Glossary
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A
Able to Work is being physically and mentally able to perform the work you are seeking. You must
have the health, endurance, and other physical and mental requirements necessary to perform
suitable work
for which you are qualified or can readily learn to perform, and which exists in the area where
you are seeking work.
A unique number sequence assigned to a checking or savings account holder by a bank or credit union.
Additional payment is a payment an employer makes to an employee who is involuntarily separated from
employment. Examples of an additional payment include wages paid to an employee instead of providing prior
notice of a layoff (wages in lieu of notice) and
severance pay given due to a company policy or based on years of service.
Individuals are disqualified from receiving benefits under Section 207.049 of the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act while receiving certain kinds of additional payment from their employer.
Individuals are disqualified from receiving benefits under Section 207.049 of the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act while receiving certain kinds of additional payment from their employer.
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance is a program for trade-affected workers age 50 or older
covered by a
Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA)
petition that has been certified as ATAA eligible. Affected workers may have an option for a wage
subsidy if they find a job within 26 weeks of their job separation. Please contact your
local workforce center
for eligibility information.
Amount Deposited is the amount after deductions that TWC sends to your
direct deposit account (bank or credit union) or your
TWC debit card account.
APO is the Army Post Office.
Confirmation Number confirms that you submitted your appeal application. Keep your Confirmation Number for your records.
Available for Work is being ready, willing, and able to accept any full-time suitable work.
To be available for work you must:
- Have adequate transportation
- Have adequate child care arrangements (if you have children)
- Be available for job interviews
- Be willing to work all the days and hours required for the type of work you are seeking
- Be willing to accept the usual rate of pay for a person of your qualifications and experience
B
Base Period is the 12-month period of wages reported by employers that TWC uses to calculate your
benefits. The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before
you filed your claim application. (Calendar quarters are three-month periods beginning with
January, April, July, or October.)
Benefits Remaining is the total amount of benefits you have left during your
benefit year
(your maximum possible benefits minus your benefits paid to date and any
disqualification amount).
Benefit Year is the yearlong period your Unemployment Benefits claim will be in effect.
Once your benefit year is in effect, the beginning and ending dates of the benefit year may not be changed. Your benefit year remains in effect for the specified period even if your claim changes in some way.
For example, if you receive all of your benefits before your benefit year ends, you may not receive additional benefits until your next benefit year begins. If you are disqualified from receiving benefits any time during your benefit year, you may not start a new benefit year until that benefit year ends.
Once your benefit year is in effect, the beginning and ending dates of the benefit year may not be changed. Your benefit year remains in effect for the specified period even if your claim changes in some way.
For example, if you receive all of your benefits before your benefit year ends, you may not receive additional benefits until your next benefit year begins. If you are disqualified from receiving benefits any time during your benefit year, you may not start a new benefit year until that benefit year ends.
A Business Day is Monday - Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Central Time.
TWC is closed when the following holidays fall on a business day.
| Holiday | Date Observed |
| New Year's Day | January 01 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 3rd Monday in January |
| President's Day | 3rd Monday in February |
| Memorial Day | 4th Monday in May |
| Independence Day | July 04 |
| Labor Day | 1st Monday in September |
| Veteran's Day | November 11 |
| Thanksgiving Day | 4th Thursday in November |
| Day after Thanksgiving | 4th Friday in November |
| Christmas Eve | December 24 |
| Christmas Day | December 25 |
| Day after Christmas | December 26 |
C
Cause of action is a set of facts involving the person?s employment relationship that provides a
basis for the person to sue the employer.
The Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214, Member 4 Copy)
provides you with a concise record of your period of service with the Armed Forces at the time of
your separation, discharge or change in military status (reserve/active duty).
Collective bargaining agreement is a negotiated agreement between employers and the
representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions.
A Combined-Wage Claim (CWC) is a claim that combines your
base period
wages when you have worked in more than one state. The CWC is established in the state where you
apply for unemployment benefits. A CWC can be used to help you to qualify for benefits or to
increase your benefit amount. The claim can be established in only one of the states where you
worked. The state benefit amounts and eligibility requirements vary between the states.
A commuter claimant is an individual who regularly commuted to Texas to work during the past 18 months
and who plans to continue to seek work in Texas. The individual must commute from one of the states
bordering Texas: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. A commuter claimant must register for work
on TWC's job matching system, www.WorkInTexas.com.
