PA UC claim FINALLY approved after 7 weeks with examiner - When will direct deposit arrive?
Just got the notification that my PA unemployment claim was approved after being stuck with an examiner for 7 weeks! Such a relief! My dashboard shows the approval status, but there's no transaction number yet. I have some immediate questions: 1. How long typically before the first direct deposit hits my account? 2. Will I receive all 7 weeks of backpay at once or will they stagger it? 3. Are taxes automatically withheld or did I mess up by not selecting that option somewhere? I'm literally checking my bank account every hour hoping to see something. Bills are seriously piling up after almost 2 months of waiting!
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Mason Lopez
Congratulations on finally getting approved! For your questions: 1. The first direct deposit usually takes 2-3 business days after approval, but could take up to 5 business days depending on your bank. 2. You should receive all 7 weeks of backpay at once as a lump sum. The PA UC system processes backpay together for approved claims. 3. Taxes depend on what you selected when you initially filed. You can check this by logging into your dashboard and looking at the "Tax Withholding" section. The standard withholding is 10% federal if you opted in. PA doesn't withhold state taxes automatically. Make sure your banking information is correct in the system. If there's any mistake there, it could delay payment further.
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Demi Lagos
•Thank you so much for the detailed info! I just checked and thankfully I did select tax withholding when I applied. That's a relief because I don't want a huge tax bill next year. This waiting game is killing me though! Every time my phone buzzes I'm hoping it's a bank notification.
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Vera Visnjic
congrats!! mine was similar took 8 weeks tho. got my money 4 days after approval. all at once. was like $5800 after taxes!! check ur bank account early mornings thats when mine hit around 6am
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Demi Lagos
•Thanks for sharing your experience! Wow, 4 days isn't too bad. I'll definitely be checking early in the morning. Did you notice the transaction number appear on your dashboard before the money showed up in your account?
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Jake Sinclair
I had a similar situation last year. Here's what you need to know - the transaction number usually appears in your dashboard about 24 hours before the direct deposit hits. If you don't see it by tomorrow, call UC to verify they have your correct banking information. Also, make sure you continue filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the back payments. Some people stop filing when they get approved, thinking the system will automatically process everything, but you need to keep certifying each week.
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Demi Lagos
•Oh, that's really good to know about the transaction number - I'll keep an eye out! And yes, I've been faithfully filing my weekly certifications even while waiting. I was afraid if I missed even one week it would mess everything up.
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Brielle Johnson
DONT GET EXCITED YET!!! my claim showed "approved" but then i couldnt get my money for ANOTHER 3 WEEKS because they had a "payment processing issue" they wouldnt explain!! kept calling and getting disconnected or waiting for HOURS!!! PA UC system is a NIGHTMARE designed to make people give up!!! hope ur luckier than me but dont count on it!!
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Demi Lagos
•Oh no, that sounds awful! Now I'm getting worried again. Did you ever figure out what the payment processing issue was? I really can't afford to wait another 3 weeks...
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Mason Lopez
•While payment delays can happen, what @system_critic experienced isn't typical. Most approved claims process within a week. If you're concerned, you can try calling the UC service center to confirm everything is on track with your payments.
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Honorah King
I had the same issue a few months ago waiting forever for my claim to be approved. After approval, I couldn't get through to anyone to check on my payment status. I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a PA UC agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days getting busy signals. Check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 and website claimyr.com It worked really well for me - the agent confirmed my payment was processing and told me exactly when to expect it. Gave me peace of mind rather than just staring at my bank account.
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Demi Lagos
•I hadn't heard of that service before! I might check that out if I don't see a transaction number in the next day or two. The uncertainty is what's killing me - just want to know when I can finally pay some bills!
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Vera Visnjic
•i used that service 2! saved me hours of redialing. agent told me my backpay was approved but stuck in payroll review. got fixed same day after i talked to them
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Oliver Brown
Mine took 9 business days to arrive after approval so don't stress if it doesn't come immediately. Also had a weird thing where half my backpay came 2 days before the other half for some reason. The system is weird sometimes.
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Demi Lagos
•Thanks for sharing your experience. The inconsistency in how they process payments is frustrating. I wish they'd just tell us exactly when to expect the money instead of leaving us hanging!
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Mary Bates
My cousin got approved last month and didn't get paid cause they had her old bank account still in the system even though she updated it! Make super sure your banking info is correct in your profile section!!!
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Demi Lagos
•Oh! Just checked and my banking info is correct, thankfully. But that would have been awful - thanks for the reminder to verify that!
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Mason Lopez
Quick update for you - most approved claims in 2025 are being processed within 48-72 hours if there are no issues with your banking information. If you don't see a transaction number by the end of business tomorrow, I would recommend contacting them to verify everything is moving forward correctly. Also, when you do receive your payment, check that the amount matches what you're expecting based on your weekly benefit amount plus the backpay for all those weeks. Sometimes the calculations can be off.
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Demi Lagos
•Great news! Just checked my dashboard this morning and there's a transaction number now! Says the payment was issued today, so hopefully it hits my account tomorrow or Monday. Thanks everyone for all your help and advice - made this stressful waiting period a little easier to handle!
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