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Dmitry Smirnov

PA UC benefit duration confusion - worked exactly 1 year (June 2022-2023). How many weeks am I eligible for?

I just lost my job after working from June 2022 to June 2023 (exactly 1 year) at a warehouse. Filed my initial PA UC claim yesterday and I'm confused about how many weeks of benefits I'm entitled to. Since I worked exactly 1 year, am I eligible for the full 26 weeks? Or does it depend on something else? The website mentions something about base periods but it's super confusing. This is my first time filing for unemployment in Pennsylvania so I don't know what to expect. Anyone know how they determine how many weeks you get?

The number of weeks you're eligible for depends on your financial eligibility, not just how long you worked. PA does offer up to 26 weeks maximum for regular UC benefits, but whether you get the full 26 depends on your wages in your base period. The base period is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. So if you filed in June 2023, your base period would be January 2022 through December 2022. They'll look at how much you earned during that period to determine your weekly benefit amount AND your total benefit amount (which determines how many weeks you get).

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Thanks for explaining! So if I only started the job in June 2022, does that mean they'll only count about 6 months of my work history for the base period? Will that reduce how many weeks I'm eligible for?

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Ava Johnson

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i got laid off last montth and only got 16 weeks even tho i worked for 2 years! depends on how much u earned not how long u worked

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Miguel Diaz

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Same. They told me I qualified for 19 weeks even though everyone says PA gives 26 weeks. I was so mad! Called them like 50 times before I finally got through to ask why.

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Zainab Ahmed

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The duration of your benefits is calculated by dividing your total benefit amount by your weekly benefit amount. In Pennsylvania, the maximum is indeed 26 weeks, but not everyone qualifies for that maximum. The formula is basically this: They look at your highest quarter earnings in the base period, determine your weekly benefit amount, then look at your total base period wages to determine the total benefit amount. You need to have earned at least 37% of your base year wages outside your highest quarter to qualify for the full potential benefit amount. Since you only worked from June 2022, some of your base period quarters might have little or no earnings, which could affect your eligibility for the full 26 weeks. You'll get a Notice of Financial Determination in the mail or on your dashboard that will tell you exactly how many weeks you qualify for.

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Wow that's complicated. I'll keep an eye out for that Notice of Financial Determination. I was earning about $750/week pretty consistently from June 2022 until now, if that helps estimate anything. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what they say.

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Connor Byrne

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If ur having trouble getting through to ask questions (I sure did!!), try using Claimyr. It helped me finally get through to an actual person at UC after trying for days. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 and their website is claimyr.com. They got me connected to a rep who explained my benefit duration and fixed an issue with my claim. I was ready to pull my hair out before that!

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Yara Abboud

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does that actually work? ive been trying to get thru for 3 days with no luck

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Connor Byrne

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Yeah it does work. I was skeptical at first but I was desperate after calling like 30 times and always getting busy signals. Got through in about 20 minutes after using it.

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PixelPioneer

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THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!!! They NEVER give you the full 26 weeks unless you made BIG MONEY! I worked 18 months and only got 18 weeks, how is that fair?? My friend worked only 9 months and got 22 weeks because she had a higher paying job! It's all about how much you earned not how long you worked, which is TOTALLY UNFAIR to those of us in lower wage jobs!!!! 😡

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Zainab Ahmed

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While I understand your frustration, the system is designed this way because unemployment benefits are meant to partially replace wages. Higher wages = higher benefits, but everyone has the same percentage replacement rate. The duration is affected by total earnings because they're trying to ensure you have sufficient work history to qualify for the full benefit period.

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Just got my Notice of Financial Determination today! They approved me for 20 weeks based on my earnings. Not the full 26 I was hoping for, but better than I expected after reading all your comments. Thanks everyone for your help explaining how this works!

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Ava Johnson

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congrats! make sure u do ur weekly claims on time, they r super picky about that

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That's great news! Be sure to complete your work search activities each week (applying to jobs, attending workshops, etc.). You need to do at least 2 per week and record them when you file your weekly claims.

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