I had this same issue last year and actually gave up trying to change it after calling for weeks. Just a heads up - you might want to set aside about 10-15% of what you're getting now for taxes. I ended up using TurboTax and there's a specific section for unemployment income where you enter the total from your 1099-G form. It was painful but at least I was prepared for it.

I went through this exact same nightmare! After weeks of trying to call, I finally got through using the callback feature on the PA UC website - you can request a callback instead of waiting on hold. It took about 3 days for them to call me back, but when they did, the agent changed my tax withholding in under 5 minutes. Just a heads up though - they can only change it going forward, so I still had to deal with owing taxes on the first few months of benefits I'd already received. I ended up having to do quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid penalties. The whole system is so frustrating, but at least once you get it changed, you don't have to worry about it anymore!

Final update for your situation: Make sure to continue filing your weekly claims while waiting for backpay to process. Some people mistakenly stop filing when waiting for appeal decisions or backpay, which can cause further delays. Also, check your dashboard daily - sometimes they require additional verification before releasing backpay, especially for larger amounts. If you see any new "open issues" appear, address them immediately.

Just wanted to share my recent experience to help with your timeline expectations! I won my appeal for backdated benefits in February and received my backpay exactly 9 business days later. The total was around $4,200 for 7 weeks. Like others mentioned, it came in two separate deposits - first deposit had 4 weeks, then the remaining 3 weeks showed up 2 days later on my Money Network card. Regarding the waiting week issue - definitely call immediately! I had the exact same problem where they applied a second waiting week to my backdated period even though I'd already served one. The rep was able to fix it during the call by adding the "Waiting Week Served" status code to that week. It added an extra $400 to my backpay. Pro tip: Call first thing Monday morning around 8:05 AM - that's when I had the best luck getting through without waiting forever. Good luck with everything!

Just wanted to follow up - did you end up getting your Money Network card or setting up direct deposit? Which worked better for you?

Thanks for sharing the follow-up @Zara Ahmed! This is really helpful for anyone else going through the same transition. It sounds like having both options worked out well in the end. For future readers - it's good to know that even if you set up direct deposit, PA still sends the Money Network card automatically, so you're not stuck waiting if there are any issues with the bank transfer. The 6-day timeline for card delivery seems pretty consistent with what others have reported too.

So does anyone know if theres a way to predict which day itll come? I need to pay my car loan next week and was hoping to time it right

I've been tracking my payments for about 6 months now and noticed a few patterns that might help others predict timing better. Tuesday payments seem more common during weeks with federal holidays (even if PA state offices are open), lower unemployment claim volume in summer months, and oddly enough, weeks when there's scheduled system maintenance over the weekend. Wednesday payments are more typical during high-volume periods like after holidays when everyone files at once, or during winter months when more people are claiming benefits. I started keeping a simple spreadsheet and it's helped me plan better - not perfect but gives me a better guess than just hoping!

Update: My payment just hit my account about an hour ago! Thanks everyone for the reassurance and advice. Will definitely keep that screenshot tip in mind for the future.

Glad to hear it came through! That's such a relief when you're stressed about rent. For future reference with Chase, they usually process ACH deposits in the early morning hours, so if you don't see it by 8-9am on a business day, it's probably not coming that day. The timing advice from others here is spot on - that 2-3 business day window is pretty reliable once you get into the routine. Congrats on getting through the approval process too, that's often the hardest part!