Pennsylvania Unemployment

Do I qualify for unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania?

You may be entitled to benefits if you meet these eligibility requirements:

You are unemployed through no fault of your own or due to a work stoppage that is the result of a lockout.
You have filed an initial application for UC benefits.
You performed services covered by the UC Law for an employer that is required by the UC Law or elects to pay into the UC Fund.
You earned enough wages to qualify and have sufficient credit weeks. A credit week is any calendar week in the base year for which you earned $50 or more.
You are registered for work with the Pennsylvania CareerLink.
You are able to work and available for suitable work.
You are unemployed for a waiting period of one week after filing the initial application for benefits.

Find Out If You Are Eligible For Unemployment Click this link to find out: Am I Eligible To Collect Unemployment Benefits?

Have Your Benefits Run Out? Click this link to find out how to get an unemployment extension: Unemployment Extension

Have A Specific Question? Click this link to get answers to all your Pennsylvania unemployment questions: Pennsylvania Unemployment FAQ

How do I file for Pennsylvania unemployment benefits?

To file an application for unemployment benefits, you will be asked to provide:

social security number
PA Department of Transportation photo ID
alien registration number (for non-United States citizens)
the name and address of last employer (full or part-time)
most recent pay stub

Unemployed workers may file their applications or reopen their existing claims for UC benefits at https://www.paclaims.state.pa.us/UCEN/Welcome.asp or by calling the UC Service Centers network, 1-888-313-7284, or by downloading a paper Initial Claim form or Reopen Claim form from https://www.paclaims.state.pa.us/UCEN/Welcome.asp. Re-employment opportunities and job search assistance are offered in local PA CareerLink offices.

Find a New Job	Lose Your Insurance?	In Debt Too Deep?	Your Future
Job Interview Tips Job Search Sites	COBRA Health Insurance COBRA Subsidy	How To Get Out Of Debt Bill Collectors & Your Rights	Go Back To School Start Your Own Business

Contact Information

Website

https://www.paclaims.state.pa.us/UCEN/Welcome.asp

Email Contact

uc-news@state.pa.us.

Phone Number

1-888-313-7284

If you have filed an application for UC benefits within the last year, and have a specific question about your claim or your eligibility, call the UC Service center:

1-888-313-7284
1-888-334-4046 TTY (deaf or hard of hearing)

UC Service Center telephone services are available from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each work day and Sundays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you have not filed an application for UC benefits within the last year, and have general questions about UC or you have questions about your UC-1099G (Statement for Recipients of PA UC Payments) provided for income tax purposes, browse through our Web site or call the Claims Information Center:

(717) 783-3140
1-800-577-7216 TTY (deaf or hard of hearing)

Claims Information Center telephone services are available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each work day.

Still Have Questions?

Click this link to get answers to all your Pennsylvania unemployment questions: Pennsylvania Unemployment FAQ

Maybe We Can Help:

If you can't find the answer to your question, you can fill out the comment form below and I will answer your question ASAP, or you can ask the The Unemployment Expert or you can post your question in the Unemployment Forum

Comments

# eva w. 2010-09-10 12:31

My situation is i was approved for benefits for a claim that was filed and it ran out and now I'm eligable for a new uc claim from the same company. but I have not worked at such company since intial claim was paid , I have now been waiting for a decision on said claim for 10 weeks. I dont u nderstand why there has to be a decision on a claim for which the uc already paid me from this company.and I would also like to know the if there is a standard time limited on rendering a decision on a claim? thank you !

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# John W 2010-11-21 07:40

UC IS SAYING IM NOT ELIGABLE I WAS Layed off from july 08 to june 2010 and i worked at another company from july to nov 19 and earned almost 2 quarters, what should i do?

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# juanita 2010-12-21 17:49

i would like a copy of my uc 1099 or all of my payments year to date for tax purpose

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# Robin 2011-01-18 17:46

I have TWICE been promised a call back from Unemployment by the end of the next business day. The first call was still not returned THREE DAYS LATER. I finally got a person on the phone after being on hold for an hour and gave her the information for the few hours I worked the previous two weeks. SHE CANCELED MY CLAIM!!!! I called again the next day and scheduled a return call. I called today and the call I made last week that was supposed to be returned (the second) was canceled. Your people are messing with our livilihood and it is unacceptable.

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# Clara 2011-02-20 20:36

I work out of a home office in Arizona and was employed for an office out of Pennsylvania. I was recently laid off; where do I apply for unemployment: in Pennsylvania where my employer's office was or in Arizona where I live? Thank you.

