PA UC first week claim confusion - was still employed + direct deposit showing as debit card

For your first question - the benefit week in PA runs Sunday through Saturday, so that's why it's showing 9/8-9/13. When you file your weekly certification, you'll need to report the wages you earned during that partial week. There should be a section where you can enter your gross earnings for that period. You're still eligible for partial benefits if your earnings were below your weekly benefit rate. For the payment method issue, there's a separate section to set up your payment preference under "Payment Information" or similar in your dashboard. PA UC switched to the Money Network cards as the default option, so you need to specifically verify your direct deposit info is complete. Double check all banking info is entered correctly.

i had same thing with the depoist method. u have to go to payment METHODS not payment options or whatever. its hidden in weird spot. took me like an hour 2 find it lol

Regarding your first week question: PA UC considers you "able and available" for work even on days you were working at your job. The question is asking if there was any reason you could NOT have worked if work had been available (like being sick, out of town, etc). So you should answer YES to being able and available. You'll need to report your earnings for that partial week, and they'll reduce your benefit amount accordingly. It's not fraud - the system is designed to handle partial weeks. The payment method sometimes displays incorrectly in the system but works correctly in processing. To be safe, go to Dashboard > Payments > Update Payment Method. You may need to re-enter your bank info there.

The UC website is TERRIBLE!!!! I had the EXACT same issue with direct deposit. The system defaulted to debit card even though I selected direct deposit. When I called to fix it, I was on hold for 3 HOURS before getting disconnected. Everyone I know has this problem!!!!

For that partial first week, when you certify, you'll see a question asking if you worked during the week. Answer Yes, then it will ask how much you earned (before taxes). Enter your gross pay for just those days. It will then calculate any partial benefit you might be eligible for. Pro tip: If your earnings that week exceed your Weekly Benefit Rate, you won't receive payment for that week, but you still need to file for it to establish your claim. Don't skip it!

Im confused why do u even have to file for that week at all??? Maybe just start with the next full week when u actually werent working?? Seems easier to me but idk

my friend just got layed off 2 she said wen u do that 1st week just tell them how much u made at ur job those days and answer yes to everything about being able to work. they just wanna make sure ur not tryin to double dip. the system is confusing tho i feel u

UPDATE: I found the direct deposit section! It was under Payment Information > Update Payment Method > Direct Deposit. You have to click through several screens to find it. My bank info was there but it wasn't "verified" yet. I had to re-enter it and complete an additional verification step. As for my first week, I'm going to report my earnings and answer yes to being able and available to work since that's what everyone is recommending. Thanks for all the help everyone!