To give you the complete picture, here's the exact PA UC partial benefit calculation: 1. They take 30% of your Weekly Benefit Rate (WBR) as your Partial Benefit Credit (PBC) 2. Subtract your gross earnings from your WBR 3. If the remainder is $5 or more, that's your partial benefit 4. If the remainder is less than $5, you get no benefit that week In your case: - WBR: $605 - PBC: $181.50 (30% of $605) - Earnings: $80 - Since $80 is less than your PBC, you get your full WBR of $605 One more important thing - when you start your job on December 2nd, make sure to report that you've returned to full-time work on your last weekly certification. This closes your claim properly.

Congratulations on landing the new job! Just wanted to add one more tip from my experience - make sure to keep documentation of that $80 payment (pay stub, direct deposit record, etc.) in case PA UC ever audits your claim later. I had to provide proof of earnings from 8 months prior when they did a random review of my case. Also, since you mentioned budgeting for the transition week, remember that your unemployment payment might come a day or two later than usual if their system flags the earnings report for manual review (even though it shouldn't affect your benefit amount). Better to plan for a slight delay just in case!

I just went through this exact same thing! My claim was stuck at step 3 for almost 3 weeks and I was panicking because I had never dealt with unemployment before. What helped me was calling the UC service center early in the morning like others mentioned - I got through on my second try at 8:15am. The agent explained that step 3 is where they verify your wages and employment history, and sometimes it just takes time for employers to respond to their requests. She also confirmed that as long as you keep filing your weekly certifications, you'll get backpay for all eligible weeks once it's approved. My claim finally moved to step 4 last week and got fully approved two days later. Hang in there - the waiting is awful but it usually works out in the end!

I'm going through something similar right now - filed my claim about 2 weeks ago and it's been sitting at step 3 this whole time. Reading through everyone's experiences here is really helpful because the PA UC website doesn't explain what each step actually means. I've been filing my weekly claims like you all suggested, even though it feels weird doing it while the main claim is still "in progress." One thing I noticed is that when I log in to do the weekly certification, it asks about work search activities, so I've been keeping track of all my job applications just in case. Has anyone had issues with the work search requirement during this waiting period? I want to make sure I'm covering all my bases while waiting for step 3 to finally move forward.

I work in HR (not giving legal advice) but I've seen many UC cases. Here's what often gets overlooked: If your employer did not enforce their attendance policy consistently, that MATTERS. Were other people allowed to have 3+ tardies without being fired? That's important. Also, did they ever formally warn you about your attendance before termination? If they didn't follow a progressive discipline process that they use with others, mention that. Lastly, UC referees are generally fair in my experience. They follow the law, not just what employers want. I've seen plenty of employees win these appeals when the facts support their case.

Yes, absolutely mention both of those points! Inconsistent enforcement of rules and lack of progressive discipline are both factors that can help your case. PA unemployment referees often consider these elements when determining if there was actual misconduct. Document the names of coworkers with similar or worse attendance who weren't fired if you can. The more specific details you can provide, the stronger your case will be. Best of luck with your hearing!

So I've been collecting partial unemployment for about a year now and every Tuesday I get my deposit on my money network card at about 5:00 in the morning. The email I received says that the time stamp is around 8:00 to 9:00 in the morning. Which I always thought was weird. But the money was always there by 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. today for some reason nothing showing up nothing showing up pending has anyone else experienced this at all? There's no holidays there's no issues with my claim I have a transaction number. And an amount that was confirmed. Just wondering if anyone's experiencing any issues like this today or has experienced this in the past where for some strange reason the deposit was delayed. I'm not a fan of the money network card as it is but this just doesn't make any sense.

I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now! Filed my claim about 2 weeks ago and just got my Money Network card yesterday, but my claim status still shows "under review" with no details about what the hold-up is. Reading through everyone's comments here has been super helpful - I had no idea the card was just sent automatically to everyone who applies. The part about continuing to file weekly certifications even while under review is really important info that I almost missed. I've been doing them but wasn't sure if I should since nothing's been approved yet. Sounds like that would have been a costly mistake! I'm definitely going to look into that Claimyr service @Dana Doyle mentioned since calling PA UC directly seems like a waste of time based on everyone's experiences. Has anyone else tried it recently and can confirm it actually works? The regular phone system is absolutely useless - I've gotten nothing but busy signals for days. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. At least now I know the card doesn't mean anything special about my claim status, but I'll go ahead and activate it just to have it ready when/if my benefits get approved.

Back to the tax question - make sure you also see if you qualify for the Tax Forgiveness program in PA. If your total income is below certain thresholds (which vary based on number of dependents), you might not owe any state tax on your UC benefits. This is especially important if unemployment was your main source of income last year. You'll need to fill out Schedule SP with your PA return to claim this benefit. The income limits are fairly generous.

Great to see you got it figured out! Just wanted to add one more tip for anyone else dealing with this - if you're using TurboTax and can't find the "Less Common Income" section, you can also search for "1099-G" in the search bar at the top and it should take you right to the unemployment income entry page. Also, definitely check that Tax Forgiveness program - I was surprised how many people qualify but don't know about it. The income thresholds are updated each year so even if you didn't qualify before, you might this time around!