PA UC Payment shows as 'Partial Check' but nothing in bank or ReliaCard - what does this mean?

Partial' check usually means'they re sending part of your payment as a paper check and the rest might be going to ReliaCard or direct deposit. This typically happens when there are deductions being taken (out like taxes, child support, or overpayment) recovery or if'they re paying you for part of a week. Check your payment details to see if there are any deductions listed. The paper check will come in the mail which can take 5-7 businessdays.

OMG i had the exact same problem!!! my payments said 'partial check' for like 5 weeks in a row and i panicked cause i needed the money for rent!!! turns out they were sending paper checks for everything even tho i signed up for direct deposit. dont even get me started on how frustrating the PA unemployment system is!!!!!

partial check means your getting a real paper check. they do this sometimes with back pay or when they switch you from one benefit year to another. my neighbor got all his backpay as checks even tho he asked for direct deposit. pa uc system does whatever it wants lol

Actually, 'partial check' can mean a few different things in the PA UC system. It could indicate: 1. They're issuing a paper check instead of electronic payment 2. Only part of your eligible amount is being paid due to deductions 3. You're receiving payment for a partial week 4. There's an offset being applied (overpayment recovery, child support, etc.) Since all your backpay shows the same status, it's most likely explanation #1 - they're sending paper checks for your backpay. This is fairly common when large amounts of backpay are approved at once. The checks should arrive within 7-10 business days from the payment date. If you don't receive anything by then, you'll need to contact UC to investigate.

when i got approved after waiting forever they sent me actual paper checks even tho i had direct deposit set up before. weird system but at least u got approved! congrats

If you need to actually talk to someone at UC about your payment status, good luck getting through on the phone. I spent 3 weeks trying to reach someone about my payment issue. Finally used Claimyr.com and got connected to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Saved me so much frustration after wasting hours on hold and getting disconnected.

Just wondering, did you check the "Payment Information" section too, not just the "Payment History"? Sometimes the details about how payments are being distributed show up there. Also, have you verified your banking info is correct in the system? I've seen people have issues where direct deposit failed because they had an old account listed.

Just to update you on timelines - in my experience, the first paper check usually arrives 5-7 business days after the payment date shown online. For backpay situations, they sometimes stagger the mailings over a few days so they're not sending a huge amount at once. Given that your payment date was the 8th, you should start seeing them arrive by the end of this week or early next week.

anyone else think its CRAZY that the UC system is so confusing?? like why cant they just tell us exactly what partial check means and when we'll get our money?? it's 2025 for crying out loud!!! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

UPDATE: Just got my first check in the mail today! Looks like they are indeed sending paper checks for the backpay. The envelope was super plain and I almost thought it was junk mail. Three more weeks of payments should be coming soon hopefully. Thanks everyone for your help!

Congratulations on getting your first check! That's such a relief after waiting so long. I'm in a similar situation - my claim was just approved after 7 weeks of back and forth, and I'm seeing the same "partial check" status for all my backpay weeks. Your update gives me hope that mine will start arriving soon too. Did the check amount match what was shown in your payment history, or were there any deductions you weren't expecting?

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded to help explain what "partial check" means! It's so frustrating that the PA UC system doesn't provide clear explanations for these payment statuses. Reading through all your experiences really helped me understand that this is pretty normal for backpay situations. For anyone else who finds this thread with the same question - it looks like "partial check" typically means they're sending actual paper checks in the mail instead of direct deposit or ReliaCard, especially for larger backpay amounts. The checks usually arrive 5-7 business days after the payment date shown online. Thanks again everyone for sharing your knowledge!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My claim was approved last week after 8 weeks of appeals and documentation, and all my backpay weeks show "partial check" with payment dates but no money in my account yet. Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a relief - I was starting to panic that something went wrong again. It sounds like I should expect paper checks in the mail over the next few days. The PA UC system really needs better communication about what these payment statuses actually mean. Has anyone had issues with checks getting lost in the mail, or do they usually all arrive safely?