Employment laws and Wage and Hour laws help protect employees from discrimination or unlawful treatment. TWC can investigate if you are owed wages or if you believe an employer is not following child labor laws. TWC also investigates complaints about employment discrimination and housing discrimination.
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Unpaid Wages
Learn how to file a claim for unpaid wages and find information about the Payday law.
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Employment Discrimination
Find information about filing an employment discrimination complaint.
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Child Labor
Learn about child labor laws and how to file a complaint.
The Payday law helps employees who were not paid their wages correctly. If you believe you are owed wages, you can file a wage claim. Go to the Texas Payday Law page to learn how to file a claim for unpaid wages, how to appeal a wage claim determination, and to find more about the Payday law.
If you disagree with a decision on a Texas Payday Law Wage Claim, you can appeal. An appeal is your written notice that you disagree with a TWC decision and want your case decided through the appeal process. State law gives TWC sole authority in disputed wage claims. No other state agency or official can affect the outcome of an appeal. To participate in an appeal, you must meet appeal deadlines.
Employment discrimination is against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's protected class.
The laws apply to work situations such as hiring, firing, promotions, harassment, training, wages, and benefits.
The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities because of the person’s protected class.
The Texas Child Labor Laws make sure a child is not working in a job or way that could harm the child's safety, health, or well-being. Learn about the child labor laws and how to file a complaint.
TWC also has rules to make sure a job does not interfere with a child’s education. It is illegal to employ a child under 14 except under specific circumstances. All businesses in Texas are subject to the Texas Child Labor Law. If a business is covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, then they must also follow federal child labor laws.
If TWC issued a decision that an employer violated child labor laws, that employer can file an appeal. Only the employer can appeal a TWC child labor decision. The employer may appeal the occurrence of the violation, the amount of the penalty, or both. State law gives TWC sole authority in disputed child labor complaints. No other state agency or official can affect the outcome of an appeal. To participate in an appeal, you must meet appeal deadlines.
TWC provides information for employers and employees about the Texas Minimum Wage Act. Go to the Texas Minimum Wage Law page to get information about minimum wage requirements in Texas.
Publications
- See the full list of Publications.
- Subscribe to the Civil Rights Reporter newsletter to get information about civil rights issues in Texas.
- The Texas Guidebook for Employers has information on workplace issues such as unemployment, labor laws, hiring and firing.