Confirmation Number confirms that you submitted your claim application. Keep your Confirmation
Number for your records.
D
Deductions are money TWC withholds from your
weekly benefit amount.
Common deductions include federal tax withholding,
overpayments, and child support payments.
Direct deposit is a method of payment which electronically credits your checking or savings account.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) are federally funded benefits that may be available to you
if the President signed a federal disaster declaration and you lost your job as a direct result of
a disaster such as flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. You may also qualify if you were unable
to begin a new job or lost work time because of the disaster.
Disqualification Amount is benefits you cannot be paid due to certain types of disqualification. For example:
If you were disqualified for four weeks because you quit to move with your spouse
and your weekly benefit amount was $200, then the disqualification amount
would be $800. Your maximum possible benefits are unchanged, but your
benefits remaining would be reduced by the disqualification amount.
Disqualified means that you are prevented from receiving benefits. Common reasons for being disqualified
are a claimant's reason for leaving the last work, refusing to accept suitable work, or knowingly giving
false information to obtain or increase a benefit.
You may end the disqualification and receive benefits if you successfully appeal the disqualification or if you:
You may end the disqualification and receive benefits if you successfully appeal the disqualification or if you:
- Enter employment after your disqualification begins; and
- Earn wages equal to six times your weekly benefit amount, or work at least 30 hours a week for six weeks; and
- Become partially or totally unemployed through no fault of your own; and
- Give TWC proof of your work or earnings and request that we close the disqualification.
A Driver License is an official document, usually with a photograph,
which states that a person has the necessary qualifications to drive a motorized vehicle in their state of residence.
In Texas a license is issued by the
Texas Department of Public Safety.
Duty Station is where you worked for a federal employer in a civilian capacity.
E
All compensation from full-time, part-time, or temporary work, including contract labor, commissions, tips,
or self-employment profits. Earnings also include vacation or holiday pay if you are on temporary layoff or
on vacation from a current job.
- Report all earnings for the week in which you earn them, not when the employer pays you.
- Report your total earnings before deductions (gross pay), not your "take home" pay.
- Report your earnings and hours for each claim week, beginning on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday, regardless of your actual workweek.
- If you are self-employed, report your profits. This is the net amount you make above your expenses. If you worked but do not have profits to report, answer that you worked or earned wages and report zero dollars ($0) earned.
Effective Date of your claim is the Sunday on or before the day you submit your claim application. For example,
if you submit your claim application on Friday, the effective date of your claim is the previous Sunday. If you submit
your claim on a Sunday, that date is the effective date.
F
Federal Tax Withholding is an option TWC gives to claimants. Unemployment Benefits are taxable. The Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) requires you to report your benefits as income.
If you request federal tax withholding, TWC will deduct 10 percent of your weekly benefit amount from your benefits payment and send that deduction to the IRS. To begin federal tax withholding, complete and return the tax withholding form TWC mailed to you.
If you request federal tax withholding, TWC will deduct 10 percent of your weekly benefit amount from your benefits payment and send that deduction to the IRS. To begin federal tax withholding, complete and return the tax withholding form TWC mailed to you.
First Date You Worked is the date that you started working for your employer in the most recent employment period.
FPO is the Fleet Post Office.
G
Good Standing is a status indicating that a union
member has fulfilled the requirements for membership in the union organization and has neither
voluntarily withdrawn from membership nor been expelled or suspended from membership.
H
Hiring Hall or Placement Service is a union-operated
placement service where jobs from various employers are allotted to registered applicants.
Holiday Pay is paid time off from a company for specified days designated as company holidays. Holiday pay, which covers
a specific period of time, must be reported as earnings when you are laid off temporarily and have a definite return to work date.
I
An Identification Card is an official document, usually with a photograph, bearing identifying data, such as name, age, residence,
and physical characteristics about a person. In Texas the card is issued by the
Texas Department of Public Safety.
Ineligible means that TWC is unable to pay you benefits for one or more weeks because you did not meet weekly
Unemployment Benefits requirements or respond to a request for information from TWC.
J
Job Referral is a notification that you may receive from an employer or state employment service about an employment opportunity.
This notification includes the type of work being offered and instructions on contacting the employer.
