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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 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Central Time Monday through Friday.
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.
Note: Extended Benefits (EB) and Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) are not available at this time.
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
