This whole thread is super helpful! I'm in a similar situation where I'm waiting on back payments but mine shows a pay date for next Tuesday. Based on everyone's experience here, sounds like I should expect to see the funds Wednesday morning at the earliest. It's reassuring to know that when it shows "paid" status, the money is actually on its way. The waiting game is definitely nerve-wracking when you're counting on those funds, but at least now I have realistic expectations for timing.

I just went through this exact same thing last week! Had a Friday pay date and was refreshing my bank app all weekend like crazy. The money showed up Monday morning around 7:30am. One thing I learned is that some banks will actually show pending deposits in your account over the weekend even if they don't officially post until Monday - might be worth checking if your bank has that feature. It at least gives you peace of mind that it's coming. The "paid" status on the UC dashboard is definitely the key indicator that everything went through properly on their end.

@Fatima Al-Maktoum Yes, absolutely count client consultations and project planning calls as billable work time that needs to be reported to PA UC! Those discovery sessions are legitimate work activities - you're providing professional consultation services, gathering requirements, and planning the project scope. I learned this when I was doing freelance UX design while on benefits. For revisions beyond the original scope, it depends on how you handle them with your client. If you're charging for the extra revision work (which you should be!), then yes, that time gets reported to UC as well. If you're doing unlimited revisions as part of your flat project fee, you still need to report the time you spend on them since it's work you're performing. Here's what I recommend for design work: track ALL time spent on client-related activities - initial consultations, research, actual design work, revision calls, email communications about the project, even time spent uploading files or preparing deliverables. Use a time tracker like Toggl and create separate project entries for each client. Keep detailed notes like "Client X logo consultation - discussed brand vision and style preferences" or "Logo revisions round 2 - adjusted typography and color palette." This level of documentation saved me during a UC review when they wanted specifics about my work activities. The key is treating your freelance work like the legitimate business activity it is - every minute you spend serving your client is work time that should be tracked and reported!

I went through this exact situation last year with freelance copywriting work while on PA UC. The advice here is spot-on - definitely report your 1099 income in the week you perform the work, not when you get paid. One thing I'd add that really helped me: create a simple one-page "cheat sheet" with the key reporting rules and keep it next to your computer when filing weekly claims. Mine included reminders like "report gross earnings from work week," "40% calculation applies," "track daily hours," etc. It sounds basic but when you're stressed about getting it right, having those key points right in front of you prevents mistakes. Also, for web design work specifically, consider using screen recording software like Loom to occasionally record yourself working on projects. I know it sounds overkill, but having timestamped video proof of when you were actually designing can be incredibly valuable if PA UC ever questions your work timeline. The 15-20 hours at $30/hr you mentioned should work well with the partial benefit system - you'll likely keep a good portion of your UC benefits while earning that supplemental income. Just stay organized and honest with your reporting!

This entire thread has been such a valuable resource! As someone who's brand new to the PA UC system after being laid off two weeks ago, I was starting to panic about some confusing messages on my own dashboard. Emma's story perfectly illustrates what so many of us go through - it's reassuring to see that the "expect payment" message during weekly certification really is the key indicator to trust, even when other parts of the system show conflicting information. The fact that she got paid even with the open issue still showing on the dashboard is both frustrating and comforting at the same time. It really highlights how unreliable their dashboard can be for tracking actual claim status. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and insights - this community is already proving to be invaluable for navigating PA UC's confusing system!

This thread has been incredibly helpful to read through as someone who's relatively new to dealing with PA UC! Emma's experience really shows how confusing their system can be - it's both frustrating and reassuring to see that the dashboard can show conflicting information while payments still go through normally. The consensus here about trusting the "expect payment" message during weekly certification over other dashboard elements is such valuable advice. I've been dealing with some similar inconsistencies in my own account and was starting to worry, but seeing everyone's real experiences and Emma's positive outcome gives me much more confidence. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to share their actual experiences rather than just speculation - it makes navigating this whole system so much less stressful when you know others have been through the same thing!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Got the exhaustion email yesterday at week 23 and have been completely panicked thinking my benefits were cut off early. Then I made it worse by trying to reset my PIN multiple times and now I'm locked out too. 😭 This thread is seriously saving my sanity right now - I had no idea this was such a common issue with PA UC's terrible system! The fact that so many people have confirmed the exhaustion email is just an automated warning and not an actual cutoff is such a huge relief. I was convinced I'd somehow lost my remaining 3 weeks. Definitely going to try the 7:58am calling strategy with the 1-3-1 button sequence tomorrow morning. I've been calling in the middle of the day and getting absolutely nowhere. Also had no clue about being able to file by phone while locked out - that's a game changer since I was stressing about missing this week's certification. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and tips. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to become detective experts just to navigate their broken system, but at least we're helping each other out! 💪

I'm going through this exact same thing right now! Got that terrifying exhaustion email at week 25 yesterday and immediately freaked out thinking I was about to lose my last week of benefits. Then of course I panicked and tried resetting my PIN like 6 times in a row and now I'm completely locked out. 🤦‍♀️ Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a relief though - I had no idea this was such a widespread issue with their broken system! The fact that multiple people have confirmed the exhaustion email is just an automated warning that triggers way too early is honestly life-saving information. I was convinced something had gone wrong with my claim. Definitely going to try that 7:58am calling strategy with the 1-3-1 button sequence tomorrow morning. I've been calling during lunch breaks and getting absolutely nowhere. Also super grateful for the tip about filing by phone while locked out - I had no clue that was even possible and was stressing about missing this week's certification. It's honestly insane that we have to become PA UC system experts just to get our benefits, but thank goodness for communities like this where we can help each other navigate this mess! 💪

Just wanted to add another tip that helped me when I was stuck in the lockout loop - disable any browser extensions you might have running, especially ad blockers or privacy extensions. I had uBlock Origin running and it was interfering with the PA UC site's login process. Once I disabled it and refreshed the page, I was able to stay logged in. Also, if you're using any password managers like LastPass or 1Password, try logging in manually without using the auto-fill feature. The PA UC system seems really sensitive to anything that might look like automated login attempts.

I went through this exact same nightmare last month! The PA UC system is so broken it's ridiculous. What finally worked for me was a combination of things: 1) Used Firefox browser in private/incognito mode, 2) Completely cleared all browser data (not just cache but cookies, stored passwords, everything), 3) Waited until mid-morning on a weekday to try logging in (seems like the system is less overloaded then), and 4) Made sure to type everything manually - no copy/paste, no autofill, nothing. It took me about 6 attempts over 3 days but I eventually got through. The key was being really patient and not trying to rush the process. Good luck!