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PA UC partial claim question - can I file for last week if I worked a few days as a casual employee?

Hey everyone, I'm in a weird spot with my PA unemployment. I work as a casual employee (basically on-call) at a warehouse, and last week I only got called in for 3 days. My UC claim recently expired, so I had to reopen it, but now the system says I can't file until Sunday 3/2. What I'm confused about is whether I can still file for LAST week (the partial week where I only worked 3 days) when I'm allowed to file again this Sunday? Or did I miss my chance to claim those partial benefits? This casual work situation is confusing with UC and I don't want to mess anything up or leave money on the table. Thanks for any help!

Yes, you can file for the previous week when the system allows you to file on Sunday 3/2. The PA UC system lets you claim benefits for the prior week when you do your weekly certification. You'll need to report the exact earnings from those 3 days you worked, so make sure you have that info ready. Also, be careful with your reporting - if you earned over a certain amount during those 3 days, it might reduce your weekly benefit amount or make you ineligible for that specific week.

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Thank you! That's a relief. I was worried I'd completely miss out on claiming for those days I didn't work. I have my pay stub so I know exactly what I earned. Do you know if I need to do anything special since it was a reopened claim? Or just file normally?

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Melissa Lin

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when i reopened my claim last yr it was super confusing becuase they ask about all your employers and stuff. just make sure you report every penny you earned those 3 days or they might hit you with an overpayment later and thats a NIGHTMARE trust me lol

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Thanks for the warning! I'll definitely report everything accurately. Did you have to wait until the following Sunday to file too? It just seems weird that I can't file right away after reopening.

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Let me clarify how this works with PA UC for casual/part-time employment: 1. When you reopen a claim, the system always sets you up to file on the next available Sunday for the previous week 2. This is normal and doesn't mean you've lost the ability to claim for last week 3. When filing on 3/2, you'll be claiming for the week ending 2/29 4. You'll need to report your gross earnings (before taxes) for those 3 days 5. PA has a partial benefit credit - you can earn up to 30% of your weekly benefit amount without reduction 6. Earnings over that 30% threshold will reduce your benefit dollar-for-dollar You're doing everything correctly so far. Just wait until Sunday, file for last week, and accurately report those 3 days of work.

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This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I think I understand now - the system is designed to always be filing for the previous week, so Sunday's filing will cover last week automatically. I'll make sure I have my exact earnings ready.

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Romeo Quest

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OMG i had the EXACT same problem!!!!! it's so annoying how they make everything so complicated. why can't they just let us file when we need to? i ended up getting my partial payment but it took FOREVER to show up on my card.

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Val Rossi

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The system is designed to have everyone file on specific days to manage the load on their servers. It's not ideal, but there's a method to the madness. I think they also use that week to process your reopened claim in their system.

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Eve Freeman

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I don't think you can file for last week actually. When you reopen a claim it starts with the current week not the previous one. At least that's what happened to me last time. I lost a week of benefits because of the reopening process. Might want to call and double check.

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This is incorrect information. When you reopen a claim and file on Sunday, you ARE filing for the previous week (Sunday-Saturday). The PA UC system is always filing for the week that just ended. The OP will not lose any eligible weeks by following the normal filing schedule.

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If you're really worried about this, you might want to try calling the UC service center directly to confirm. I know it's nearly impossible to get through to them on the phone (I spent 3 hours last week trying), but I recently found a service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a rep in about 20 minutes. Costs a bit but saved me so much frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 and their website is claimyr.com. For something time-sensitive like making sure you don't miss filing for a week, it might be worth it.

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Thanks for the suggestion. I might try that if I run into problems when I file on Sunday. Did you actually use this service yourself? Was it pretty straightforward?

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Clarissa Flair

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Yes, I used it last month when I had an issue with my benefit payment being delayed. It was super easy - I just went to their site, followed the instructions, and they called me back when they had a UC rep on the line. Saved me days of frustration.

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Val Rossi

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Here's what will happen: This Sunday (3/2), the system will let you file for the week ending 2/29. You'll report your work and earnings for those 3 days, and the system will calculate if you're eligible for a partial benefit. Make sure you answer the work search questions correctly too - you still need to complete your work search activities even for weeks you worked partially.

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Thank you! I almost forgot about the work search activities. Since I only worked 3 days, I still need to do my work search for the other days, right? Is it still 2 activities for the week even if I worked part of it?

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Val Rossi

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Exactly right - you still need to complete and document your 2 work search activities for the week, even though you worked partially. PA requires those activities regardless of how many days you worked, as long as you're claiming benefits for any part of that week.

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Melissa Lin

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They make this whole process way more confusing than it needs to be 🙄 especially for people with irregular work schedules like urs. good luck!!

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Tell me about it! The casual work arrangement is great for flexibility but makes UC so complicated. Thanks for the good wishes!

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One other thing to keep in mind: make sure you understand how your employer reports your work to the state. Sometimes with casual/on-call work, the reporting periods can be confusing. If possible, keep your own detailed records of exactly which days you worked and how much you earned each day. This will help if there's ever a discrepancy between what you report and what your employer reports to PA UC.

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That's a really good point. I'll start keeping better records of my work days. Do you think I should report based on when I actually worked or when I got paid? Sometimes those are different weeks.

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Effie Alexander

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Always report based on when you performed the work, not when you got paid. PA UC goes by when you earned the money (the days you actually worked), regardless of when the payment hit your bank account. This is a common source of confusion that can lead to overpayment issues later.

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