PA UC benefit year confusion - can I collect my 27th payment with remaining balance?

I wnet thru this EXACT thing last month!!!!! UC is SO CONFUSING with there stupid rules. Im pretty sure ur done at 26 weeks no matter what ur balance says. Thats what happen to me and I still had like $500 left!!! Such a ripoff, they should give u whats left!!

It's a bit more complicated than a strict 26-week limit. PA UC allows you to collect your full balance within your benefit year. This means if you have money left in your balance before your benefit year ending date (2/9/2025), you can continue filing weekly claims. However, once your benefit year ends, you cannot collect remaining funds even if you haven't reached 26 weeks. In your case, since your benefit year hasn't ended yet and you have money left, you should be able to file for that 27th week and receive payment if you're still eligible.

I don't think the other answers are right. PA UC is 26 weeks MAX. Period. Doesn't matter how much $ is left in your account. When you hit 26 payments, your done until your BYE (benefit year end) date passes and you can file a new claim if you qualify again. The system won't even let you file after 26 weeks.

Have you tried calling the PA UC number to ask directly? I had a similar situation and actually managed to get through after trying for days. The rep confirmed I could get my remaining balance as long as it was within my benefit year AND I hadn't exceeded the maximum benefit amount. But every claim is different.

It seems there's some confusion in this thread. Here's how it actually works: 1. Regular UC in PA has a maximum of 26 weeks of FULL payments (plus your waiting week) 2. If you have a remaining balance when you hit 26 payments, you can still collect that money IF you're still within your benefit year 3. HOWEVER, there's an exception if you had any partial payments during your claim period (like if you worked part-time during some weeks) Since you mentioned filing consistently for 26 weeks plus a waiting week, you should check if any of those weeks were partial payments. If they were all full payments, then you've reached the maximum weeks and won't be able to file again despite having a balance. If some were partial, you might be eligible for that remaining money. The only definitive way to know is to try filing next week. The system will either allow you to file or give you a message saying your benefits are exhausted.

im in the EXACT same boat right noww!!! my benfit year ends 3/1 and i still have like $600 left but hit my 26 weeks last sunday. tried filing yesterday and it worked!!! system let me file for week 27 so im guessing well get paid for it! the amount was less than usual but stil got approved so 🤞

PA unemployment is sooo frustrating with this stuff!!! Why can't they just make it clear on their website?? Like either give us all the money in our balance OR tell us exactly when we're cut off. I spent HOURS trying to figure this out when my claim ended.

Just wanted to add my experience - I was in a similar situation last year where I had money left after 26 weeks. The key thing is whether you had any partial payments during your claim period. If you worked part-time during any weeks and reported earnings, those count as partial payments and you may be able to collect your remaining balance until either the money runs out or your benefit year ends. Since you mentioned having reduced payments for two weeks due to part-time work, that's likely why you still have a balance. The system should let you file next week if you're eligible. Worth trying since your benefit year doesn't end until 2/9/2025!

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago and can confirm what others have said about partial payments making a difference! Since you mentioned having reduced payments for those two weeks when you worked part-time, you should definitely be able to collect your remaining balance. The PA UC system basically treats those partial payment weeks differently than full payment weeks, so you haven't actually used up your full 26 weeks of benefits yet. I was able to file for 3 additional weeks after my "26th" payment because I had several partial weeks earlier in my claim. Just make sure to file before your benefit year ends on 2/9/2025 - after that date you won't be able to access any remaining funds regardless of your balance. Good luck!

Just went through this exact situation! I had the same confusion about the 26-week limit vs remaining balance. Here's what I learned: PA UC operates on BOTH a week limit AND a benefit year limit, but partial payment weeks don't count as "full weeks" toward your 26-week maximum. Since you mentioned having two weeks with reduced payments due to part-time work, those likely don't count as full weeks, which is why you still have that $420 balance available. The system should absolutely let you file next Sunday since you're still within your benefit year (ends 2/9/2025) and haven't exhausted your true benefit entitlement. I was able to collect my remaining balance in a similar situation. Just make sure to file before 2/9 - after that date you lose access to any leftover funds regardless. The PA UC system can be really confusing about this stuff, but you should be good to go for that 27th payment!

Based on everyone's responses here, it sounds like you should definitely be able to get that 27th payment! The key detail is that you had two weeks with partial payments due to part-time work - those don't count as "full weeks" toward your 26-week maximum, which explains why you still have $420 left in your balance. As long as you file before your benefit year ends on 2/9/2025, the system should allow you to claim that remaining money. I've seen several people in similar situations successfully collect their leftover balance when they had partial payment weeks earlier in their claim. The PA UC system is definitely confusing about this stuff, but it sounds like you're in good shape to get that final payment! Just make sure to file this Sunday to be safe.

I just went through this same situation a few weeks ago and can confirm what several others have mentioned - since you had those two partial payment weeks due to part-time work, you should absolutely be able to collect that remaining $420! Those partial weeks don't count toward your full 26-week limit, which is exactly why you still have money left in your balance. I was in almost the identical situation (had $380 remaining after my "26th" payment) and was able to file for two more weeks until my balance was exhausted. The key is filing before your benefit year ends on 2/9/2025 - after that date you lose access to any leftover funds no matter what. Go ahead and file this Sunday with confidence, the system should definitely let you through. PA UC is so confusing about explaining this stuff, but you're totally entitled to that money since you haven't truly exhausted your full benefit weeks yet!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually facing a similar situation right now - I'm at 24 weeks and still have about $800 left in my balance, but I had 3 weeks where I worked part-time and got reduced payments. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like I should be able to collect my remaining balance even after hitting my "26th" payment since those partial weeks don't count toward the full benefit limit. The PA UC system really needs to do a better job explaining this on their website - it's so stressful not knowing if you can access money that's literally sitting in your account! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially those who went through the exact same situation. It's reassuring to know the system will let you file as long as you're within your benefit year and haven't truly exhausted your full 26 weeks of benefits.