PA UC benefits duration: 26 weeks or full benefit year? Confused about when it ends

Regular PA UC benefits last for up to 26 weeks in your benefit year (which is a 52-week period). Your benefit year starts the Sunday of the week you applied. You can collect for up to 26 weeks total during that year, but they don't have to be consecutive weeks. If you find temporary work and then get laid off again within your benefit year, you can resume collecting the remaining weeks you have left.

mine ran out after 6 months exactly!! but thats because i was claiming every single week without any breaks. if u work some weeks and dont claim then those weeks don't count against ur total

My benefits DEFINITELY didn't last a year!!! The system is RIGGED against working people. I got cut off after exactly 26 weeks even though my benefit year wasn't over and I STILL hadn't found work!! They don't care if you're homeless as long as they save money. The whole unemployment system is broken and they make the rules impossible to understand ON PURPOSE!!!

i got confused about this too when i first filed. my neighbor said you get a full year of benefits but thats not true. you get 26 weeks maximum but you have a year to use them up. thats what the "benefit year" means.

Just wanted to mention - when I was trying to figure all this out back in January, I couldn't get through to anyone at PA UC on the phone for days. I kept getting busy signals or would wait on hold forever only to get disconnected. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a rep in about 15 minutes who explained everything about my benefit duration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Was worth it to finally get accurate info directly from a UC agent instead of guessing or relying on friends who might be wrong.

one more thing!! make sure ur doing ur work search activities every week!! u need to do at least 2 per week or they can stop ur benefits even before the 26 weeks!!

To summarize everything clearly for your planning purposes: 1. Your benefit year is a 52-week period that started on the Sunday before you applied 2. Within that benefit year, you can receive a maximum of 26 weeks of benefits 3. If you find work and then become unemployed again within your benefit year, you can reopen your claim and collect your remaining weeks (if any) 4. Once you've used all 26 weeks OR your benefit year ends (whichever comes first), your benefits end 5. To qualify for a new benefit year, you'd need to work and earn enough qualifying wages after your current claim was filed And yes, the work search requirement is 2 valid activities per week. Document everything carefully!

When my benefits were running out in 2023, I applied for an extension but apparently those aren't available anymore unless there's a national emergency or high unemployment crisis. Just FYI in case you were counting on that possibility!