Note: As of July 11, 2017, fee waivers for the 2017-2018 application cycle are no longer available and applications are no longer being accepted. You can apply for a fee waiver for the 2018-2019 application cycle when it opens in April 2018.
May 2, 2011. 1  Several factors determine how long you can draw unemployment insurance benefits in Texas. 2  State unemployment benefits in Texas and elsewhere usually are payable for up to 26 weeks, or six months. 3  Federal funding is available in Texas and all other states only through the end of 2011 unless the government chooses to extend it.
How Long Can You Collect Unemployment Benefits? When job losses skyrocketed in 2008, Congress passed emergency measures to supplement state-level unemployment insurance programs, which generally offer six months of benefits. At their peak, the federally backed programs extended benefits to up to 99 weeks in some â though never all â states.