your Social Security number
Your current address
The date TWC mailed you the Determination Notice
A copy of the Determination Notice, if possible
Why you disagree with the decision, and any supporting evidence
Any dates you cannot take part in a hearing
Any need for an interpreter or other accommodation for you or your witnesses

If it is late

If you appeal late, your appeal must explain why. If TWC decides not to hear your case because it was late, it mails you a decision that you can appeal.

While you appeal

Keep certifying (filing your weekly or biweekly claims).

Law: Tex. Labor Code sec. 212.053

Official source: Source page

Appeal to the Commission

Texas Workforce Commission (Commission Appeals)

Deadline

14 calendar days from the date TWC mailed you the Appeal Tribunal decision (the deadline is printed on the decision's cover sheet)

How to file

Appeal in writing: online in UBS, by fax, by mail, or in person at a Workforce Solutions office. Not by phone or email. The Commission decides by reviewing the Appeal Tribunal decision and the hearing recording.

Where to send it

Commission Appeals, Texas Workforce Commission, 101 E 15th St, Rm 678, Austin, TX 78778-0001

File online

Fax: 512-475-2044

It must include

Your name
Your Social Security number
Your current address
The Appeal Tribunal decision you are appealing (date and appeal number)
Why you disagree with the decision

While you appeal

Keep certifying (filing your weekly or biweekly claims).

Law: Tex. Labor Code secs. 212.151-212.153

Official source: Source page

Lawsuit for judicial review in a county court at law or state district court

Deadline: 28 calendar days from the date TWC mailed the Commission decision (you cannot file before the 15th day)
What to know: If you disagree with the Commission decision, you can ask the Commission for a rehearing within 14 days of the date it mailed the decision. TWC grants a rehearing only if you show important new information, a compelling reason it was not given earlier, and why it could change the outcome. A rehearing is optional. You can also sue TWC in a county court at law or state district court between 15 and 28 days after TWC mailed the Commission decision. You must finish TWC's appeal steps first. Instructions come with the Commission decision.

Law: Tex. Labor Code secs. 212.153, 212.201-212.203

Every state must give a fair hearing before an impartial tribunal to anyone whose claim is denied.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 503(a)(3) (Social Security Act sec. 303(a)(3))

Appeal deadline calculator

Pick the appeal and enter the date it runs from. We add the days from the state's rule to that date.

Appeal request letter

Fill in the boxes and get a letter you can print or send. You write the reasons in your own words. The letter is in English because the agency works in English.

Date of the letter (required)

Your full name (required)

Your mailing address (required)

Your phone (optional)

Your email (optional)

Which appeal is this letter for?

Date on your notice (required)

How will you send it?

Address printed on your notice (required)

Copy the address where your notice says to send it.

The decision you are appealing (in your own words) (required)

Why you disagree (in your own words)

Write it yourself, in English. We do not suggest what to say.

Anything else your notice asks you to include (optional)

Sign the letter and keep a copy. Keep certifying while you appeal.

Other formats

Preview (the English text you send)

Hearing preparation checklist

Logistics and rights from your state's hearing information, plus your own list of witnesses and documents.

The hearing

Format: Telephone hearing before a hearing officer. Register your phone number 15 to 60 minutes before the hearing time (online at C2T or by calling the number on your notice); the hearing officer then calls you. Times are Central time.
Documents and witnesses: TWC mails a hearing packet 5 to 10 days before the hearing. Mail or fax copies of your documents to the hearing officer and to the other party as early as possible; documents that arrive too late cannot be used. Do not resend documents already in the packet.
Subpoena: You can ask the hearing officer to subpoena a witness or records. The hearing officer grants it only if the witness or records are relevant to the issues. TWC pays the subpoena fees.
Interpreter: Tell TWC as early as possible if you or your witnesses need an interpreter (name the language) or other accommodation.
Representation: The process is set up so you do not need a lawyer. You may have a lawyer or other person represent you at your own cost.
If you miss it: If you cannot take part, call the hearing officer as soon as you can. If you missed the hearing and disagree with the decision, you can ask to reopen your case at the Appeal Tribunal, but you must show a good reason for missing it.

Law: Tex. Labor Code secs. 212.101-212.106

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. You must repay it even if it was not your fault. If TWC finds fraud, you lose your remaining benefits for that benefit year and must also pay a 15 percent penalty.

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.
How the state collects: TWC keeps your future weekly benefits until the overpayment is repaid. The Texas Comptroller can hold state payments to you, such as lottery winnings, unclaimed property and state travel reimbursements. Overpayments from fraud or corrected earnings can be taken from your federal tax refund. TWC may file an Abstract of Assessment (similar to a property lien) in your county. There is no time limit on collecting the debt.

Law: Tex. Labor Code secs. 214.002, 214.003; Tex. Labor Code sec. 214.002

What federal law adds on overpayments

Whether an overpayment can be waived, and how to ask, depends on your state's law. See your state's page.
Your federal tax refund can be taken to pay a past-due state unemployment overpayment caused by fraud or by not reporting your earnings, once it is final under state law. Before this happens, the state must notify you and give you at least 60 days to show that the debt is not owed or not legally enforceable.
Law: 26 U.S.C. 6402(f)
For fraud overpayments, the state must add a penalty of at least 15 percent.
Law: 42 U.S.C. 503(a)(11)

Free help

Call 1-800-939-6631. Legal aid and other free help in Texas → Official sources →

Appeal an unemployment denial in Texas