Being unemployed in this time of great financial uncertainty is not an uncommon thing. All of the different states have different rules and regulations and it is very important that you are fully aware of these prior to making a claim for unemployment. If you are in Texas, you need to know all there is to know about Texas employment and Texas unemployment benefits.

Texas unemployment

In Texas they have taken on board the doctrine of employment at will which applies to the hiring of employees as well as the firing of them. This is easy to understand as it means that the state of Texas accepts that companies can terminate a person’s employment for absolutely any reason whatsoever. Similarly, the employee is free to strike, quit or in any other way stop working. These are excluded from this; the partaking of a state requested jury participation, the breaking of anti-discriminatory employment laws such as discriminating against people based upon country of origin, gender, race or the age of the employee. In addition to this, even though ‘at will’ states can hire and fire at will; the employers need to follow their own procedures and policies.



So how do you make sense of all this if you have lost your job? What do you need to do if you live in Texas and need to make an unemployment claim? Let us quickly go through the qualifications first. You should have had some sort of consistent job wages before which means if you have never worked in your life, you are not eligible. Your removal from your job should not be due to any illegal activity or personal misconduct. A mass layoff or if you quit for medical treatment qualifies you for a Texas unemployment claim.

Texas unemployment

The TWC or the Texas Work Force Commission will handle your Texas unemployment benefits claim. You need to provide them with the exact date you joined your employer, the day you quit/ were removed and the wages you were drawing. You will also be requested to give details of the number of hours that you worked each week. Using this information the commission will assess whether you qualify for unemployment benefit from the state.



Claims can be followed up on the TWC web site or by calling the office as you will not get an instant decision on your claim. The main office of the TWC is in Austin, Texas with 5 offices across the state. It is possible to call them at 7 in the morning or in the early evening if you have been looking for a new job throughout the day for all particulars before you actually drive down to an office. This way you can save precious time and gas money before you even file your claim.



All unemployment benefit payments in Texas are calculated on the current cost of living in the state. You will probably receive about $390 every week in benefits as this is calculated on an annual cost of living of just under sixty thousand dollars and this is irrespective of what your previous salary was.



If at any point, you are not in agreement with the decision of the Texas unemployment determination agent or even the state level hearing, then you have the right to a court hearing on the subject. If you want to fight through the courts for your Texas unemployment benefits claim, it is advisable to hire the services of a competent lawyer.