PA UC for partial week work: Worth filing for 1-day shutdown + upcoming Fridays off?

Yes, he can absolutely file for partial unemployment in PA. Many people don't realize this, but UC benefits aren't just for when you're completely unemployed. The key is that for each week he works less than his full-time hours, he needs to report his actual earnings when filing his weekly certification. The system will then calculate a partial benefit if he qualifies. For the single Tuesday, it might not be worth it just for one day. But if the Fridays off are going to be ongoing, that's 20% of his income potentially lost each week, which is significant. The UC system will deduct a portion of what he earns from the benefit amount, but he could still get something to help offset the lost wages.

my cousin went thru this last year when his job cut fridays. he said it was definitly worth it cuz he got like $175 extra each week from UC even tho he was working 4 days. better than nothing! but the paperwork is annoying gotta do it every week

To answer your question about whether it's "worth it" - in PA, the partial benefit calculation works like this: 1. They take your weekly benefit rate (what you'd get if fully unemployed) 2. You can earn up to 30% of that without reduction (called the "partial benefit credit") 3. After that, they deduct dollar-for-dollar from your benefit So if his weekly benefit rate would be $600, he could earn up to $180 without any reduction. But working 4 days likely puts him over that threshold. For just one random day (the Tuesday), probably not worth the hassle. But for ongoing Fridays off, I'd recommend filing. Remember though - he must be available for work on those Fridays and actively seeking work to qualify. Also, there's a waiting week for the first week of benefits.

I went through EXACTLY this in 2024 when my company did 3-day work weeks for 2 months. The PA UC system is HORRIBLE to deal with!!! I spent HOURS on the phone trying to get through to explain my situation. They kept flagging my claim because the system isn't really set up well for partial unemployment even though it's supposed to handle it. BUT... I did eventually get paid and it was about $225/week which helped a lot during that time. So it WAS worth it, but be prepared for a NIGHTMARE of bureaucracy!!!!

I tried filing for just one day once and honestly it was such a headache that I wished I hadn't bothered. The system kept getting confused about why I was claiming just one day, then I had to do the work search activities which took more time than the benefit was worth. But that was just for ONE day - for ongoing Fridays, it might make more sense?

One important thing to note that many people don't realize: when filing for partial unemployment in PA, your husband will need to report his gross earnings (before taxes) for the week, not his net pay. Also, report the earnings for the week they were earned, not when he gets paid. For the work search requirements, he would need to complete at least two work search activities each week (applying for jobs, attending job fairs, etc.) and one "work registration" activity every two weeks. This is true even for partial unemployment. If the Friday shutdowns will be ongoing, filing would likely be worth it. Just make sure he's very accurate with reporting earnings to avoid any overpayment issues down the road.

my brother works at a factory that does this periodically. he said if its going to be more than 3 weeks of fridays off definately file. he gets about 40% of his daily wage for each friday from unemployment. but ya gotta do all that job search stuff which is annoying when u already have a job. good luck!

I went through something similar last year when my company had rolling shutdowns. One thing that helped me was keeping really detailed records of my hours and earnings each week - take photos of your pay stubs and write down exactly which days you worked. The PA UC system can be glitchy and sometimes they'll ask you to verify your earnings weeks later. Also, if you're doing the work search requirements, you can use things like updating your resume on job sites or attending virtual job fairs - it doesn't all have to be actual job applications. The Friday thing sounds like it'll be ongoing so I'd definitely file for that. The one Tuesday probably isn't worth the hassle unless you really need every dollar.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who dealt with this exact situation in PA last year. My husband's manufacturing job went to a 4-day schedule (no Fridays) for about 6 months, and filing for partial UC was definitely worth it. He got around $180/week which really helped cover the lost wages. A few tips that made the process smoother: - File your initial claim online on Sunday night or early Monday morning - the system is less busy then - For work search activities, I found that registering on PA CareerLink and updating his profile counted as one activity, and doing skills assessments on there counted as another - Keep a simple spreadsheet with dates worked and gross earnings for each week - makes the weekly certifications much faster The one-day Tuesday thing probably isn't worth the hassle, but if the Friday shutdowns are really going to be ongoing, I'd file ASAP since there's that waiting week. The key is being super consistent with reporting earnings accurately every week. Good luck!