Texas Unemployment Calculator 2026
Texas pays $75–$605 per week for up to 26 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/25 of your highest-earning base-period quarter. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
Works offline — your inputs never leave this device. How that works
Enter your gross wages for each quarter of the base period — roughly the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. Your state's exact window is shown with the result.
Base period: 'The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim application' (TWC Unemployment Benefit Services glossary). TWC's estimator, run 2026-07-31, states: 'If you apply for benefits between today and Oct 03, 2026, your unemployment benefits will be based on all wages from all employers you worked for between Apr 01, 2025 and Mar 31, 2026.'.
File your claim with Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against Texas Workforce Commission Unemployment Benefit Services - Unemployment Benefits Estimator (current minimum/maximum WBA) + TWC 'Especially for Texas Employers': Unemployment Insurance Law - Eligibility Issues (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
Texas disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
- Disregard: 0.25 × WBA $400.00 = $100.00
- Countable earnings: $150.00 − $100.00 = $50.00
- Payable: WBA $400.00 − $50.00 = $350.00
How long benefits can last
Up to 26 weeks; total benefits are TWC's Unemployment Benefits Estimator (run 2026-07-31) returns Estimated Maximum Possible Benefits equal to the lesser of 26 x WBA or 27% of total base-period wages: quarters $8,000/$8,000/$8,000/$8,000 (total $32,000) -> WBA $320.00, maximum $8,320.00 (= 26 x $320); quarters $8,000/$4,000/$4,000/$4,000 (total $20,000) -> WBA $320.00, maximum $5,400.00 (= 27% of $20,000).
Who qualifies for benefits in Texas
TWC, Especially for Texas Employers, summarising Section 207.021(a)(5-6) of the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act: 'a claimant must have wage credits in at least two calendar quarters in the base period, and the total base period wages must be at least 37 times the weekly benefit amount for the claimant. In addition, if the claimant had a prior UI claim, he or she must have earned wages from employment equaling at least six times the weekly benefit amount following the prior initial claim.'
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) ↗
Base period in Texas
'The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim application' (TWC Unemployment Benefit Services glossary). TWC's estimator, run 2026-07-31, states: 'If you apply for benefits between today and Oct 03, 2026, your unemployment benefits will be based on all wages from all employers you worked for between Apr 01, 2025 and Mar 31, 2026.'. No alternate base period is offered. No alternate base period appears in the TWC Unemployment Benefit Services glossary opened for this pack.
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
TWC, Especially for Texas Employers: 'Under Sections 207.049(1) and (2) of the Act, a claimant is disqualified from UI benefits for the period covered by wages in lieu of notice, a non-obligatory post-termination payment that is given to make up for the lack of advance notice of layoff or termination, or severance pay given under an employer policy. This disqualification does not apply to other types of post-termination payments, such as incentives to resign, retire, sign a release or waiver agreement, or settle a claim or lawsuit, or to severance pay owed under a negotiated contract or agreement.'
Source: Texas Workforce Commission Unemployment Benefit Services - Unemployment Benefits Estimator (current minimum/maximum WBA) + TWC 'Especially for Texas Employers': Unemployment Insurance Law - Eligibility Issues (verified 2026-07-31).
Texas unemployment: frequently asked questions
Texas pays between $75 and $605 per week in 2026. Your amount is 1/25 of your highest-earning base-period quarter, and only Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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