Applying for Unemployment Benefits

If you are interested to know if you might be eligible for unemployment benefits, please visit the Eligibility and Benefit Amounts webpage to learn about eligibility requirements. 

If you are unemployed, and you have not applied for unemployment benefits yet and want to apply, apply on TWC’s Unemployment Benefits Services webpage.  

If you are not unemployed or do not need to apply for unemployment benefits but are interested in eligibility requirements AND potential benefit amounts, please also visit the Eligibility and Benefit Amounts webpage. 

The Eligibility and Benefit Amounts webpage contains a link to TWC’s Unemployment Benefits Estimator where you can estimate your potential benefits amount before applying. The estimator cannot tell you if you are eligible to receive benefits. Eligibility is only determined after applying for benefits. 

Apply for benefits in one of two ways:

• Apply online at Unemployment Benefit Services by selecting Apply for Benefits. Read the Applying for Unemployment Benefits Tutorial
  for help applying online.
• Call a Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 and speak to a customer service representative.

Information You Need to Apply

You will need:

• Your last employer’s business name, address and phone number
• First and last dates (month, day and year) you worked for your last employer. If you worked for your last employer on more than one occasion, provide the most recent employment dates.
• Number of hours worked and pay rate if you worked the week you apply for benefits (Sunday through Saturday)
• Information about the normal wage for the job you are seeking
• Alien Registration number (if not a U.S. citizen)
• A valid Texas Driver License number or Texas Identification Card number

Your Unemployment Benefit Services Password

When you sign up for online services, you will select a User ID and password. Your password protects your identity and privacy. It has the same legal authority as your signature on a paper document. Do not give your password to anyone, not even to a family member or TWC employee. You are responsible for any payment request made using your User ID and password.

If you have a User ID and password from WorkInTexas.com, use that User ID and password to logon to Unemployment Benefit Services. For more about the password requirements, go to Managing Your Benefits Password & PIN.

Your claim is confidential. However, we share some information with government agencies and their contractors for the administration and enforcement of laws, including verifying eligibility for public assistance, supporting law enforcement activities, and other purposes permitted by law. Allowable uses of confidential information may include performing statistical analysis, research and evaluation.

Disclosure may be made to entities that manage and evaluate programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and child support. We mail a notice of your claim to your last employer and may communicate with other former employers. If we pay you benefits by debit card, we share information with U.S Bank because it manages your debit-card account. U.S. Bank and government agencies with access to information must agree to comply with state and federal laws regarding the confidentiality of claim information.