PA UC benefit year ending soon - when exactly can I reapply for a new claim?

You can file a new application the day after your benefit year ends. The system won't let you file earlier than that. You'll need employment information for the past 18 months, focusing especially on any work since your last claim began. Make sure you have your quarterly earnings ready - they'll use that to calculate your new benefit amount. You'll also need to go through ID.me verification again if you haven't done it in the past 12 months.

my benefit year ended last month and i waited til the EXACT day after and applied right away. still took almost 3 weeks to get my first payment on the new claim tho so be ready for that. they make u wait forever!!!!

I just went through this in February. You have to have enough wages in your new base year to qualify again. If you didn't work much since your last claim started, you might not qualify for a new regular UC claim. But don't panic! If that happens, they'll put you on PEUC... wait, no, that was during COVID. I think now they just extend your original claim somehow if you don't qualify for a new one? Anyone know for sure?

Important to note: even if you file the very first day you're eligible, expect a 2-3 week gap in payments while they process your new application. They'll likely set up a phone interview to verify your employment history since your last claim. Getting through to someone at PA UC to check on your status is nearly impossible with all the call volume they handle - I recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent. Saved me hours of busy signals when I had questions about my benefit year ending. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2

When my benefit year ended in January, I waited until exactly 12:01 AM the day after my BYE date and submitted my new application. Make sure you're ready with your employment details! I had to upload paystubs from my part-time job since they couldn't verify my wages automatically. First payment on new claim took 19 days to hit my Money Network card.

Update: I filed my new application yesterday (first day after my benefit year ended). The system let me complete everything, but now I'm showing an "open issue" on my dashboard. Is this normal? How long should I expect to wait? Really stressing about bills coming due in two weeks.

This whole year-end reapplication thing confused me too because I had like 8 weeks of benefits left when my year ended! Didn't make sense why I had to reapply when I still had benefits remaining, but apparently that's just how the system works. The benefit year is strictly calendar-based regardless of how many weeks you have left.

Final bit of advice: after you submit the new application, print or save a copy of your confirmation page. I've seen cases where applications seemed to disappear from the system, and having that confirmation number saved my claim from being delayed further. Also, check your dashboard daily - sometimes they post messages requesting additional information but don't notify you by email or text.