L
Last Date You Worked is the very last day you performed work or services for a company or person, not necessarily the last date you were on the payroll.
Location Worked is the city or military installation where you worked for a federal employer in
a civilian capacity.
M
If you do not have access to a touch-tone phone or the Internet, you may file your payment request
by mail by contacting a
TWC Tele-Center.
Every two weeks TWC mails you a paper form to fill out that you must mail to TWC during the week
you are scheduled to request payment. Payments requested by mail may take at least 4 business days
to receive and process due to mail delivery.
Maximum Medical Improvement is the point where a
Workers' Compensation
recipient has stopped improving in physical condition as a result of medical treatment and is
released to return to work by the doctor with some or no restrictions.
Maximum Possible Benefits is the total amount you can receive in Unemployment Benefits during your benefit year.
Once you receive your maximum possible benefits, you may not receive additional benefits, even if you have not reached the end of your benefit year.
Migrant Seasonal Farmworker (MSFW) is a person who has to travel to perform farm work and is
unable to return to his or her permanent residence within the same day. A MSFW must earn at least
half of their income from farm work and cannot be employed by the same employer year round.
Military service means having served 180 consecutive days in a branch of the United States armed forces.
Military Service Separation Date is the date of release from the military, as it appears on your DD-214.
Military Service Start Date is your date of entry into military service.
N
Normal Days and Hours is the work schedule that employees usually work in a specific occupation.
For example, if the sort of work you are seeking usually requires employees to work 8:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, these would be the normal days and hours for your work.
Normal Wage is what you usually get paid when you are working. We compare the Normal Wage you
indicate to an estimated normal wage TWC calculates using your
base period
wages. TWC converts your highest quarter's wages to an annual salary and uses this as your
estimated normal wage. The Normal Wage you enter on your claim application cannot be greater
than 120% of the estimated normal wage.
The Notice to Federal Employee About Unemployment Insurance (SF-8)
(PDF) is a form given to you when:
- You are separated from your federal government job
- You are placed in a nonpay status, or
- Your records are transferred to a different payroll office.
The Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50)
(PDF) is your copy of an official notice of a personnel action from a federal employer. When applying
for unemployment benefits, having your SF-50 may expedite the application process.
O
The employer you list on your unemployment claim application has the legal right to request and obtain a copy of your statement
regarding the reason you are no longer working. You also have the right to obtain any statements you or your employer provide.
Other income types you may receive could include:
- retirement from a current or prior employer
- Social Security Income (SSI)
- disability income
- Worker?s Compensation payments received due to an injury
- Private Income Protection Insurance - payments received from a private insurance provider you subscribe to
- Supplemental Unemployment Benefits paid due to a collective bargaining agreement
- Subsidy/Price Support, Crop Insurance, or Farm Disaster Relief (non-DUA)
Overpayment is an amount of benefits paid to which you are not legally entitled, regardless of whether TWC recovers or waives the amount.
P
Payment Request is part of the Internet Unemployment Benefits Services that allows you to request
payment nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Pay Rate is the amount of your earnings and/or commissions for work performed for a specific pay period.
Personal Identification Number (PIN) is a four-digit number that you choose. It protects your
privacy because no one else can request a payment, change your address on the TWC
Unemployment Benefits Services Internet system, or use
Tele-Serv
to check your claim without that PIN. Do not give your PIN to anyone, not even a family member or
a TWC employee.
You enter your Social Security Number and PIN the first time you request a payment on the TWC Unemployment Benefits Services Internet system.
You enter your Social Security Number and PIN on the keypad of a touch-tone phone each time you use Tele-Serv to request payment or check the status of your claim.
If you forgot your PIN, you can call a TWC Tele-Center.
You enter your Social Security Number and PIN the first time you request a payment on the TWC Unemployment Benefits Services Internet system.
You enter your Social Security Number and PIN on the keypad of a touch-tone phone each time you use Tele-Serv to request payment or check the status of your claim.
If you forgot your PIN, you can call a TWC Tele-Center.
Primary source of income is the revenue that an individual uses to pay for food, clothing, and
shelter.
Proof of Income is documentation that indicates an individual received wages during a specific
calendar year.
Proof of Wages and/or Work are documents that must be provided by you to close a disqualification.
