One more thing to be aware of: while your overtime was beneficial for determining your benefit amount, remember that PA requires you to report ANY work and earnings each week when filing your bi-weekly claims. Even if you find part-time work with just a few hours, you must report those earnings, and they will reduce your weekly payment for that week accordingly. Failing to report work/earnings is the most common cause of overpayment notices.

Just wanted to add my experience since I was in a similar situation last year. I worked at a delivery company and picked up tons of overtime during peak season - sometimes 80+ hours a week for months. When I filed for UC after getting laid off, I was also worried about the calculation. Like everyone said, PA absolutely includes ALL your earnings when calculating benefits. What really helped me understand it was looking at my wage transcript on the PA UC website - it shows exactly what quarters they used and the total wages reported by your employer. All that overtime definitely counts in your favor! The key thing is they're not going to come back and recalculate unless there was an actual error in what your employer reported to the state. Since you got your determination letter, that calculation is locked in. You earned those higher benefits through all that hard work, so don't feel guilty about it.

OK so I just filed my new claim after my benefit year ended. The system is showing "pending" right now. I'm still so nervous about what's going to happen. I really appreciate everyone's help and advice here. I'll update once I hear something back from UC about whether I'm approved or denied for a new benefit year.

When my benefit year ended last month, I had major problems with my new application because the system didn't recognize my employer's business ID correctly. I ended up getting a denial letter with incorrect information. After trying to call for three days straight and never getting through, I found out about claimyr.com from a friend. They connected me to a PA UC agent who fixed everything in one call. My new claim went from denied to approved in 48 hours after they corrected the employer information. Just sharing in case anyone else runs into similar issues.

One final piece of advice - keep checking your PA UC dashboard weekly even after benefits exhaust. If economic conditions change and EB activates, you might become eligible. When EB activates, Pennsylvania UC typically sends notifications to recently exhausted claimants, but it doesn't hurt to keep monitoring your account. The UC system can be overwhelming, but stay persistent with both your claims and job search.

I'm in a similar situation - my benefits are scheduled to run out in about 6 weeks and I'm getting really anxious about it. One thing I've been doing is documenting EVERYTHING in case I need to appeal any decisions or prove my work search activities later. I keep screenshots of all my job applications, notes from networking conversations, records of any skills training I'm doing online, etc. It might not help with getting extended benefits (since they're not available), but at least I'll have a paper trail if needed. Also, don't forget about your local food banks and community assistance programs - there's no shame in using resources that are there to help people get through tough times like this.

Good luck! And remember - persistence is key with PA UC. If you get denied, request a hearing right away. Many waivers get approved at the hearing stage when you can actually explain your situation to a real person.

I'm in a similar situation - got hit with a $2,900 overpayment notice last week and I'm terrified. Reading through all these responses is actually giving me some hope though. @Aaron Lee your insider perspective is incredibly helpful! I had no idea about the 15-day deadline or that there were different types of waivers. @Avery Flores please keep us updated on how your application goes - I'll be watching this thread closely. Going to start gathering my financial documents today and submit the waiver ASAP. This whole system is so overwhelming when you're already struggling financially.

So did u get all the back pay for those 6 weeks too? When I finally got approved they only gave me for like 4 weeks and said I was "ineligible" for the first 2 weeks but never explained why

Congrats on finally getting approved! The waiting is absolutely brutal. From my experience with PA UC, direct deposits typically take 2-3 business days after the payment date shows in your portal. Since you mentioned today is your payment date, you should see the money by Friday or Monday at the latest. My bank usually shows pending deposits the day before they clear, so keep an eye on your account. The good news is that once you get your first payment, the subsequent ones tend to be more consistent timing-wise. Fingers crossed it arrives before your bills are due Monday!