PA UC backpay timeline after approval? Just got my open issues resolved today
Just wanted to share some good news and ask a quick question. After dealing with an 'open issue' on my PA unemployment claim for almost 6 weeks (employer contested saying I quit, but I was actually laid off), I finally got approved today! The status changed from 'pending' to 'eligible' this morning and I can see the approval letter in my dashboard. Such a relief! But now I'm wondering - when will I actually receive the backpay for all those weeks? I've filed diligently every Sunday even though nothing was being paid. Will it all come at once on the Money Network card? Do I need to do anything special to trigger the backpay process? This is my first time on unemployment and I'm nervous about counting on money before it arrives.
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Freya Collins
Congrats on finally getting approved! Your backpay should process automatically - you don't need to do anything special. For me (last year), it took about 5-7 business days after my status changed to eligible before I saw the backpay hit my Money Network card. They typically process all the weeks at once, so you'll see a nice lump sum rather than separate payments for each week. Just keep filing your weekly claims as normal going forward.
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Lucas Schmidt
•Thank you! That's such a relief to hear. Did your payment history update online before the money actually hit your card? Just wondering what to watch for.
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LongPeri
same happened to me and I got my backpay 3 days later... good for u!!!
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Lucas Schmidt
•3 days? That would be amazing. I have bills due next week that I've been putting off.
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Oscar O'Neil
DON'T COUNT ON IT BEING QUICK!!! The system is totally screwed up right now. I got approved after fighting an issue for 2 months and then had to wait ANOTHER 3 WEEKS for my backpay!!! Every time I called they just said "it's processing" but couldn't tell me when I'd get paid. And then when it finally came, they shorted me 2 weeks that I'm still fighting about. The PA UC system is GARBAGE and nobody there knows what they're doing!!
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Lucas Schmidt
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Did you ever figure out why they shorted you those 2 weeks?
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Oscar O'Neil
•They claimed I didn't file those weeks correctly but I DEFINITELY DID. I had confirmation numbers and everything! But of course you can't actually TALK to a real person about it because the phone lines are always busy!!!
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Sara Hellquiem
If you're trying to reach someone at PA UC about your backpay, you might want to try Claimyr. It helped me get through to an actual agent when I was dealing with backpay issues a few months ago. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 and their website is claimyr.com. Basically, they help you skip the phone queue. My backpay actually had an additional issue they needed to clear manually, and getting through to an agent fixed it within minutes.
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Charlee Coleman
•does this really work? i've been trying to call for days and keep getting a busy signal
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Sara Hellquiem
•Yes, it worked for me! It's the only way I managed to talk to someone after trying for over a week on my own.
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Liv Park
I got approved too but then my employer appealed and everything got put on hold again 😫 Really hope that doesn't happen to you! I was so excited to finally be getting paid and then bam, more waiting!
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Freya Collins
Just as a heads up - make sure you double-check your payment history against your weekly claims. I've heard from several people that sometimes not all weeks process at once. If you notice any missing weeks after your backpay arrives, you'll need to call in about those specifically. Also, don't forget that UC payments are taxable. Since you're getting a lump sum backpay, you might want to set aside some for taxes if you didn't opt for tax withholding when you filed.
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Lucas Schmidt
•That's a really good point about the taxes. I did select the tax withholding option when I initially filed, so hopefully that applies to the backpay too. I'll definitely check my payment history against my weekly claims once it processes!
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Leeann Blackstein
When I got approved last year after having issues, my payment history updated online first, showing all the weeks as "paid" instead of "pending" about 2 days before the money actually hit my Money Network card. So that's a good way to track if it's coming. One weird thing tho - my backpay came split into two deposits about 12 hours apart, not sure why they do that. Just don't panic if you only see part of what you're expecting at first!
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Lucas Schmidt
•That's super helpful to know! I'll keep an eye on the payment status changes online. Weird about the split payments, but good to be prepared for that possibility.
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Charlee Coleman
i got backpay and it took 4 days but my cousing got his in like 2 weeks so i think its just random how fast they do it lol
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Freya Collins
Just checking in - any updates? Has your payment status changed or have you received your backpay yet?
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Lucas Schmidt
•Great timing! My payment status just changed to "paid" for all 6 weeks this morning! The payment date shows tomorrow, so hopefully the money will be on my card then. Thanks everyone for the help and advice - made this stressful situation much easier to navigate.
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