Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits

Pennsylvania UC (Unemployment Compensation) program is handled by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, which aims to provide a cushion, only if you qualify for the unemployment benefits. This enables a sense of relief to all of you who were at a constant risk of being completely stalled in your day-to-day activities because of unemployment and unpaid bills. The UC program in PA is designed to support the transition of workers when they lose their jobs until they find a new career opportunity. If an individual becomes unemployed through no fault of his or her own, he or she may file for unemployment benefits in PA to get monetary support.

UI Benefit Amount in PA

Unemployment benefits is a joint federal-state program in PA. It provides temporary benefit payments to partially replace lost wages. The following UI Benefits Calculator will help applicants determine the approximate UI Benefits amount that he or she can receive in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Unemployment Calculator

Eligibility To Apply For UI Benefits In Pennsylvania

Explore the eligibility requirements, application process and all the other information related to Unemployment Insurance the applicant may need to successfully claim for benefits. To be eligible for unemployment benefits in PA, applicants need to prove that they qualify for the following criteria:

Monetary Eligibility

The applicants should qualify for unemployment benefits in PA if the applicant has earned sufficient wages during the base period. This base period is usually the first 4 quarters of the last 5 completed calendar quarters.

The applicants should qualify for UI Benefits if sufficient wages are earned during the base period. This base period is usually the first 4 quarters of the last 5 completed calendar quarters.

In order to qualify for the first condition, at least 37% of the total qualifying wages must be earned outside the High Quarter of the applicant’s base period. The High Quarter is the quarter in which the applicant has earned his or her highest wages, and the qualifying wage is the total wages earned in the entire base year.

The Minimum qualifying wages required to qualify for the weekly benefits is $2718. This would guarantee minimum weekly compensation of $68, and qualifying wages of $22,639 or more would ensure a maximum weekly benefit of $560.

The second condition is that the applicants must fulfill the credit week requirement in order to gain eligibility for unemployment compensation. In the state of Pennsylvania, a credit week is defined as any calendar week within the base period, in which the applicant has earned $116 or more. An applicant will not be eligible to receive unemployment benefits in PA if he or she has fewer than 18 credit weeks in the base year.

The applicants must note that the weekly benefit amount is calculated based on the total wages received in the base year. They must also provide the information on the total gross wages earned during the base year and must assign the wages to the respective quarters in which it was earned. It must be noted that the applicants must list the total gross wages and not the take-home pay.

Learn more about eligibility requirements

Job Separation

Once the financial eligibility is determined, the state of Pennsylvania will then take into consideration the reason for the separation of the applicant from his or her previous employment.

Unemployment benefits in PA are only given to those who have lost their jobs due to no mistake of their own and are willing and able to work full-time. An applicant will not be eligible if any of the following points applies to his or her case:

• If the applicant has voluntarily resigned from the job without a compelling reason
• If the applicant was removed from the organization due to misconduct or drug abuse
• If the applicant participated in stoppage of work in the form of strikes and protests. (This disqualification does not apply to a lock-out)

The concerned department will call the applicants and their previous employers to determine the cause of separation. In the event of a mismatch in the reason provided by the applicant and his or her employer, it may lead to disqualification of the application.

A representative from the department will be contacting you and your previous employer to know the reasons for your present unemployment. And if the reasons for your employment are in contention either from you or your employer then you’ll be provided a chance to explain your side of the story so that there is clarity among all the concerned parties regarding the reasons for your unemployment. Say, something like a questionnaire may have to be filled and returned so that the representative is able to resolve all the issues raised, based on your response. However, if benefits are still denied, you can always appeal against the decision.

It could so happen that you could already be receiving the benefits and then a review can also take place later on. You’ll be served with the Advance Notice form, which will give you a chance to give all the necessary information about your eligibility to continue to receive UC benefits unless a written ineligibility has been issued against your favor.

Part-Time Work

Part-time employees could also be eligible for benefits if the following circumstances are true:

1. Your regular work hours are reduced.
2. You have obtained partial employment elsewhere with fewer work hours after being separated from your job.
3. You are separated from one job but continue to be employed by another employer on a part-time basis.

You’re not eligible for benefits if you’re working your normal hours of work per week with your regular employer or company.

 

Eligibility Calculator

See our eligibility calculator to find out if you qualify for Unemployment Benefits in the state of Pennsylvania.

PA Unemployment Eligibility Calculator

 

Maintaining Eligibility

If an applicant must remain eligible for PA unemployment benefits, it’s then important that he or she regularly seeks new job opportunities. Since UI is meant to help between jobs, it is vital that the applicant meets the specific job requirements.

In order to receive weekly benefits unhindered every week, applicants must ensure that they maintain the eligibility by following these procedures:

• Be able-bodied and available for work
• The applicants must file timely biweekly claims and certify their their eligibility for each week. The applicants are also expected to serve an unpaid waiting week
• It is highly essential to record and present the work search details to the concerned authorities for each week
• Report wages from any other work-related income
• In the event of a job being offered, the applicant must not reject it unless there is a highly compelling reason to do so
• The applicant must take part in the mandatory reemployment services such as – Profile Reemployment Program (PREP) and Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA)

Learn more about job search requirements

How To Apply For UI Benefits In PA?

In order to file an Initial Claim in Pennsylvania, applicants should keep this information available:

One can file an PA unemployment claim or reopen the existing claim through the following ways:

Learn how to claim weekly benefits

Things To Know After Filing An Application

Once the application is filed, there is some more information that the applicant needs to know to make sure that they receive the services without any hindrance.

Overpayments And Collections

The state of Pennsylvania places a lot of importance on the fair distribution of unemployment benefits. If an instance of overpayment occurs, the claimants must inform the concerned authorities and payback the excessive funds received.

