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Claim Requirements
If you worked as a federal employee during your base period as defined in Eligibility & Benefit Amounts, you need to estimate your federal wages when you apply for unemployment benefits. The federal government does not report wages to TWC each quarter as other employers do, so we must get wage information from you before we can calculate your benefit amounts.
Most people who worked for the federal government can use federal wages to establish their benefit amounts.
- If you worked as a federal civilian employee, you can use federal wages on your claim.
- If you worked as a contract worker, and received an IRS Form 1099 instead of a W-2, you may not be able to use those wages on your claim. The federal agency you worked for will tell us whether the work you did was considered federal civilian employment and can be used for unemployment claim purposes.
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.
Proof of Employment
Request for Proof of Federal Employment
After you apply for benefits, TWC mails you a Request for Proof of Federal Employment form (pictured below) showing the federal wages you estimated.
You must do all of the following before we can use your federal wages to calculate your benefit amount:
- Review the wages and make necessary corrections.
- Sign the form.
- Attach proof of federal employment or federal wages.
- Return the form and proof of employment/wages to TWC.
Acceptable Proof of Federal Employment
The most common proof of federal employment is a Standard Form SF-50 Notice of Personnel Action, or equivalent. A W-2 form or pay stub is also acceptable. Proof should have your name, Social Security number, the employing agency name and clearly indicate you were an employee. You cannot use Standard Form SF-8 as your only proof of employment, because it does not include personal identification.
We also request wage information directly from your former federal employer. When we receive wage information from your employer, we update your wage estimate with the information from the federal government.
If You Disagree with Wage or Separation Information
If you disagree with the information we receive from the federal government, call our Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 and speak with a customer service representative. We will ask the federal agency to reconsider their findings about your wages or reason for separation. If you disagree with the federal agency’s reconsideration report, you may file an appeal with TWC. The TWC hearing officer will make an independent ruling on your wages and reason for separation.
