How to know when PA UC benefits are approved - what dashboard status shows?

The dashboard should show 'Active' or 'Monetarily Eligible' when your claim is approved. Once approved, you'll need to file your weekly certifications (also called 'biweekly claims') to receive payments. The money doesn't automatically appear - you have to do those weekly filings first. Keep an eye on the 'Claim Status' section - that's where the important info shows up. It might take 2-3 weeks for initial approval though, so be patient.

mine said pending for like 3 weeks then changed to active but still had open issues, didnt get paid until the open issues cleared up so watch for that too

The exact status wording might vary slightly, but you'll typically see a status change to something like 'Active' or 'Monetarily Eligible' as mentioned above. Most importantly, you'll receive a financial determination letter (electronically if you opted for paperless, or by mail) that shows your weekly benefit amount (WBA) and total benefit entitlement. Once approved, you must file your bi-weekly claims (every two weeks) to receive payments. The system will tell you when you're able to file these claims. Payment typically comes 2-3 business days after successfully filing your bi-weekly claim. If you have any open issues on your claim, these will need to be resolved before payment is released, even if your claim shows as 'Active'.

I was in the same boat last month! The whole system is SO confusing. For me, I just kept logging in daily until I saw my status change from Pending to Active. Once that happened, I got an email saying I could file my biweekly claim. Then after I did that, the money was on my Money Network card in about 3 days. But here's what sucks - I had ONE open issue that took FOREVER to get cleared. I kept calling and calling but couldn't get through. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person at UC. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Once I talked to a real person, they cleared my open issue right away. Might be worth keeping in mind if you run into issues!

DONT TRUST THE DASHBOARD!!! sometimes it doesn't update right away or at all! I thought I was approved cause mine said Active but I wasn't getting paid and had to call to find out I had an identity verification issue that wasn't even showing up!!!

u should get an email when ur supposed to file ur biweekly claim. that's usually the first sign ur good to go

One more thing - when your claim is approved, you'll have access to the weekly certification section. You'll see a button or link that says something like "File Biweekly Claim" that wasn't there before. That's another way to know your claim is moving forward. But as others mentioned, even with an approved claim, you might have open issues that prevent payment.

To address your concern about rent - if your financial situation is urgent and your claim is taking longer than expected, you might want to look into Pennsylvania's Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) or contact local community assistance organizations. They sometimes can provide temporary assistance while unemployment claims are processing.

I filed back in January and remember being totally confused by the dashboard too! What nobody told me was that I also needed to register with PA CareerLink and complete those job search activities BEFORE my first biweekly claim. If you haven't done that yet, do it now while waiting for approval so you don't delay your payments even more. I learned that lesson the hard way!