Can I get partial PA UC benefits if working 24 hours weekly with biweekly pay?

Yes, you can absolutely file for partial UC benefits in PA with 24 hours per week! The key thing is that your hours were reduced through no fault of your own. When you file, you'll report your gross earnings (before taxes) for the weeks you're claiming. Since you're paid biweekly, you'll need to split your paycheck to calculate what you earned each week. PA's partial benefit calculation is pretty straightforward - you can earn up to 30% of your weekly benefit rate without reduction, then they deduct 100% of anything you earn above that. So if your weekly benefit would be $400, you could earn up to $120 without reduction, then they'd subtract dollar-for-dollar after that.

my boss cut my hours last yr and i got partial. its confusing at first but u just report what u made each week when u do ur weekly claims. they ask u what days u worked and how much u made that week.

I'm in the same boat right now! Got cut to 20 hours last month. When I applied they made me do the IDme verification thing which was annoying but then my claim went through. You definitely qualify at 24 hours.

To add some specifics to what others said: 1. For biweekly pay, you'll need to accurately determine what you earned in each specific week. If you work the same hours each week, simply divide your gross pay in half. If hours vary week to week, calculate based on hours worked in each week. 2. PA has a partial benefit credit (PBC) of 30% of your weekly benefit rate (WBR). You can earn up to this amount without reduction. 3. For earnings above your PBC, your weekly benefit will be reduced dollar-for-dollar. 4. You must still complete work search activities each week (applying to jobs, attending interviews, etc.) even though you're still employed part-time. 5. Report your gross earnings (before taxes/deductions) for the week in which you actually performed the work, regardless of when you get paid. I recommend applying as soon as your hours are reduced. The system might flag your claim as having an "open issue" initially since you're still employed, but this is normal for partial claims.

BE CAREFUL!!! I tried doing partial UC last year and they MESSED UP my claim so bad! I reported everything correctly but they kept saying I was overpaid and I had to APPEAL and it took MONTHS to fix!! The system is BROKEN!!! Make sure you document EVERYTHING and take screenshots of all your weekly filings!! They will try to say you did something wrong!

I went through this exact situation in 2023! One tip that saved me huge headaches: I was having trouble reaching anyone at UC to ask questions about my partial claim, and kept getting busy signals for days. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 The agent explained exactly how to report my biweekly pay correctly on weekly claims. Basically, I needed to split my paycheck based on the hours worked each week, not just in half. It made a big difference in my benefit amount!

wait do u need to do work search if ur job said the hours cut is only temporary? that seems weird

i forgot to say make sure you answer the question about "able and available to work full time" with YES even tho ur working part time. my friend got denied cuz she said no to that thinking it meant was she currently working full time

Thank you all so much for the helpful advice! I'm going to apply tomorrow and make sure I carefully track my hours each week so I can report my earnings accurately. I'll definitely answer YES to being available for full-time work. If I run into trouble getting through to someone, I'll try that Claimyr service. Really appreciate all the guidance!

Just wanted to add that you should also keep records of your original work schedule and the documentation showing your hours were reduced. PA UC sometimes asks for proof that the reduction wasn't voluntary on your part. I'd recommend getting something in writing from your supervisor or HR about the temporary hour cut - even just an email confirming the change. This can be really helpful if any questions come up during your claim review. Also, when you do your weekly certifications, be consistent with how you calculate and report your weekly earnings from that biweekly pay. Good luck with your application!

One thing I wanted to mention that I don't think anyone covered yet - when you're reporting your biweekly earnings, make sure you report them for the week you actually WORKED, not the week you got paid. This tripped me up when I first started filing partial claims. So if you work Week 1 and Week 2, but don't get your paycheck until Week 3, you still report those earnings for Week 1 and Week 2 when you file your weekly certifications. The pay date doesn't matter - it's all about when you performed the work. This is especially important with biweekly pay since there's often a delay between when you work and when you get paid. Also, definitely apply ASAP once your hours get cut. You can't get benefits for weeks before you file your initial claim, so don't wait thinking you might not need it. Even if your situation improves, you can always stop filing weekly claims later.