You may submit any of the documents listed below only if your name, Social Security Number and the
employer's name, address and phone number are on the documents.
- Check stubs
- An employer letter with:
- Name and Social Security Number
- Beginning date of employment
- Ending date of employment (if applicable)
- The employer's name, address and telephone number
- The total amount of wages earned
- W-2 Forms (You must be able to identify the specific time frame covered by the W-2)
- 1099 Forms (You must be able to identify the specific time frame covered by the 1099)
R
Reduced hours indicates that you are working less than the customary full-time hours for your
normal occupation. For example: If the customary full-time hours for your occupation are 40 hours
per week and you are working 23 hours per week then you are working reduced hours.
Regular benefits are paid under the State Unemployment Insurance (UI) program based on wages
reported to Texas Workforce Commission by employers. This employer-paid program pays benefits to
qualified workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own.
Release of claim gives up the person?s right to pursue a claim against the employer.
The Request for Proof of Federal Employment is a form used to establish potential eligibility for
unemployment benefits for individuals who worked in a civilian capacity for a federal employer.
A nine digit number assigned by the American Banking
Association that uniquely identifies a bank or credit union.
S
Seasonal indicates the work is performed during a set or periodic season. Examples include working
at a horse racing facility or summer camp.
Settlement agreement is an agreement between parties resolving an alleged violation associated
with the employment relationship, reached either before or after court action begins or a complaint is filed.
Severance Pay is a sum of money that an employee is eligible to receive upon separation.
The SF-8 Federal Agency Code is the parent federal agency 3 digit identification number for your
federal employer. It appears on your
Notice to Federal Employee About Unemployment Insurance (SF-8).
Shared Work benefits offers an alternative to employers facing a reduction in force. Instead of laying off employees, the employer reduces
the hours of work each week among a specific group of employees. Wages lost to the worker as a result of reduced hours are supplemented by
a partial unemployment benefit amount.
Suitable Work is work that TWC determines you should be willing to accept, evaluated on a
case-by-case basis. Some factors TWC considers are:
- Your experience, qualifications, and training
- The working conditions and pay for similar work in your area
- Any risks to your health, safety, or morals
- The distance to work from your home and local commuting patterns
- The length of your unemployment
T
Tele-Serv is an automated telephone system that allows you to request payments using a touch-tone
phone by calling a
local or toll-free phone number.
Temporary firms offer client companies the services of temporary employees who possess specific skills to provide the client company
with needed help during peak demand periods, staffing shortages, or the vacations of regular employees, without requiring the time,
expense, and long-term commitment of hiring a new employee. The temporary firms typically undertake hiring and firing decisions, issue paychecks,
withhold payroll taxes, and make contributions for unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, and Social Security for the employees serving
in their client's places of business.
U.S. territories include American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provides reemployment services to individuals who lose their
manufacturing jobs due to foreign imports or shift in production to foreign countries. Included
are a variety of benefits and reemployment services to help unemployed workers prepare for and
obtain suitable employment. Workers may be eligible for training, job search allowance, weekly
benefit payments, relocation allowance, a job search program, and other reemployment services such
as employment registration, counseling, testing, job development, and supportive services.
Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA) provides benefits that may be available to workers who lose
their jobs as a result of competition of foreign trade. The Department of Labor must certify the
company as being trade affected. These benefits can only be paid after all regular unemployment
benefits have been drawn. Talk to a
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
counselor in a
local workforce center
if you think you may be eligible for these benefits.
The Texas Unemployment Compensation Act and the Texas Penal Code allow Civil and Criminal
penalties for fraud. If you receive, or attempt to receive, any unemployment benefits by
intentionally not reporting the true facts on any claim for Unemployment Benefits, you may be
penalized. Penalties may include fines or jail time, or both.
The TWC debit card issued by U.S. Bank is an easy, safe, and convenient way
to get access to your UI benefit payments.
TWC Processed Date is the date TWC evaluated and processed your request for payment. If you are
eligible for benefits, the payment is added to your direct deposit
account (bank or credit union) or your TWC debit card account
within two business days of the processed date.
Types of business asks you to select the type of business you were engaged in at the time of the
disaster.
