PA UC and self-employment income - will this disqualify my entire claim?

This is a common issue with PA UC claims. Self-employment doesn't automatically disqualify you, but it does trigger additional review. Here's what you need to know: 1. Since your self-employment ended BEFORE you lost your main job, you should still qualify for benefits based on your W-2 employment. 2. You need to be able to document when your self-employment ended (final invoices, client communications, etc). 3. You'll need to complete the Self-Employment Questionnaire they'll likely send you. 4. Be prepared to explain that the self-employment was minimal compared to your main job ($230/month vs full-time wages). The key thing is showing you're not still getting self-employment income while claiming benefits. You're not automatically disqualified at all.

ur gonna get denied 100%. they ALWAYS deny if u had any self employmnt. happened to my brother last yr and he lost everything. PA unemployment is garbage!!

I actually had almost the exact same situation last year! I had a small Etsy shop while working full-time as an office manager. When I got laid off, my claim was held up for like 3 weeks because of the self-employment issue. When I finally got through to someone, they just needed me to verify that I wasn't still running the shop. I had to fill out a form detailing when I stopped, how much I made, and provide proof that the shop was closed (I sent screenshots of my shop settings showing it was in vacation mode). Once I sent all that in, it took about 10 more days but then my claim was approved! So don't panic - it's definitely possible to get approved with previous self-employment.

Have you tried using Claimyr to reach PA UC? It's the only way I could actually get through to a human at unemployment. I was stuck with an 'open issue' for weeks, but after using Claimyr (claimyr.com), I got through to an agent who fixed my issue in minutes. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. It was honestly a lifesaver for my self-employment issue since they needed additional documentation but never told me what they needed.

I work as an employment counselor, and I see this issue with clients regularly. PA unemployment reviews self-employment income because they need to determine if you're truly unemployed or just had reduced income from self-employment. Here's what matters: 1. You need to be FULLY unemployed from your regular work 2. Your side gig must have fully ENDED before you filed (not just paused) 3. The self-employment can't have been your primary source of income If you meet these criteria, you should be eligible. However, the verification process does take time, often 3-4 weeks. Make sure you continue filing your weekly claims during this period!

wait so did u actually offically close ur business? like file paperwork with the state or just stop working? becuz thats what got me. i had a side hustle driving for uber but stopped when i lost my real job but unemployment said since i didnt formally deactivate my uber account i was still "self employed" even tho i wasnt driving. had to appeal and it was a whole mess

First of all, calm down! Lol. I was literally in this EXACT situation and got approved, but it did take almost 5 weeks for them to resolve it. If your self-employment was minor compared to your regular job (which it sounds like it was), and you weren't doing it when you applied for benefits, you should be fine. Just keep filing your weekly claims while you wait. The most important thing is to answer all their questions 100% truthfully. If they ask about self-employment income for previous quarters, report it accurately. If they ask if you're currently self-employed, say no (assuming you've actually stopped). Don't overthink it.

One additional point I wanted to mention - if your claim is denied based on the self-employment issue (which seems unlikely given what you've described), you have the right to appeal. The appeal process for PA UC is actually fairly straightforward, and many initial denials get overturned. You would have 15 days from the determination date to file your appeal. But from what you've described, it sounds like you just need to wait out their review process or try to contact them to provide additional information about when your self-employment ended. Do you have any documents showing you stopped the freelance work in February?

I just remembered something else important! When I was dealing with my self-employment issue, I made sure to answer the weekly certification questions properly. There's that question about whether you're self-employed or own a business - make sure you answer NO to this since you're no longer doing the freelance work. I accidentally answered YES the first week because I was thinking about my previous situation, and it created even more confusion. Be super consistent with your answers!