A non-fault Overpayment: An overpayment is considered non-fault when it involves no fault of the claimants whatsoever. In such a scenario, the overpaid amount is deducted from future benefit payments.

The deductions will not exceed one-third of the total weekly benefit amount. However, if the total amount owed is $99 or less, the deductions may be made in a single week. No interest will be levied on non-fault overpayments.

A fault Overpayment: This occurs when a claimant receives UC benefits that he or she is not entitled to due to the fault of the claimant. In such a scenario, the claimant will have to repay the excess fund with interest. The claimant will have to pay 100 percent of their weekly benefit amount until the amount is recovered.

A fraud Overpayment: This occurs when a claimant knowingly provides false information or withholds important material to obtain UC benefits or to extend the benefit period. The deductions made in such cases are much harsher than the previous scenarios.

The concerned department may assign penalty weeks to the claimants, where they may not receive any benefits in spite of their eligibility. In addition to this, the department may charge a monetary penalty of 15% of the amount of the overall benefits.

Benefits Extension

When the unemployment rate gets too high, Pennsylvania might be able to offer an unemployment extension. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, certain individuals were eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA. Individuals who were unemployed or partially employed due to the COVID pandemic—for instance, because their workplace shut down entirely or reduced their hours—were able to collect PUA.

PUA was also made available to individuals who would not normally be able to collect UC, such as those who voluntarily left their job—as long as the reason had to do with the Pandemic, such as because they were sick with COVID, had to take care of someone else sick with COVID, or had to provide in-home childcare for their dependents because of a COVID-related school closure. PUA benefits covered 79 weeks and ended September 4th, 2021.

Job Training Assistance

Make use of the Pennsylvania CareerLink to obtain assistance in job training. This services in this portal include locating training services, obtaining vocational rehabilitation, and researching careers.

The applicants may also take a look at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), which offers various special programs, state grants and educational loans to help individuals attend college. For more information on this, log on to PHEAA’s website at www.pheaa.org .

The applicants in Pennsylvania may also explore programs offered by Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). TAA offers job training and other benefits to especially those who have lost their jobs due to adverse effects in imports or job relocation to other countries.

In order to be eligible for this program, workers must be laid off from a company that has a certified petition with the United States Department of Labor. Log on to https://www.doleta.gov/tradeactOpens for more information on the TAA program.

Learn more about job training opportunities in PA

Unemployment Fraud in PA

Not everyone collecting unemployment compensation is doing so honestly. In fact, some claimants are not even entitled to filing a weekly claim and are just taking advantage of the state’s unemployment insurance.

PA unemployment fraud occurs when a potential benefit recipient falsifies their application, such as lying about their employment history or wages. Applicants must also be honest about why they were terminated from their most recent job.

If you are prosecuted you may be subject to a fine, imprisonment, restitution, summons of federal tax refunds, and loss of future UI benefits.

How To Get Paid

It can take up to three weeks after filling your UC application to receive your first round of benefits.

This time period will include what is known as the Waiting Week, when you can file for your benefits as you will every single week, inputting information such as how many hours you worked (if any) and how much you earned (if anything). After you file your application, a review process will begin whereby the PA Office of Unemployment Compensation will review your employment history and reason for separation or termination.

Benefit recipients in Pennsylvania can have their benefits sent via direct deposit right into their bank account. If you’ve collected unemployment before, and still have the same bank account, the unemployment benefits will be deposited therein unless you specify a new account. If that account has been closed since the last time you collected, you need to put in new account information. If you don’t have an account or don’t want a direct deposit, benefits will be paid onto a debit card called a ReliaCard, managed by the U.S. Bancorp.

In previous times PA unemployment compensation was paid biweekly. Now it is dependent on when you file your weekly certification. If you file on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, your funds will be available Tuesday. Monday, available Wednesday. Tuesday, available Thursday. Wednesday, available Friday. Thursday, available Monday (not Saturday or Sunday). Make sure you are filing your certification every week, and on a day that will result in you getting paid when you need the money. It can also be very difficult to secure back pay for a week you missed, so make sure to file every week.

What Happens When I Find a Job?

If you return to full-time work then notify the UC Service Center about it immediately. After intimating the information, you’re no longer unemployed and thus, you’re not eligible for your weekly UI Benefits.

If you intend to start a spin-off venture on your own, then you’re considered to be self-employed, so you will no longer be eligible for UI benefits, even if your business isn’t making a profit. But, UI benefits can be still claimed if your business is a “sideline” activity matching the following criteria:

• You are able and available for full-time work
• You do not engage in your business the whole time
• Your business is not the primary source of your livelihood

If your job is only part time, you may be able to continue collecting part time benefits (also called PBC or partial benefits compensation) via your weekly benefit claim.

Although it’s helpful to get a benefit payment to help out, you cannot collect unemployment compensation forever. UC Staff at any of the unemployment compensation service center locations are there to help you find a new job (by appointment), and there is the PA CareerLink website as well.

If You Are Denied Benefits

If you are denied unemployment benefits, you can file an appeal. You must submit an appeal within 21 days of being denied benefits, and follow the instructions that accompany the denial notification.

There are three levels for a claimant to appeal for UI claim denial:

• UC Service Center Determination
• UC Referee Decision
• UC Board Of Review Decision

Under Article V of the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Law, the Department of Labor & Industry promptly examines each application for benefits and determines whether your application is accepted. The law also provides for an appeal process to allow claimants to object to an unemployment compensation determination to ensure that every individual is given an opportunity for a fair hearing.

Pennsylvania Office Locations and Phone Numbers

Connect with an Unemployment Office about UI Benefits and have your claim questions answered by visiting the PA unemployment offices or call one of the Pennsylvania unemployment phone numbers.

Locate your nearest unemployment office