Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

To receive PUA benefits, you must have certified that you were able and available for work and were unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work through no fault of your own because:

• You had been diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) or were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis.
• A member of your household had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• You were providing care for a family member or a member of your household who had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• You were unable to reach your place of employment because of a quarantine imposed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• You were unable to reach your place of employment because you had been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
• You were scheduled to commence employment and did not have a job or were unable to reach the job as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• You had become the breadwinner or major support for your household because the head of the household had died as a direct result of COVID-19.
• You had to quit your job as a direct result of COVID-19.
  • A qualified medical professional diagnosed you with COVID-19. Although you no longer had it, the illness caused health complications that made you unable to perform your essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Your place of employment was closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• You worked as an independent contractor with reportable income, but COVID-19 had severely limited your ability to continue performing your customary work activities, and thereby forced you to suspend those activities.
• A child or other person in your household for which you had primary caregiving responsibility was unable to attend school or another facility that was closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency and such school or facility care was required for you to work. For more information, see PUA Eligibility for Caregivers Impacted by Schools Closing or Reopening.
• You were denied continued unemployment benefits because you refused to return to work or accept an offer of work at a worksite that, in either instance, was not in compliance with local, state, or national health and safety standards directly related to COVID-19. This included but was not limited to, those related to facial mask wearing, physical distancing measures, or the provision of personal protective equipment consistent with public health guidelines.
• You provided services to an educational institution or educational service agency and was unemployed or partially unemployed because of volatility in the work schedule that was directly caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. This included, but was not limited to, changes in schedules and partial closures. 
• You were an employee and your hours had been reduced or you were laid off as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
   

You were NOT eligible if you:

• Were receiving paid sick leave or other paid leave benefits, including benefits from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). However, if you were being paid for less than your customary work week you might have been eligible for reduced PUA. Any paid leave you received must have met Disaster Unemployment Assistance’s income restrictions.
• Could telework with pay. However, if you were working fewer hours than you did before the pandemic you might have been eligible for reduced  PUA if you met DUA’s income restrictions.
• Were an essential worker and continued to work. Quitting work without good cause in an attempt to get PUA benefits is fraud.
• You and your employment were no longer affected by COVID-19.

PUA Claims Filed Before January 31, 2021

If you filed a PUA claim before January 31, 2021, you must provide proof of employment, self-employment, or planned commencement of prospective employment or self-employment. You must provide the proof 90 days from the date TWC notified you of the requirement. 

• Claims dated prior to January 3, 2021: You must provide proof for calendar year 2019 that demonstrates the existence of employment between January 1, 2019, and your claim’s filing date.
• Claims dated on or after January 3, 2021: You must provide proof for calendar year 2020 that demonstrates the existence of employment between January 1, 2020, and your claim’s filing date.

Your documentation of employment or self-employment does not need to cover the entire period that you were working. 

If you do not send us proof of employment within the deadline, you will be found ineligible for benefits beginning December 27, 2020, and have to repay any benefits you received. You have the right to appeal any decision holding you ineligible for benefits. The requirement to provide proof was established by law and cannot be appealed.

PUA Claims Filed on or after January 31, 2021

If you filed or moved to a new PUA claim on or after January 31, 2021, you must provide proof of employment, self-employment, planned commencement of prospective employment or self-employment. You must provide the proof within 21 days of the date you filed your claim. 

You must provide proof for calendar year 2020 that demonstrates the existence of employment between January 1, 2020, and the date you filed your claim. Your documentation of employment or self-employment does not need to cover the entire period that you were working. 

If you do not send us proof of employment within the deadline, you will be found ineligible for benefits beginning December 27, 2020, and have to repay any benefits you received. You have the right to appeal any decision holding you ineligible for benefits. The requirement to provide proof was established by law and cannot be appealed.

How to Submit Your Proof of Employment

PUA claimants should submit their proof of employment using TWC’s UI Submission Portal. Select DUA Proof of Employment at Time of Disaster from the Type of Submission drop-down menu. For more information see Sending TWC Proof of Employment.

If you cannot use the online portal you can submit the proof by fax or mail. Due to the heavy volume of mail, processing the proof received by fax or mail will be delayed. 

Mail or fax proof of employment to:

Texas Workforce Commission
Attn: PUA Proof
P.O. Box 149137
Austin, TX 78714-9137

Fax: 512-936-3250

Acceptable Proof of Employment

Acceptable forms of proof of employment include:

• paycheck stubs
• earnings and leave statements showing the employer’s name and address 
• bank records if your paycheck was direct deposit
• W-2 forms 
• 1099s
• Income tax return for the applicable tax year, must include the IRS Tax Form 1040 and schedule C, F, or SE

Proof of Self-Employment

Acceptable forms of proof of self-employment include:

• state or federal employer identification numbers
• business licenses
• tax returns
• business receipts/invoices
• signed affidavits from persons verifying the individual’s self-employment
• Income tax return for the applicable tax year, must include the IRS Tax Form 1040 and schedule C, F, or SE
• bank statement

Proof of Prospective Employment

Acceptable proof of prospective employment includes one of the following:

• letters offering employment
• statements/affidavits by individuals (with name and contact information) verifying an offer of employment. 

Proof of Prospective Self-Employment

Acceptable proof of prospective self-employment  includes one of the following:

• property titles or deeds for the place of business
• rental agreement or letter from a property owner showing the claimant planned to open a business 
• other evidence that you were preparing to open a business, such as business loan documents, business-related receipts, advertising, state tax registration, business registration, Assumed Name Certificate, etc.

If you disagree with a decision on your PUA claim, you must appeal in writing within 14 calendar days from the date we mail you the Determination Notice. The date mailed is located on the top of the Determination Notice form, and the last day you can file an appeal is at the bottom of the form. If the fourteenth day falls on a federal or state holiday, you have until the next business day to file your appeal.

For more information about the appeals process, see: Introduction to the Unemployment Benefits Appeal Process and How to Appeal a Decision.

Answer questions accurately and truthfully. You commit fraud if you knowingly provide false or misleading information or withhold relevant information for yourself or another person, to obtain or increase benefits. Unemployment benefits fraud is punishable by law, both felony and misdemeanor, and violators could face serious penalties and consequences.

If you commit unemployment fraud, you must pay back benefits you were not entitled to receive. In addition, you could face a variety of penalties, including:

• Criminal prosecution by state or federal authorities
• A possible jail or prison sentence and/or fines
• Loss of remaining benefits on your claim

For more information see Unemployment Benefits Fraud

• Applying for Unemployment Benefits
• Request Benefit Payments
• Ongoing Eligibility Requirements for Receiving Unemployment Benefits
• Work Search Requirements for Unemployment Benefits
• Report Your Work & Earnings
• How Money from Other Sources Can Affect Your Benefits
• Disaster Unemployment Assistance