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# AJ 2011-05-10 11:43

for EUC on a joint interstate claim- PA/NJ. If an individual works in NJ and then leaves the NJ job for employment in PA and the PA job terminates the job after several months, once the regular unemployment is absolved which state pays EUC? and where can I find the literature to support your answer?

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# Kim 2011-06-02 11:35

Do I qualify for unemployment if I was employed through a Grant and the grant expired?

I was NOT a 1099 employee. In other words, both my employer and I paid unemployment taxes.

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# Gary 2011-08-06 00:47

My benefits under my original claim ran out, but the servicecenter established a new claim based on more recent income. The payments were the same, and I questioned the service center about that, since I expected the payments to be smaller. I also was not required to forego a payment for the original week on the new claim. Six weeks later, I got a letter saying that I had been overpaid, and needed to pay back the overpayment. Now I have not received a benefit payment for the last 9 weeks of unemployment. I have inquired about this two times, and was told that there was an "internal overpayment" that occurred because the new claim was from a different fund than the original, and money evidently needed to be transferred between accounts (or something like that). In any case none of this was due to anything I did wrong. I am still showing a balance in available benefits. How long is it going to take for the unemployment service to rectify their mistake? I wonder how many others are effected by this problem.

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# jacqueline 2011-09-16 12:39

I apllied for UB received letter stating the info such as you qualify when to call and so on. So I filed as said on date it is now 12 days out. When I do call you are on hold for hrs and they say its still being determined Dont they realize people are waiting for there money whats the hold up why can they hold this for so long without an answer the system is so screwed up

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# BM 2011-11-29 12:40

I have been working at a full-time job for over a year starting in the late summer of 2010. I have been recently asked to certify as having a credential that I do not have. I was hired despite not having the credential and did not present myself as having it. I have at least 2 items to prove this and as such I informed the employer that I cannot make the recent certification request. If this situation makes me ineligible for my job, will I be eligible for unemployment?

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# Larry S. 2011-12-08 13:37

Hello and good afternoon. I received a letter from the PA Unemployment Compensation Dept. explaining to me that I qualify for the HUP benefits that went into effect the week ending November 12, 2011, due to the fact that I am still, unfortunately, unemployed, and I had to fill out an application and send it back into their office. I did that and have been waiting weeks now for forms to complete and send back in. This period clearly only lasts until the week ending December 31, 2011 and I have yet to receive any forms! I tried calling, e-mailing, to no avail! Please help! Thank you.

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# Ronnie 2012-01-13 08:43

I have been trying to get through to the Unemployment Center for 3 weeks. (1-888-313-7284) Their phone service needs an up grade. I can't reach anyone. I call all day long every day so far. The phones just beep all the time. It's like they have only one line and everyone in the world is calling it. The only thing I can think of doing is sending them a letter because 3 weeks is enough. It takes a lot of time to sit here and try to get through to someone all day long and can't.. When I could be spending time looking for a job. Isn't that what they want us to do?

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# Mal 2012-01-25 13:14

It may be that the number they publish, 1-888-313-7284, is bogus. I tried for days getting through a few months ago, to no avail. I always got a busy signal. Luckily my issue seemed to automagically get fixed after more days passed. I now need to get in touch with them again, and I once again experience only busy signals. This is maddening.

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

# Shawn c 2012-01-24 23:10

I recieved a letter stating that I owe over $6000 to p.a unemployment. Now the thing is I am not on benefits and I do not live in pennslyvania. I live in the state of ny, and have been employed for over 5 yrs at my current job. I call the numbers posted on the internet and they are all dead ends. It would be real appreciated if someone from your office can straighten this matter out

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

Refresh comments list
RSS feed for comments to this post

Add comment

If you have a question about your unemployment situation, or about unemployment in general, please post it here and we will try to answer it as quickly as possible, and post our reply here so that others can benefit from your question.
------------------------------------------
Also, we welcome your comments -- please tell us about your unemployment situation. Tell your story. How did you get laid-off? Have you found a new job yet? Do you have any unemployment tips to share?
------------------------------------------
DO NOT POST YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!
DO NOT POST YOUR PHONE NUMBER OR OTHER PRIVATE INFORMATION!
------------------------------------------
- -*-
PLEASE NOTE that your comment will not post automatically, but will appear after the admin has approved it.
- -*-
------------------------------------------