PA UC claim filing after mid-week layoff - login problems delayed my initial claim

Yes, you need to report the partial week of work. When filing your initial claim, you'll be asked about your last day worked and earnings for that week. Report exactly what you earned Monday-Wednesday before being laid off. The system is designed to handle partial weeks of unemployment. Just be accurate about your last day worked (Wednesday) and your earnings for those 3 days. Your benefit week in PA runs Sunday-Saturday, so you'll be considered partially unemployed for that week.

Thanks for explaining! So I won't get denied just because I worked part of that week? And do I need to do anything special about the fact that I couldn't file until several days after being laid off?

same thing happened 2 me last year, just put down the exact day u stopped working and how much u made that week. no big deal, they handle this all the time

That's really reassuring to hear. I was so worried I'd mess something up and delay my benefits even more.

The EXACT SAME THING happened to me back in October!! They make this system IMPOSSIBLE to navigate!! I couldn't log in for almost a WEEK after being let go. Then they had the NERVE to question why I didn't file immediately?? The whole PA unemployment system is designed to FRUSTRATE people so they give up!!!! I spent HOURS trying to talk to an actual person. Keep calling and don't give up!!

This is why I keep all my login info written down somewhere safe. Makes the whole process easier when you suddenly need to file.

When I got laid off mid-week last year, I had trouble with this too. For the initial application, you need to report your last day worked (Wednesday) and the earnings for the days you worked that week. Then for your weekly certifications, you'll start with the week containing your layoff date. That first week will be partial benefits based on what you earned Mon-Wed. Don't worry about the login delay - that happens to everyone and won't affect your claim. As long as you file within the first two weeks after losing your job, you're fine.

This is super clear - thank you! I was definitely overthinking this whole situation. One more question though - for that first partial week, do I still need to report job searches even though I was only unemployed for part of the week?

For anyone struggling to reach PA UC by phone to get help with these kinds of filing questions, I found a service called Claimyr that really helped me. They get you through to an actual claims rep instead of dealing with busy signals and disconnections. Their website is claimyr.com and you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Saved me days of frustration when I had a similar mid-week layoff situation and needed clarification on my filing dates.

does this actually work? i spent like 3 hrs yesterday just trying to get past the busy signal

Yes, it definitely worked for me. I was skeptical at first but I got through to someone in about 20 minutes after trying for days on my own.

I think what's confusing you is the benefit week structure. PA UC benefit weeks always run Sunday-Saturday. So if you were laid off on a Wednesday, you worked 3 days of that benefit week and were unemployed for 3 days (Thurs-Sat). Just be truthful about your last day worked and the exact amount you earned that week. For the job search question - yes, technically you should report any job search activities for that partial week, but PA UC understands when you've just been laid off you might not have search activities immediately. Focus on having your search activities for your first FULL week of unemployment.

Thank you so much for explaining this clearly! The job search requirement was stressing me out since I'd only been unemployed for a few days that first week. This makes much more sense.

my cousin had something sorta like this happen but it was cuz he got sick and missed work and then got fired when he came back, totally different i guess lol but unemployment is always a pain no matter what

Regarding your question about job searches during a partial week - PA requires you to make

This helps a ton! I updated my LinkedIn and looked at a couple job boards the day after being laid off, so I'll document those. Thanks for all the great advice - feeling much more confident about filing now.

Just went through this exact same situation a few months ago! The key thing to remember is that PA UC is actually pretty straightforward once you understand the weekly structure. Since you were laid off Wednesday, you'll report that as your last day worked and include your Mon-Wed earnings for that benefit week. The login delays are unfortunately super common - I had the same issue and it didn't affect my claim at all. The system automatically calculates your partial week benefits based on what you earned versus what you would have earned for the full week. Don't stress too much about the timing of when you filed - as long as it's within a reasonable timeframe (which yours definitely is), you'll be fine. The most important thing is being accurate about your last work day and earnings.