How to file for unemployment in Texas
The online claim is usually the fastest way. Here is what to have ready, when your claim starts and what comes after you file.
All about unemployment in Texas
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Filing, step by step
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.
When to file and when your claim starts
Apply as soon as you are unemployed or your hours are cut, but not before your last workday. Your claim starts on the Sunday of the week you apply. TWC cannot pay benefits for weeks before that date. If your last job was with a temporary help agency, contact the agency for a new assignment and wait three business days after the assignment ends before you apply.
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
- The first and last dates you worked for your last employer
- Hours worked and pay rate, if you worked in the week you apply (Sunday through Saturday)
- Information about the normal wage for the job you are looking for
- If you served in the military in the past 18 months: your service dates and DD Form 214 (member copy 4 through 8)
- If you are not a U.S. citizen or national: your Alien Registration number
Certify (claim your weeks)
How often: 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). If you miss your filing day, request payment Thursday through Saturday of the same week. Report all hours and gross earnings from all jobs for each week you worked. Keep requesting payment while you wait for a decision or an appeal.
Your first payment
It can take at least four weeks for TWC to decide whether you are eligible. Your last employer has 14 days to respond. TWC pays benefits on a TWC debit card unless you sign up for direct deposit. Setting up direct deposit can take up to eight days to verify your bank account.
Register for work
You must register for work search on WorkInTexas.com within three business days after you apply. Use your Social Security number so TWC can check your registration. If you live in another state and do not commute to Texas, register with the public job center in your state.
Law: Tex. Labor Code secs. 207.021(a)(1)-(2), 208.001
Official source: Source page
What applies in every state
- File with the unemployment program of the state where you worked. If you worked in another state or in several states, the agency in the state where you live now can tell you how to file with other states.
- It generally takes two to three weeks after you file to get your first payment. Some states require a one-week waiting period, so the second week you claim is the first week paid.
Free help
Call 1-800-939-6631. Legal aid and other free help in Texas → Official sources →
More questions about unemployment in Texas
Is there a waiting week in Texas?
Yes. TWC holds the benefits for your first payable week as a waiting week. You can be paid for it later, after you have been paid at least two times your weekly benefit amount and you either go back to full-time work or use up your benefits.