Thanks everyone for the info! At least now I understand what's happening. Still annoyed I have to wait so long for that first week payment, but at least I know I'll get it eventually. I'll keep claiming my weeks and hope the second week payment comes through soon.

I went through the same thing when I first started claiming! That "Not Applicable" status is definitely confusing - I thought there was an error with my claim too. Just to add to what others have said, make sure you keep track of when your benefit year started because that waiting week payment will come exactly one year later (or when you exhaust benefits if that happens first). I set a reminder in my phone so I wouldn't forget about it. Also, your second week should process normally and you should see that payment within a few days if there are no other issues with your claim.

I've been collecting UC for about 8 months now and holiday weeks always throw me off too! One thing I learned is that if you set up text alerts through the UC portal, they'll actually send you a notification when your payment is processed, which usually happens the day before it hits your account. It's saved me a lot of anxiety checking my bank balance constantly. The alerts are free and you can turn them on in your profile settings.

I'm dealing with this same situation right now! Filed my weekly claim Sunday night and then realized Monday was a holiday. It's stressful when you're counting on that money for bills. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like Thursday is the most likely day for direct deposit, which is what I have. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences - it helps knowing what to expect instead of just worrying about it. Going to set up those text alerts that @Harmony Love mentioned too, that sounds super helpful for future weeks!

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress! I was in almost the exact same situation last month - filed for unemployment after a position elimination and got stuck with an "active issue" for 5 weeks with zero explanation. The anxiety about bills piling up while waiting for answers is absolutely brutal. Here's what finally worked for me: I called exactly at 7:59 AM (set multiple alarms!) and got through on my third try that way. Turns out my issue was also employer-related - they needed to verify the circumstances of my separation. The good news is once I got through, they scheduled a phone interview within a week and I had my payments (including all back pay) two weeks later. Keep filing your weekly claims religiously even while waiting - you don't want to lose those weeks! Also check your physical mailbox daily, not just email - some notices only come via regular mail. The waiting is horrible but hang in there - legitimate claims do get resolved eventually with full back pay!

I'm dealing with the exact same nightmare right now - filed 3 weeks ago and stuck with an "active issue" with absolutely zero explanation. The complete lack of transparency from PA UC is maddening! This thread has been incredibly helpful though - finally getting real advice from people who've actually been through this instead of the useless official website. I'm definitely going to try that 7:59 AM calling strategy since I've had zero luck during regular hours. Also planning to contact my state representative's office after seeing the success stories here. @Nora Bennett - huge congrats on finally getting through and finding out about the employer contest! That gives me hope that persistence really pays off. I'm going to start keeping a detailed log of all my attempts and get my employment documentation organized so I'm ready when I eventually get through. The waiting while bills pile up is brutal, but seeing everyone's eventual success stories helps me stay hopeful that this broken system will eventually work itself out!

This thread has been absolutely amazing to read through! I'm in week 2 of my PA UC claim after getting laid off from my retail management position, and I wish I had found this information earlier when I was stressing about my waiting week. I ended up working about 16 hours at a friend's catering business during my waiting week and was so paranoid about reporting it correctly. Reading through everyone's experiences here confirms that I did it right - I reported my exact gross earnings ($240) and kept detailed records with pay stubs. Everything processed smoothly just like @Fidel Carson described. One thing I want to add for future readers - the PA UC customer service chat feature (when it's working) can sometimes be faster than calling if you have quick questions about reporting. I used it to confirm how to handle tips from the catering work, and got an answer in about 45 minutes vs the hours of calling others have mentioned. Also, for anyone nervous about the work search requirements during waiting week that @Samuel Robinson mentioned - I kept a simple log of job applications and networking calls during that week, and it was super easy to enter when filing my weekly certification. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge here, especially @Gabriel Freeman for starting such a helpful discussion! This kind of community support is invaluable when navigating these confusing government systems.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually dealing with a similar situation right now - just filed for PA UC after my restaurant job cut my hours completely, and I was so confused about the waiting week rules. Reading through everyone's experiences has really put my mind at ease. The key message I'm getting is: be completely transparent about all earnings during waiting week, keep detailed documentation, and don't worry too much about the benefit calculations since waiting week is unpaid anyway. I have a quick question for anyone who's been through this - if you work during waiting week and then continue working reduced hours in subsequent weeks, do you need to report the same employer information each time you file weekly certifications? Or does the system remember previous employers you've reported? Also, @Giovanni Mancini thanks for mentioning the chat feature! I had no idea that was even an option and definitely beats trying to get through on the phone lines. This community knowledge sharing is so much more helpful than trying to navigate the confusing official website alone. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their real experiences!

Just wanted to follow up - were you able to get this resolved? If you're still struggling, there's one more thing you can try. Sometimes the system has trouble with accounts that have been dormant for a specific period (2-3 years). In those cases, they sometimes need to do a full account recovery rather than just a password reset. When you call, specifically ask them to check if you need an "account recovery" rather than just a password reset. It's a different process on their end.

Wow, what a journey! Thanks for sharing the update @StarSurfer - this is exactly the kind of resolution story that gives hope to others stuck in the same situation. The fact that CareerLink has a direct line to UC reps is incredible information that should be pinned somewhere. It's ridiculous that you had TWO separate backend issues (identity verification flag AND unresolved previous claim issue) blocking your access, but I'm so relieved you finally got through the maze. This thread is going to save so many people hours of frustration. Best of luck with your claim processing!