How to File for Unemployment Benefits in Texas

To file for unemployment in Texas, submit a claim to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) through the Unemployment Benefit Services portal at ui.texasworkforce.org, or call a TWC Tele-Center at 800-939-6631.¹ Benefits run from $75 to $605 per week for up to 26 weeks, based on your past earnings.² Most people can finish the application in one sitting if they have their employment history and identification ready before they start.

What to Gather Before You Start

The online portal doesn’t let you pause to hunt down a former employer’s phone number, and incomplete applications slow everything down. Have the following on hand:

Your Social Security number and a government-issued photo ID. TWC verifies your identity through ID.me, which asks for photos of your ID and a short selfie video.³
For every employer in the past 18 months: the exact business name, physical address, phone number, and your start and end dates. The employer’s TWC account number, often printed on pay stubs or W-2s, speeds things up.
Your gross pay for your last week of work, including any severance, vacation pay, or bonuses for that period.
A short, clear reason for your job separation, such as “reduction in force” or “lack of work.”
Any pension or retirement income you receive from a base-period employer. TWC reduces your weekly benefit by that amount.²
Your bank routing and account numbers if you want direct deposit, which is the fastest way to be paid.

Filing Online Through Unemployment Benefit Services

The Unemployment Benefit Services (UBS) portal at ui.texasworkforce.org is open 24 hours a day and is the quickest way to file. You create an account, complete identity verification through ID.me, and work through the application screens one at a time. Review every entry before you submit. Fixing a mistake afterward means calling TWC.

When you submit, the system generates a confirmation number. Save it. That number is your proof of the filing date and it’s what TWC asks for on any future call about your claim.

Filing by Phone

If you can’t file online, call a TWC Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 during regular business hours.¹ A representative walks you through the same questions the portal asks. Hold times can be long, so pull together every piece of information listed above before you dial.

Don’t confuse the filing line with Tele-Serv at 800-558-8321. Tele-Serv is an automated system for managing a claim you already have, not for filing a new one.⁴

Who Qualifies

Texas unemployment is funded by employer-paid state taxes, not by anything deducted from your paycheck.⁵ Three things have to line up: enough past earnings, a qualifying reason for losing your job, and the current ability to work.

Past Earnings and the Base Period

TWC decides eligibility using your base period: the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. Calendar quarters run January–March, April–June, July–September, and October–December. Your employers must have reported enough taxable wages during that 12-month window to meet the state’s monetary threshold.² If you had a gap in employment or only recently started earning well, the base period can leave you short even when your recent income looked solid.

Your weekly benefit amount is 1/25th of your wages in the highest-earning quarter of the base period. The total you can collect on the claim is either 26 times that weekly amount or 27 percent of your entire base-period wages, whichever is less.²

Why You Left the Job

You need to be out of work through no fault of your own. Layoffs, reductions in force, and company closures qualify without much question. If you were fired, TWC looks at whether it was for misconduct connected to the job, meaning something you did or failed to do that broke a company rule, hurt the employer, and was within your control.⁶

If you quit, you have to show you had good cause connected to the work itself. Quitting for personal reasons disqualifies you. A disqualification for misconduct, quitting without good cause, or refusing suitable work stays in place until you return to work for at least six weeks or earn at least six times your weekly benefit amount.⁶

Ability to Work

You must be physically able to work and available for full-time work immediately, and TWC checks this throughout your claim.⁶ If you’re not a U.S. citizen, you can still qualify if you were legally authorized to work when you earned your base-period wages, when you apply, and while you continue requesting payments, and you can meet Form I-9 requirements.⁷

What Happens After You File

Register on WorkInTexas.com Within Three Days

You must register for work on WorkInTexas.com within three business days of filing.⁸ It’s a legal requirement, not an optional step. Skipping it or registering late can suspend your payments.

The Unpaid Waiting Week

Texas law holds your first payable week as an unpaid waiting week. That week isn’t paid until you’ve received at least two weeks of benefit payments and either return to full-time work or exhaust your benefits.⁹ In practice, your first actual payment lands about four weeks after you apply, and it typically covers only one week even though you requested payment for two.

Request Payment Every Two Weeks

Payments don’t arrive on their own. You have to request payment roughly every two weeks on your assigned day, either through UBS or by calling Tele-Serv at 800-558-8321.⁹ Each request asks whether you worked, what you earned, and whether you met the eligibility rules for those weeks. Miss the window and your payment can be delayed or denied. Your schedule is in the instruction packet TWC sends after you file.

Do Your Work Search and Keep a Log

You have to actively search for work every week you claim benefits. TWC mails you a Work Search Notification form (BI940) that spells out the minimum number of activities required each week. That number is set by your local Workforce Development Board and can change during your claim year, so don’t assume it stays fixed.¹⁰ Log every activity in detail: date, employer name, how you applied. TWC can ask for your log at any time during your benefit year, and if they can’t verify what you did, you lose eligibility for that week.⁸

Report Any Work and Earnings When You Worked Them

If you pick up any work during a claim week, report it when you request payment. Report the hours and gross earnings for the week you did the work, not the week you got paid for it.¹¹ This is the mistake TWC flags most often, and unreported earnings are what usually turn a routine claim into an overpayment case.

If Your Claim Is Denied

A denial letter explains the reason and includes instructions for filing an appeal. The most common grounds are that TWC decided you quit without good cause, were fired for misconduct, or fell short of the base-period wage requirement. The initial determination is often made on limited information, so an appeal hearing gives you a real chance to present your side.

At the hearing, a TWC hearing officer reviews evidence from you and your former employer. You can submit emails, termination letters, pay records, and any written communications that back up your account, and witnesses can take part. Be concise, answer only what’s asked, and don’t guess when you’re unsure.

Keep requesting your biweekly payments and completing your work search activities while the appeal is pending. If you win, TWC pays you retroactively for the weeks that were denied. If you stop certifying during the appeal, those weeks create gaps that can’t be filled later.

1
Texas Workforce Commission. Apply for Unemployment Benefits
2
Texas Workforce Commission. Eligibility and Benefit Amounts
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Texas Workforce Commission. Unemployment Benefits Identity Verification
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Texas Workforce Commission. Unemployment Benefits Contact Information for Claimants
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Texas Workforce Commission. Unemployment Benefits Program
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Texas Workforce Commission. Unemployment Insurance Law – Qualification Issues
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Texas Workforce Commission. Ongoing Eligibility Requirements for Receiving Unemployment Benefits
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Texas Workforce Commission. Work Search Requirements
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Texas Workforce Commission. Request Benefit Payments
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Texas Workforce Commission. Work Search Log Frequently Asked Questions
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Texas Workforce Commission. Report Your Work and Earnings