PA UC claim shows monetarily ineligible despite working in Philly while living in NJ - what's next?

same thing happened to me but opposite direction (live in PA work in NJ). u probably need to file in your residence state not work state. each state has diff rules for this idk why its so complicated

This is a common interstate issue. When you commute across state lines, you typically need to file in your STATE OF RESIDENCE (NJ), not your work state. This is because of something called the Interstate Agreement. Your wages from PA will be transferred to NJ through what's called a combined wage claim process. You should withdraw your PA claim and file in NJ immediately. Make sure to indicate on your NJ application that you worked in PA so they know to request your wage information.

I'm dealing with the EXACT same situation right now and it's a nightmare. Filed in PA because I work in Philly but live in Camden. Got denied for being "monetarily ineligible" then filed in NJ. Now NJ is taking FOREVER to process and keeps saying they're waiting on my wage info from PA. Been 6 weeks with no income and can't reach anyone on the phone at either state!!!! The system is BROKEN!!!!!

If you're having trouble reaching NJ unemployment by phone to sort this out, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. It helped me get through to an actual person at PA UC after weeks of busy signals. They have a system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. It was truly a lifesaver for me when I had a similar interstate issue.

This is actually more complicated than people are making it sound. The general rule is you file in your state of residence IF you performed some work there. But if you ONLY worked in PA and never worked in NJ, you may actually need to file an interstate claim THROUGH NJ but FOR PA benefits. You don't want to withdraw your PA claim until you're certain where you should file. I'd recommend calling NJ unemployment first to confirm how to proceed in your specific situation.

To clarify, if you've ONLY worked in PA (no work in NJ), then you should file an interstate claim with NJ (as your resident state), but you'll actually be claiming against your PA wages. This is why it's showing monetarily ineligible in PA - because as an out-of-state resident with no NJ wages, you need to go through the interstate process. NJ will serve as the "agent state" while PA will be the "liable state" (where your wages are). Contact NJ unemployment and specifically mention you need to file an interstate claim against your PA wages.

Just wanted to say good luck! I went through this whole mess last year (but NY/PA instead of NJ/PA) and it took about 8 weeks to sort out. Eventually got my money though! Hang in there!

My cousin works for unemployment in NJ and she told me they're way behind on processing interstate claims because their computer system is from like 1995 or something ridiculous. Just FYI - make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the monetary eligibility to get sorted out. That way when they finally approve you, you'll get all the back weeks paid.

Just a follow-up question - when you say your hours were cut "drastically," how many hours are you still working? For partial unemployment, most states require your hours to be reduced by at least 20%, and your current weekly earnings need to be less than your weekly benefit amount. Make sure you're actually eligible for partial before going through this whole interstate process.

With that significant reduction in hours, you should definitely qualify for partial benefits. Just to summarize what you need to do: 1. Contact NJ unemployment to file an interstate claim against your PA wages 2. Specifically mention you're a NJ resident who only worked in PA 3. Be prepared to provide all your PA employment information 4. Once your claim is accepted, file weekly claims with NJ 5. Be patient as interstate claims take longer (potentially 6-8 weeks) And keep detailed records of all your communications with both states' unemployment offices.