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Employee Refused Return-to-Work Offer? Let Us Know!
If you offered any of your employees a chance to return to work and they refused, TWC needs to know. Please report each individual who refused to return to work on our online Employer Work Refusal Documentation form.
If Your Employment Has Been Affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
If your employment has been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19), apply for benefits either online at any time using Unemployment Benefits Services or by calling TWC’s Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Central Time, seven days a week.
TWC is experiencing an increase in call volumes and hold times on our Tele-Center phone lines. You are encouraged to use our online claim portal, Unemployment Benefits Services (UBS ), to handle your claim needs quickly. UBS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We also encourage you to sign up for Electronic Correspondence so you can receive your TWC communications online as soon as possible.
TWC will investigate why you lost your job and mail a decision explaining whether you are eligible for unemployment benefits.
CARES Act
Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act dated March 27, 2020, individuals who are self-employed, seeking part-time employment, or who otherwise would not qualify for regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) or Extended Benefits (EB) under state or federal law or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) under section 2107 may be eligible for assistance under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Coverage may also include individuals who have exhausted their benefits under regular UC or EB claims under state or federal law, or PEUC.
If you have already applied for unemployment benefits, DO NOT APPLY AGAIN, even if you have been denied. TWC will determine which pandemic unemployment benefits program you are eligible for and notify you by mail or electronic correspondence. Make sure to request benefit payment on the date listed on the filing instructions we provided you when you applied, and every two weeks after that on your filing day.
For more information, see COVID-19 Resources Job Seekers
TWC Unemployment News
Treasury Offset Program Collection
In October 2016, TWC began issuing letters to former unemployment benefit claimants who have debts that are subject to collection through the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). TOP is a federal program that collects past due debts owed to federal and state agencies by capturing Internal Revenue Service tax refunds to offset these debts. Claimants with an overpayment caused by incorrectly reported earnings, fraud and fraud penalties are subject to TOP. For more information, go to Overpayment of Unemployment Benefits.
U.S. Bank Debit Card
If you are paid benefits by debit card, you will automatically receive a U.S. Bank ReliaCard® in the mail. For more information, go to Receiving Benefits by Debit Card.
Electronic Unemployment Benefits Correspondence
Would you like to go paperless? Sign up for Electronic Correspondence to access to your unemployment benefits correspondence online, using a secure, personal inbox.
- Claimants: sign up using Unemployment Benefits Services
- Employers: sign up using Employer Benefits Services
Featured Topics
- You can appeal a TWC unemployment benefits decision using on online appeal form.
- Claimants: go to How to Appeal a Decision
- Employers: go to How to Appeal a Decision- For Employers
- Make sure you meet your work search requirements by logging your efforts on TWC’s work search log
- If you were previously disqualified, you can find information on how to end your disqualification.
- If your If your last work was temporary employment, find out how temporary work affects your benefits
Learn More About:
Income Taxes & Your Unemployment Benefits
You must report all unemployment benefits you received to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on your federal tax return. We mail IRS Form 1099-G in January, which provides all the information you need to report your benefits.
Beginning in mid-January, you can find the amount of benefits we paid you and any federal taxes withheld on Unemployment Benefits Services (View IRS 1099-G Information) or by calling Tele-Serv at 800-558-8321 (select option 2). TWC staff does not have that information before mid-January.
Find information on reporting your unemployment benefits to the IRS