Anyone have success with PA UC overpayment waiver applications in 2025?

i filled one out last month still waiting to hear back tho

How long have you been waiting? Did they at least stop trying to collect while your waiver is being reviewed?

I got an overpayment notice for $2,200 in February and submitted the waiver right away. They are STILL reviewing it 3 months later!!! The form isn't too complicated but you need to provide bank statements, bills, basically PROVE you're broke enough to qualify. And they want like 6 months of statements! Such a pain collecting all that. Meanwhile they froze collection on my account but the anxiety of waiting is KILLING ME.

Wait they froze collection while reviewing? That's good at least. Did you have to call to get that to happen or was it automatic?

It was automatic when I submitted the waiver through the portal. But I did have to call to confirm they received everything because the system never updated to show my waiver was processing.

I successfully got an overpayment waiver approved in January. Here's what you need to know:\n\n1. The waiver application is on your dashboard under \

Thank you SO much for this detailed info! Do you remember if they included specific income thresholds for what counts as 'hardship'? I'm working but barely making ends meet as it is.

They don't publish specific income thresholds, but they look at your income versus necessary expenses. They want to see that after paying for housing, utilities, food, and medical expenses, you don't have enough left to reasonably make payments. Make sure to document ALL necessary expenses - medications, childcare, transportation costs for work, etc. The more complete your financial picture, the better your chances.

I processed hundreds of these waivers when I worked for PA UC. The most important things that get waivers approved:\n\n1. Proving the overpayment wasn't due to fraud - honest mistakes get more sympathy\n2. Demonstrating that repayment would cause significant hardship (housing instability, inability to afford necessities)\n3. Complete documentation - many get denied simply because people don't send in all required paperwork\n4. A clear timeline of events showing how the overpayment occurred\n\nOne big tip: Most people don't realize you can request a payment plan even if your waiver is denied. These can stretch payments out over several years with very small monthly amounts.\n\nBut the single biggest mistake is waiting too long - you only have 15 days from receiving the notice to file the waiver request, or you lose your right to appeal.

15 days?! The letter came 5 days ago so I need to hurry. If I can't get all my documentation together that fast, should I submit the form anyway and then send docs later, or wait until I have everything?

Submit the form immediately to meet the 15-day deadline, then gather your documentation. You can usually submit additional documents later as long as you've filed the initial waiver request on time. Just make sure to include your claim number on all documents. The 15-day window is for the waiver application itself, not necessarily all supporting documentation.

Everybody here is giving good advice about documentation, but honestly the REAL issue is actually REACHING someone at unemployment to confirm they got your waiver! I submitted mine and then couldn't get any updates for weeks. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent after trying for days with busy signals and disconnects. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2\n\nThe agent told me my waiver was missing a key document that the system never told me about! Would have been denied otherwise. Definitely worth checking that they actually received everything correctly.

does that service actually work? i tried calling like 50 times yesterday and couldnt get thru

Yeah it worked for me. I was skeptical too but I was desperate after trying for days. Got connected to an agent in about 30 minutes instead of dealing with constant busy signals.

I've heard about this service but is it legit? How does it even work?

It basically just automates the calling process and holds your place in line. When they finally get through, you get a call back to connect with the agent. Saved me from having to manually redial for hours.

Wait I'm confused - is the overpayment waiver the same as an appeal or are those different things? I got a notice saying I was disqualified for some weeks because they said I didn't do enough job searches, but it doesn't mention overpayment specifically.

Those are different things. An appeal is when you challenge their decision about your eligibility. An overpayment waiver is when you acknowledge you received benefits you weren't eligible for, but are requesting to not have to pay them back due to financial hardship or because it wasn't your fault. Your situation sounds like you need to file an appeal if you believe you did complete enough job searches.

Oh thank you for explaining! Sorry for going off topic. Good luck with your waiver OP!

The UC system is such a JOKE. I got hit with a $3,700 overpayment last year because THEY made a mistake on my claim! Fought it for 6 months, submitted the waiver with MOUNTAINS of evidence and they STILL denied it. Had to get my state rep involved to finally get it resolved. The system is DESIGNED to frustrate people into giving up and just paying!\n\nMy advice? Document EVERYTHING. Record phone calls (PA is two-party consent so tell them you're recording). Save every letter, every email. And don't take NO for an answer. Keep appealing!

That's what I'm afraid of. I feel like they make the system complicated on purpose. How did you get your state rep involved? Did you just call their office?

Exactly! Just called my state rep's office, explained the situation, and they have staff specifically for helping with state agency issues. They contacted UC directly and suddenly my case got

Did anyone have luck getting a waiver approved if the overpayment was technically your fault? I misunderstood a question on the weekly claim (honestly the wording is so confusing) and that's why I got an overpayment. Not sure if that counts as my fault or not...

There are actually two types of waivers: fault and no-fault. Even if the overpayment was technically your fault (like misunderstanding a question), you can still qualify for a fault waiver if repayment would cause significant financial hardship. The requirements are stricter than for no-fault waivers, but they definitely do get approved if you can demonstrate genuine financial hardship. Make sure to check the right box on the form - there should be options for both types.

Thank you all so much for the advice! I'm going to submit the waiver application today and start gathering all my financial documents. Will update once I hear anything back from them. Fingers crossed they understand this was an honest mistake and not fraud.

Good luck! And remember - persistence is key with PA UC. If you get denied, request a hearing right away. Many waivers get approved at the hearing stage when you can actually explain your situation to a real person.