PA UC partial benefits question - starting new job this week

You can absolutely file for partial benefits! Your unemployment doesn't automatically end when you start working. When you file your weekly certification, you'll report the actual earnings for that week (so just Thursday and Friday in your case). The PA UC system will then calculate if you're eligible for a partial payment based on your earnings. Basically, you can earn up to 30% of your weekly benefit amount without reduction. After that, they reduce your benefit dollar-for-dollar for additional earnings. As long as you earn less than your weekly benefit amount plus that 30% (called the Partial Benefit Credit), you'll get something.

congrats on the new job!! just make sure u report ALL earnings even if u havent been paid yet. they go by when u WORKED not when u got paid. i messed that up once and had 2 pay everything back :

Your calculation looks close! The exact formula is: Weekly Benefit Amount - (Gross Wages - (Weekly Benefit Amount × 0.3)). If that result is positive, that's your partial benefit. Remember you still need to do your work search activities until you're working full-time (30+ hours/week). Even if you get $0 in benefits for a week because of your earnings, still file your weekly claim as it keeps your claim active in case your hours get reduced in the future.

The PA UC system is DESIGNED to be confusing!! I swear they make it complicated on purpose so people give up on claiming what they're owed. When I started part-time work last year they miscalculated my partial benefits for 3 WEEKS before fixing it. Had to call them like 50 times before I got through to someone who could help. The worst part is they'll wait months before telling you there's a problem then demand all the money back with interest!!!

To answer the question about why file if you don't get benefits that week - it's because it keeps your benefit year open. If your hours get reduced or you lose the job within your benefit year, you don't have to open a new claim, you can just resume filing. Plus, some weeks you might work less hours and qualify for some payment. It's always worth filing until you're consistently working full-time.

I went through the exact same thing! Started working part-time at Target while on unemployment last year. One thing nobody mentioned yet - if you're getting health insurance through your UC claim (the COBRA subsidy), filing partial claims even when you get $0 can help maintain that coverage too depending on your situation. Make sure to call and check on that if it applies to you. Also dont forget if ur working less than 30 hrs u still have to do the work search activities every week or they'll stop ur benefits!!!

One last tip - when you're entering your work information during the weekly certification, be super precise with your hours and pay. Round to the nearest dollar, not cent (PA UC system doesn't handle cents well for some reason). And if you have any issues with the calculation showing up wrong, take screenshots of everything before you submit. The system sometimes glitches with partial benefits calculations.