PA UC Benefit Year vs Actual Payment Period - Confused about September exhaustion date

Your benefit year is definitely a one-year period from when you first filed, regardless of when you actually started receiving payments. It's a common misunderstanding. So yes, you'll need to file a new claim in September when your benefit year ends. The good news is that your approval for a new benefit year will be based on your work history in the base period for the new claim. If you worked enough in the base period (which includes those quarters before your layoff in March), you should qualify for a new claim. Your base period for a September 2025 filing would include quarters from mid-2024 through early 2025.

same thing happnd to me but i got denid when i had to refile. they said i didnt have enuf wages in my base period for a new claim. make sure u worked enuff during the right quarters b4 applying again

The PA UC system can be confusing with this issue. Let me clarify how benefit years work: 1. Your benefit year runs for 12 months from your initial application date (September), regardless of whether you received benefits or not. 2. When your benefit year expires, you need to file a new application and meet the financial eligibility requirements again. 3. For your new claim, PA will look at your base period - typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you apply. 4. You mentioned working from October to March. That should count toward your new base period for financial eligibility. 5. You'll need to have earned at least $116 per week for at least 18 weeks (roughly $2,088 total) within the base period to qualify for a new claim. My advice: File the new claim as soon as your benefit year ends. The system will calculate your financial eligibility based on those wages from October-March. If you worked full-time, you likely have enough wages to qualify.

THE ENTIRE PA UC SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CHEAT YOU!!! I had the EXACT same issue last year. My benefit year started in July but I didn't get approved until November, so I only got like 8 months of actual benefits before they cut me off at my "benefit year end." When I called to complain they just said "that's how the law works" and wouldn't do ANYTHING to help me. They don't care that you only got 6 months of money!!!!!

I went through this exact situation last year and had a nightmare getting through to someone at UC to explain my options. I must have tried calling 50+ times and just got busy signals or disconnected. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a PA UC rep in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 The rep explained that I'd need to file a new claim and they'd look at my base period wages. The good news is that the 6 months you worked between claims will count toward your new claim's base period, which might make you eligible.

Yes, I did qualify! I had worked about 7 months between my first denial and when I started collecting. That was enough for me to qualify for a new claim, though my weekly benefit amount was a bit lower than my first claim.

One important thing to remember: Even if you don't qualify financially for a brand new regular UC claim, you might be eligible for what's called an "Extended Benefits Year" option. This isn't always available (depends on state unemployment rates), but sometimes it allows you to continue on your existing claim. Also, make sure you file your new claim immediately after your benefit year ends. There's no advantage to waiting, and you want to avoid any gap in payments if you do qualify.

my cousin works at the UC office and she says they get this question all the time! lots of people think benefit year = time receiving benefits but its actually from application date no matter what. she said just make sure to file right away when september hits and you should be fine if you worked those months

A final note: Be prepared to provide income verification for that October-March period when you file your new claim. Having pay stubs or W-2 information ready will speed up the process. Also, even though your benefit year ends in September, continue filing your weekly certifications until then to receive all benefits you're entitled to from your current claim.