Your calculation is absolutely correct! I went through this exact same frustration when I first filed my PA UC claim. The $9,450 ÷ $350 = 27 weeks math is spot on, and yes, once you hit $0 balance, your regular benefits are exhausted. What really helped me was creating a simple tracking system outside of the terrible PA portal. I made a basic spreadsheet with columns for: Week #, Date Certified, Amount Received, Remaining Balance, and Weeks Left. After each weekly certification, I'd update it. Sounds nerdy but it gave me peace of mind to see exactly where I stood without having to do mental math every time. Also definitely check your determination letter for your benefit year end date - that's the absolute cutoff even if you have money left in your balance. The PA system is frustratingly unclear about these basic details that we actually need to budget and plan our lives around. You're not missing anything obvious - the interface is just genuinely terrible at displaying useful information! Good luck with your job search - hopefully you won't need all 27 weeks!

Your math is exactly right - $9,450 ÷ $350 = 27 weeks. I just went through this same headache a few months ago when I first filed! The PA UC system is absolutely terrible at showing this basic information that everyone needs to know. What I ended up doing was printing out my determination letter and highlighting the key info: weekly benefit rate, total benefit amount, and most importantly the benefit year begin/end dates. Then I made a simple calendar marking off each week as I certified. Low-tech but it worked way better than trying to figure it out from their confusing portal. The 27 weeks vs the standard 26 probably means you had good earnings during your base period - that's actually a good thing! Just remember that your benefit year expires exactly one year from when you first applied, so even if you have money left, you lose it after that date. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can "save" weeks for later. Hope you find something soon and don't need the full 27 weeks. The job market seems to be picking up a bit lately!

I'm actually going through something very similar right now! I submitted my weekly claim three days ago and just realized I completely forgot to report some cash work I did helping a neighbor with their small business ($110). The panic set in immediately when I realized my mistake, but reading through all these detailed experiences has been such a lifesaver. It's incredible how many people have successfully navigated this exact situation. I'm planning to start the 8 AM calling strategy tomorrow morning while also sending a message through the dashboard today as backup. The consistent theme about "voluntary disclosure" protection really gives me confidence that being proactive and transparent is the right approach. I've already started my detailed log of contact attempts and have all my information organized and ready. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their stories - this community support makes such a stressful situation feel much more manageable. I'll definitely update once I get through to report how it goes!

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I submitted my weekly claim yesterday and just realized this morning that I forgot to report some tutoring income I earned over the weekend (about $95). The panic is definitely real but reading everyone's success stories is giving me so much hope. It seems like the consistent winning strategy is calling religiously at 8:00 AM sharp every day while also sending a message through the dashboard as backup. I love how everyone emphasizes that being proactive actually works in your favor with the "voluntary disclosure" protection. I'm planning to start my calling campaign first thing tomorrow morning with all my details written out and my contact attempt log ready to go. The fact that so many people have resolved similar amounts successfully by being transparent and persistent gives me confidence that this will work out. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this community support is amazing during such a stressful time. I'll definitely update once I break through to someone in case it helps the next person dealing with this!

Kennedy, I've been following this thread and I'm so impressed by how well-prepared you are now! As someone who works in HR and has dealt with many unemployment cases from the employer side, I wanted to add that your situation is exactly the type that almost always favors the employee. When companies do legitimate layoffs affecting multiple people (like your 15 coworkers), they usually don't appeal unless they're either confused about the process or hoping you won't show up. The fact that they're appealing a clear business restructuring suggests they might not have strong grounds. From the employer perspective, proving misconduct requires showing you willfully violated company policy in a way that harmed the business. Mass layoffs are the opposite of that - they show the company made a business decision that your position was no longer needed. Make sure to emphasize during your hearing that this was a department-wide elimination, not individual performance issues. Bring those HR emails about the layoffs and your satisfactory performance review. The combination of your honest application, proper initial determination, and clear documentation of legitimate layoff should make this a straightforward win for you. You've gotten amazing advice here about the non-fault protections, and everyone is absolutely right. Even in the unlikely event they somehow prevail, you're protected from repaying benefits you've already received. But honestly, based on what you've shared, I'd be shocked if they win this appeal.

Kennedy, I just wanted to chime in as someone who went through a very similar PA UC employer appeal situation in 2023. Reading through all the excellent advice you've gotten here, I can tell you're in really good hands with this community! I was also part of a mass layoff (8 people in my case) and my former employer appealed claiming "performance issues" even though it was clearly a business restructuring. Just like everyone has said, the non-fault overpayment protections absolutely work - I never had to repay a penny of the benefits I received before the appeal decision. One thing that really helped me during my hearing was having a simple one-page summary ready that listed: 1) The date of the layoff announcement, 2) How many people were affected, 3) The business reason given (restructuring, downsizing, etc.), and 4) My last performance review rating. Having it all on one sheet made it easy to reference during the call and kept me focused on the key facts. Also, don't stress too much about your employer's claims - hearing officers deal with these mass layoff appeals all the time and they know the difference between legitimate business decisions and actual misconduct. With 15 people eliminated from your department, you have one of the strongest possible cases. You're going to do great on June 15th! This thread shows how well-prepared you are now.

Awesome to hear you got everything sorted out! The Claimyr service seems like a real lifesaver for dealing with those impossible PA UC phone lines. I'm definitely bookmarking that for future reference. Hope your new card arrives quickly and you can get your rent situation handled!

So glad I found this thread! I'm going through something similar right now - didn't lose my card but I completely forgot my PIN after not using it for a few months. The PA UC phone system has been a total nightmare to deal with. I've been trying to get through for over a week with no luck. Definitely going to try that Claimyr service everyone's mentioning. It's ridiculous that we have to use a third-party service just to reach our own unemployment office, but if it works, it works! Thanks for all the helpful info in this thread.

Just wanted to add another option that worked for me - if you have a Zelle account through your bank, you can sometimes use the Money Network card as a funding source there too. I was able to send money to myself through Zelle when the direct transfer wasn't working initially. Not all banks support this with prepaid cards, but it's worth checking if you're still stuck. Also, make sure you're using the most recent version of the Money Network app - I had issues with an older version that got fixed after updating.

Just want to echo what others have said about the phone verification step - that seems to be the key! I had the same "transfer limit exceeded" error and it turned out I needed to verify my phone number in the app first. Once I did that and started with a smaller amount (I did $300), everything worked smoothly. The whole process took about 10 minutes to set up and then 2 business days for the money to show up in my bank account. Definitely frustrating that they don't make this clearer in their instructions, but at least there is a solution that works!