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An overpayment is caused when Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) pays unemployment benefits that you were not eligible to receive. State law requires TWC to recover all unemployment benefits overpayments.

There is no statute of limitations on debts owed to the state. TWC cannot forgive or dismiss the overpayment and there is no exception for hardship.

Overpayments stay on your record until repaid. You must repay those benefits even if the overpayment was not your fault. We cannot pay you benefits if you have an overpayment.

If we determine that the overpayment is from unemployment fraud you committed, you will be required to repay the benefits you were not eligible for, plus a 15 percent penalty on the benefits you incorrectly received. For more information, see Unemployment Benefits Fraud.

Causes of Overpayments
Not reporting earnings or reporting incorrect earnings when requesting benefit payments.
Correction of wage errors resulting in a lower benefit amount than initially determined because the wage history we used to establish your claim included errors or belonged to another individual.
Providing incorrect or false information about your job separation or work search when you applied for benefits or requested payment.
Having an appeals ruling reverse your eligibility after TWC paid you benefits.
Not participating in Reemployment Services or other job assistance programs with Workforce Solutions when required.
Not registering with WorkInTexas.com or with your local One-Stop Career Center if residing outside of Texas.
Committing fraud.

Impact on Current Benefits

State law requires that you repay your overpayment before we can pay further unemployment benefits. TWC cannot dismiss or forgive an overpayment, and there is no exception in the law for hardship cases. If you are requesting unemployment benefits, we recommend that you continue to submit biweekly payment requests so we can apply each eligible payment toward the overpayment until it is repaid.

Overpayments From Another State

If you have an overpayment of unemployment benefits in another state, that state may request that we send your Texas benefits to them until your overpayment is paid. If the overpayment from another state can be collected by Texas, we will notify you. Continue to submit biweekly payment requests so we can apply each eligible payment toward the overpayment. After you repay the overpayment, we will release any remaining payable benefits to you, as long as you are still requesting payment.

Unemployment Benefits From Another State

If you have an overpayment in Texas and receive unemployment benefits from another state, we can ask that state to recover the money for us. The other state will send your benefits to TWC to repay your overpayment, as allowed by the laws of the other state.

You do not need to contact TWC for the repayment schedule to take effect

Contact the Collections department for questions about repaying the overpayment, such as requesting a change to the payment schedule, the balance of your overpayment, warrant holds, a TOP notice, or a Notice of Assessment.

Mail: Benefit Overpayment Collections
Texas Workforce Commission
101 E 15th St, Rm 556
Austin, TX 78778


Phone: 512-936-3338
Fax: 512-936-3799


Email: special.colloverpay@twc.texas.gov  - Please use this email address only for questions about repaying the overpayment. To discuss why you were overpaid, make corrections to your claim, or any other questions about your claim, please contact the Unemployment department at 800-939-6631 or by submitting a Contact Request Form.

Notice of Potential Overpayment

If you received a Notice of Potential Overpayment letter asking you to contact the Benefit Payment Control (BPC) department, please contact them for assistance.

Phone: 800-950-3592

The Collections department is not able to assist with a Notice of Potential Overpayment letter and cannot make changes to your earnings.