PA UC holding ALL benefits because of my small Uber Eats earnings - two weeks without pay!

This happens ALL the time with gig work. The system flags it automatically because they need to verify you're still "able and available" for full-time work, not just doing gig work instead of looking for regular employment. I had the exact same issue in February with DoorDash - made $75 and they held my benefits for almost 3 weeks. You did the right thing by calling, but what worked for me was uploading documentation of the gig work (screenshots of my earnings) to my dashboard under the "Provide Additional Documentation" section. I also submitted three job applications that same day to show I was still actively searching.

omg same thing just happened to me!! i did ONE day of instacart, made like $49 and reported it. now going on 3 weeks with no payment and cant get anyone on the phone!!! this system SUCKS

The issue is that UC treats gig work as self-employment, which requires additional verification compared to standard W-2 employment. Here's what's happening: 1. When you report gig earnings, it triggers a review to ensure you're still eligible for benefits (available for full-time work) 2. You're correct that in PA you can earn up to $195 (30% of your weekly benefit) without reduction 3. However, they need to verify your actual hours worked and that you're not running a business The fastest resolution is to call again and specifically request an "earnings verification interview" - this is a shorter call with a claims examiner who can verify your gig earnings on the spot. Make sure you have your app earnings summary ready. Also submit your job search records to demonstrate you're still actively seeking full-time employment. You shouldn't be penalized for trying to supplement your income while job searching. The system is just slow to process these situations.

ughh they're SO STRICT about this!! but trust me YOU NEED TO KEEP CALLING. the online messages are useless. i kept getting disconnected trying to reach them about a similar issue. my friend told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got her through to PA UC in like 30 mins instead of calling for days. they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 - it basically calls for you and holds your place in line. that's how i finally got to talk to someone who could actually help with my uber driver income issue.

Quick update for you - I talked to someone at UC yesterday about a different issue and they mentioned they're having a specific backlog with gig work verification right now. Something about a new fraud prevention system that's flagging almost all gig work for manual review. The rep said uploading screenshots of your earnings in the dashboard AND specifically documenting your work hours in the "provide additional information" section can help speed things up. Make sure to note exactly what days/hours you worked so they can see you're still available for full-time work.

thy dont want u to work at all,,, its all about control. same thing happen to me with amazon flex. made $120 and they took away ALL benefits for 3 WEEKS!!! state is broke so they find any reason to not pay u. ITS ALL CORRUPT!!!

UPDATE: Finally got this resolved! Called again using the advice here and specifically asked for an "earnings verification interview" like someone suggested. Got transferred to a claims examiner who reviewed my Uber Eats earnings on the spot. She verified my hours (only 4.5 total for the week) and confirmed I'm still available for full-time work. All my held payments should be released within 48 hours! She also noted my account that future Uber Eats earnings under the threshold shouldn't trigger a hold as long as I keep documenting my work search efforts. Thanks everyone for your help!

Congrats on getting it resolved! This is such valuable info for others dealing with the same issue. I'm currently going through something similar with my Grubhub earnings - been waiting 12 days now for them to review a $95 week. Going to call tomorrow and specifically ask for that "earnings verification interview" you mentioned. Did they ask you for any specific documentation during the call, or was it just verbal verification of your hours and job search activities?

This is exactly why the gig economy and unemployment systems don't work well together! I'm dealing with something similar right now with my Shipt earnings. Made $67 last week and now I'm on day 8 of "pending review." The frustrating part is that we're literally trying to be responsible by working AND looking for full-time jobs, but the system treats us like we're trying to game it. I've been keeping detailed records of my job applications (submitted 5 last week alone) and only work gig jobs when I don't have interviews scheduled. Really glad to see you got yours resolved with the earnings verification interview - definitely going to try that approach when I call again today. It's ridiculous that we have to become experts in navigating their bureaucracy just to get the benefits we're entitled to while job searching.

Just wanted to add that I went through this exact same situation last month with my Amazon Flex earnings. Made $89 one week and they held my benefits for 16 days! What finally worked for me was not just calling, but also sending a message through the online portal explaining that I was only doing gig work to supplement income while actively job searching, and that I remained available for full-time employment. I included my work schedule (only worked 5 hours total that week) and mentioned that I had applied to 8 jobs that same week. The combination of the online message plus calling and requesting the earnings verification interview got it resolved much faster. Also, pro tip - if you're doing gig work, try to keep it under 10-15 hours per week and document everything. They seem to be more concerned about people who might be treating gig work as their primary income source rather than temporary supplemental income while job hunting.

Wow, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now with my Lyft earnings. Made $94 last week and reported it honestly, and now I'm on day 6 of "pending review" with no communication from PA UC about when it might be resolved. It's so frustrating because like everyone else here, I'm actively job searching (applied to 9 positions last week alone) and only doing rideshare to pay for gas and groceries while I look for full-time work. The fact that trying to be responsible and earn a little money while job hunting actually causes MORE problems with the system is just backwards. I'm definitely going to call tomorrow and specifically ask for an "earnings verification interview" - thanks to everyone who shared that tip! It's ridiculous that we have to become experts in their internal processes just to get our benefits released. Grace, so glad you got yours resolved - gives me hope that mine will get sorted out too!