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Congrats on getting approved so quickly! That's really encouraging news. I'm in a similar situation right now - just reopened my claim after a brief return to work and it's been in review for 6 days. Seeing that yours only took 4 business days gives me hope mine will move soon too. The timing around BYE dates is so confusing but sounds like you've got a good plan now.
Just went through something similar a few months ago! My reopened claim took about a week to clear review, which seems pretty standard based on what others are saying here. The key thing I learned about BYE dates is to NOT panic - you can still collect your remaining weeks even after the date passes as long as you keep filing your weekly certifications. One tip that helped me: I called the customer service line early in the morning (like 8:05 AM right when they open) and got through pretty quickly when I had questions about the transition. Way better than trying to call during busy afternoon hours. Good luck with everything!
I work in HR and deal with partial unemployment situations regularly. Everyone here has given you solid advice! Just to reinforce the key points: definitely file this Sunday, report your gross wages for Thursday/Friday, and yes your claim stays active for the full benefit year. One small tip I'd add - when you're entering your work hours, be as precise as possible. If you worked 8 hours Thursday and 7 hours Friday, enter exactly that rather than rounding. The PA system uses these details for their calculations and accuracy helps avoid any future issues. Also, since your boss said they're hoping to bring you back full-time "soon," keep filing weekly until that actually happens - don't stop based on promises of future full-time work. You're doing the right thing by being cautious about not messing anything up!
This is really helpful advice coming from someone in HR! I definitely didn't think about being that precise with the hours - I was just planning to estimate. And you're absolutely right about not stopping based on promises of future full-time work. My boss seemed hopeful but didn't give me any guarantees, so I'll keep filing until I'm actually back to a regular full-time schedule. Thanks for the professional perspective on this!
I had a very similar experience last spring when my restaurant called me back for just weekends after being completely laid off. Here's what worked for me: definitely file this Sunday and report your Thursday/Friday earnings exactly as everyone said. But one thing I'd add - if you're unsure about any specific questions on the weekly claim form, you can always call the PA UC line right after you submit it to clarify anything. I did that my first week back and the rep was actually helpful in confirming I'd done everything correctly. Also, keep track of your benefit balance - you can see how much you have left in your claim when you file online. Since you're only working 2 days, you'll likely still get some partial benefits, which helps stretch your total benefit amount over a longer period. The system really is designed to help people transition back to full employment, so don't worry about "gaming" it - you're using it exactly as intended!
That's really reassuring to hear about your restaurant experience! I like your suggestion about calling right after I submit to double-check - that takes away some of the anxiety about whether I filled everything out correctly. And I hadn't thought about tracking my benefit balance, that's a great point since I might be on partial benefits for a while if my hours stay reduced. It definitely makes me feel better knowing the system is actually designed for situations like this rather than feeling like I'm doing something wrong by working part-time while claiming. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I just wanted to jump in here because I literally just went through this exact same thing last month! I had been filing biweekly for months thinking that was still correct, and only realized my mistake when I noticed my payments seemed off. The first thing I did was check my UC dashboard - I was able to file for the 2 most recent missed weeks directly online without any issues. For the older weeks (I think I missed about 5 total), I had to call and explain the situation. I ended up using that Claimyr service that others mentioned here, and honestly it was a lifesaver. Got through to a real person in about 25 minutes instead of spending hours getting busy signals. The UC rep I spoke with said this filing frequency confusion is one of the most common issues they deal with, especially for people who were already receiving benefits when they switched from biweekly to weekly. She was able to backdate all my missed weeks once I explained what happened. The key things she asked for were: my work search records for those weeks (which I had), confirmation that I was unemployed and available for work during those periods, and any part-time earnings I might have had. Don't stress too much about this - it really is fixable! Just make sure to switch to filing every Sunday going forward. I put a recurring reminder in my phone calendar and haven't missed a week since. You'll get through this!
Thank you so much for sharing your recent experience with this! It's incredibly reassuring to hear that you just went through the exact same thing and got it all sorted out. Knowing that the UC rep said this filing frequency confusion is one of their most common issues really puts my mind at ease - I was so worried I was the only one who made this mistake. I'm definitely going to try checking my dashboard first like you did, and then use Claimyr if I need to call about the older weeks. It's great to know they were able to backdate all your missed weeks! I've been keeping good records of my work searches and I haven't had any part-time work, so hopefully that will help my case too. Really appreciate you taking the time to share what worked for you - it gives me a lot of hope that this will all work out!
I went through this exact same confusion about 8 months ago! Pennsylvania did switch to weekly filing back in 2022, but they didn't do a great job communicating it to people who were already in the system. Don't panic - this is totally fixable and happens to more people than you'd think. Here's what I'd suggest doing immediately: 1. Log into your UC dashboard and check if any of your missed weeks show up as "available to claim" - you might be able to file for the most recent ones directly online 2. For any older missed weeks, you'll likely need to call UC to request backdating 3. Try using Claimyr to get through quickly - I waited 3 hours on hold using regular phone lines vs 20 minutes with their service When you do talk to a rep, just be honest about the confusion with the filing schedule change. Have your work search documentation ready for all those weeks you missed filing for. The rep I spoke with said this biweekly vs weekly confusion is super common and they deal with it regularly. Going forward, make sure to file every single Sunday for the previous week. I set up a weekly phone reminder and haven't missed one since. The weekly system actually gets you paid faster than the old biweekly system once you get used to it. You haven't ruined your claim - this is just a bump in the road that can be sorted out! Keep us updated on how it goes.
This is such helpful and reassuring advice! I really appreciate you taking the time to explain everything so clearly. It's such a relief to hear that this filing frequency confusion is common - I was honestly panicking thinking I was the only one who made this mistake. I'm definitely going to start by checking my UC dashboard today to see if I can file for any of the recent missed weeks online before trying to call. The fact that you were able to get everything sorted out gives me a lot of hope! I've been keeping detailed records of all my work search activities, so I should have what they need. Thanks for the tip about setting up a weekly phone reminder too - that's definitely something I'll do once I get this mess cleaned up. Really appreciate you sharing your experience!
im going thru something similar but with identity verification. been stuck on that for 10 days now. keeps saying my drivers license dont match their records but its EXACTLY right. PA unemployment is stuck in the stone age i swear
So glad you got it sorted out @Keisha Brown! That birthday error is such a common issue but the error message is so confusing. For anyone else dealing with this, I've found that the PA UC system is really picky about date formats and even tiny typos can cause these cryptic errors. Another tip - if you're still getting stuck, try using Chrome in incognito mode. Sometimes cached data from previous sessions can interfere with the form submission. The whole system desperately needs an overhaul but at least there are workarounds!
Thanks for the Chrome incognito tip @Rosie Harper! I'm dealing with a similar issue right now where the system keeps timing out when I try to add my dependent info. Going to try that along with double-checking all my date formats. It's so frustrating that such a simple form can have so many technical glitches, but I'm grateful for communities like this where we can share solutions!
Abby Marshall
UPDATE: Finally got through to UC this morning! Called at 7:58am and used the 1-2-1 options as suggested. Only had to wait about 20 minutes on hold. The agent was super helpful and updated my wage information right away. She said it shouldn't delay my claim processing at all since they were still working on the initial review. Thanks everyone for the advice!
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Isabel Vega
•That's great news! Glad you were able to get it resolved quickly. The early morning strategy works well!
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Kai Santiago
Awesome update! So glad you got through and were able to fix everything. This is really helpful for others who might be in the same situation. The 7:58am call time and 1-2-1 menu options seem to be the winning combination. Thanks for sharing what worked - it gives hope to everyone else dealing with PA UC phone system frustrations!
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