PA UC claiming I have a new employer - but I don't have a job offer yet?!

same thing happened 2 me last month! turned out some company i interviewed with accidently reported to UC that i was hired when they actually hired someone with almost the same name. took me 3 weeks to get it fixed tho

This is definitely a case of mistaken identity or incorrect reporting. You need to appeal this immediately - you only have 15 days from the date of the determination to file your appeal. Go to your dashboard and look for the "Appeal" option under the determination. In your appeal, clearly state that you have not accepted any employment offers and request information about which employer submitted this information. In the meantime, you should continue filing your weekly certifications even while the appeal is pending. If your appeal is successful (which it should be if you truly haven't started working), you'll receive back payments for any weeks you properly certified.

I tried calling PA UC for WEEKS about a similar issue and never got through!!!!!! Just busy signals or being on hold for 3+ hours and then getting disconnected. SO FRUSTRATING!!! The system is totally broken and they don't care about us at all!!!

This sounds like what happened to me in January. In my case, a company I interviewed with but never got an offer from somehow reported to UC that I was hired. I had to both appeal AND try to contact UC to explain the situation. Definitely file the appeal right away as @helpful_advisor suggested since there's a strict deadline. For the appeal, include any evidence showing you're still job searching - like emails confirming job applications or interview scheduling emails. As for finding out which employer reported you as hired, you'll need to speak with a UC representative. Unfortunately, reaching someone is extremely difficult through the regular phone lines. After struggling for days, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to a UC agent within about 30 minutes instead of trying for days. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Once I got through to UC, they were able to tell me which employer had reported me as hired, and I was able to contact that company's HR to fix the mistake. The whole issue was resolved in about 10 days after that.

The benefits were paused while my appeal was being processed, but once everything was sorted out, I received all the back payments for the weeks I had certified. Just make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while the appeal is pending - that's crucial for getting those back payments if your appeal is successful.

I had this happen to me too but in my situation a company I did freelance work for like 6 months ago suddenly reported me as an employee even tho I was just a 1099 contractor for them!!! I had to get the companys HR to send a letter to UC explaining I wasnt an employee. Make sure when you file the appeal you check if theres an option for a telephone hearing cuz that gets resolved faster than just waiting for them to review paperwork. And definitely do that claimyr thing the other person mentioned, my cousin used it and got through in like 20 min when he'd been trying for days.

Yeah I uploaded screenshots of emails showing i was a contractor and not an employee, plus I included my 1099 from them. If you have rejection emails from places or just emails showing youre still interviewing and not hired those might help too. Just upload anything you think shows youre still looking and not hired yet.

This happened to my daughter last year and it turned out that someone with a similar name got hired somewhere she had applied. The UC department mixed them up. But it took FOREVER to fix because of course no one answers the phones. The appeal process works but it's painfully slow. Definitely keep certifying each week though!

One additional suggestion - when you file your appeal, be very specific and request the following information: 1. The name of the employer who reported you as hired 2. The date they reported as your hire date 3. Any wage information they reported This will help you identify if it's a case of mistaken identity (similar name), incorrect reporting by a company you interviewed with, or potentially even identity theft (rare, but it happens). While waiting for your appeal to process, consider applying for emergency assistance through PA's Emergency Rental Assistance Program if you're concerned about making housing payments. It's a separate program but can help bridge the gap while your UC issue is being resolved.

btw when this happened to me i found out later it was a company i applied to online but never even got an interview with!! somehow they had my SSN from the application and reported me as hired when they meant to report someone else. such a mess

UPDATE: I used Claimyr this morning and actually got through to PA UC in about 25 minutes! The agent was really helpful - turns out a company I interviewed with last month accidentally reported me as hired when they meant to report another candidate. The agent put a note on my account and is sending the issue to a supervisor who will review and fix it. She said I should keep filing my weekly claims and should see the issue resolved within 7-10 business days. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help!!