- Sole Proprietor - An unincorporated business owned by an individual
- Corporation - A business formed under state law by the filing of articles of incorporation with the state
- Partnership - A relationship existing between two or more persons who join to carry on a trade or business Each person contributes money, property, labor or skill, and expects to share in the profits and losses of the business
- S-Corporation - A corporation that elects to pass corporate income, losses, deductions and credit through to their shareholders for federal tax purposes
- Trust - A relationship formed under state law in which one person holds title to property, subject to an obligation to keep or use the property for the benefit of another
- Non-Profit Organization - An organization that is recognized as having a tax-exemption status
U
A U.S. Citizen is a person who was born in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands; or a person who was born in another country to a U.S. citizen; or an immigrant who has become a naturalized citizen of the United States.
A U.S. National is a person born in or having ties with American Samoa and Swains Island, or born in the Northern Mariana Islands and who has elected to be treated as a U.S. national and not as a U.S. citizen.
U.S Nationals are allowed to work and reside anywhere in the U.S. without restrictions.
A U.S. National is a person born in or having ties with American Samoa and Swains Island, or born in the Northern Mariana Islands and who has elected to be treated as a U.S. national and not as a U.S. citizen.
U.S Nationals are allowed to work and reside anywhere in the U.S. without restrictions.
Labor Unions function as legally recognized representatives of workers in numerous industries.
The most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as teachers and police. Unions
typically represent workers who perform a certain type of work on conditions of employment such as
grievances, collective bargaining, labor disputes, wages, and hours.
A United States Federal Government Employer is a branch or an agency of the United States Federal Government.
- Examples of federal employers are the U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Treasury, and Department of Agriculture.
- Examples of companies that are NOT federal employers:
- Staffing agencies, such as Staffmark and LINK Staffing
- Companies with contract or subcontract agreements with the federal government, such as General Dynamics, Fluor, and KBR
- City, county or state employers and agencies
- Commercial shipping companies, such as United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed Ex)
V
Vacation Pay is time that you accumulated while working for a company and were able to use as paid
time off for a specific time. If you are on a temporary layoff from a company and you choose to
use vacation time to cover that period, it is treated as earnings and must be reported when you
submit a Payment Request.
W
Wages are money earned from an employer. Texas employers send TWC quarterly wage reports that list employees' earnings.
When you first apply for benefits, TWC mails you a Statement of Benefits form with information about your claim. If you worked in other states, for the federal government, or for the military, your first Statement of Benefits may not include those wages. TWC will mail you a new Statement of Benefits when we receive updated wage information.
When you first apply for benefits, TWC mails you a Statement of Benefits form with information about your claim. If you worked in other states, for the federal government, or for the military, your first Statement of Benefits may not include those wages. TWC will mail you a new Statement of Benefits when we receive updated wage information.
Wages In Lieu of Notice are payments an employer makes to an employee who is involuntarily
separated without receiving prior notice.
The waiting week is the first payable week of your claim for Unemployment Benefits. If your claim started prior to September 6, 2015,
you will be paid for the waiting week after you have received three times your weekly benefit amount.
If your claim started on or after September 6, 2015, you will be paid for the waiting week after you have received two full weekly payments
and returned to full-time work or exhausted your unemployment benefits.
Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) is the maximum amount of benefits you may receive per week if you are eligible to receive Unemployment Benefits.
TWC calculates the WBA using your past wages. You may receive less than your WBA if TWC makes authorized
deductions.
Workers' Compensation is monetary compensation received as a result of a verifiable on-the-job
injury that results in the inability to work. There are four types of compensation:
- Temporary Income Benefits (TIBs) - Benefits payable during the disability period following the injury and prior to reaching Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI).
- Impairment Income Benefits (IIBs) - Benefits payable once the individual has reached MMI and has been released by the doctor with some or no restrictions. These benefits are based upon a percentage of impairment rating.
- Supplemental Income Benefits (SIBs) - Benefits payable after the final impairment pay period ends, provided the individual meets state insurance agency requirements. Must be unable to work to receive these benefits.
- Lifetime Income Benefits (LIBs) - Benefits payable for severe and permanent injuries.
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) offers a comprehensive mix of workforce development activities
benefiting employers, job seekers, laid-off workers, youth, veterans, new workforce entrants, and
persons with disabilities. WIA's objective is to promote and improve participants' employment,
job retention, earnings, and occupational skills. Please contact your
local workforce center
for eligibility information.
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