PA UC partial payment calculation with 4-hour training before new job - will I get full benefit minus $80?
I finally landed a new job starting December 2nd (yay!), but they want me to come in for training on November 26th for 4 hours. They said I'll get paid $80 for the training. My weekly benefit amount is $605. I'm confused about how this affects my unemployment for that week. Will I get my full benefit amount minus the $80 I earn? Or is there some weird calculation PA uses? I need to budget carefully for that transition week and don't want to be caught short if I'm wrong about what I'll receive. Thanks for any help!
20 comments


Amelia Martinez
Congrats on the new job! PA UC has a specific formula for partial benefits. You don't just subtract dollar for dollar. The way it works is that 30% of your weekly benefit rate (WBR) is your "partial benefit credit" - this is what you can earn before reductions. Any earnings above that get subtracted from your WBR. So let's calculate: - Your WBR: $605 - 30% of $605 = $181.50 (your partial benefit credit) - Your earnings: $80 Since $80 is less than your partial benefit credit of $181.50, you will receive your FULL weekly benefit amount of $605. You don't lose anything!
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Jacob Lewis
•Oh wow, that's great! I had no idea I wouldn't lose any benefits. That's a huge relief for my budget. So basically I can earn up to $181.50 without it affecting my unemployment at all? That's much better than I expected.
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Ethan Clark
i got part time work last month while on uc and YES you can earn up to 30% of ur weekly amount without losing ANY benefits!!!! its called partial benefit credit
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Mila Walker
•That's not always true. If your part-time work required you to be unavailable for full-time work, you could be disqualified. Was your part-time job temporary or permanent? I got denied benefits because they said my part-time job meant I wasn't available for full-time employment!!!
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Logan Scott
Just make SURE you report those earnings correctly when you file your weekly certification for that week! I made the mistake of not reporting 2 hours of paid training last year and got hit with an overpayment notice 6 months later. Such a headache to deal with. They'll ask if you worked or earned any income - be sure to say YES and report the $80. But like others said, with your benefit amount being $605, this small amount of earnings won't affect your payment amount at all.
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Jacob Lewis
•That's a good reminder - I definitely don't want to deal with an overpayment! When I certify, should I enter the gross amount (before taxes) or the net amount that I actually receive?
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Chloe Green
u report GROSS earnings always! before taxes and everythign are taken out. dont forget
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Jacob Lewis
•Thanks for clarifying! I'll make sure to report the full $80 gross amount.
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Lucas Adams
I tried to reach the PA UC office for WEEKS when I had a similar situation with part-time work while on unemployment. Always busy signals or disconnects. Finally I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through in less than 1 hour after weeks of trying on my own. They have this demo video that shows exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 - saved me so much stress! The agent confirmed everything everyone's saying here about the 30% rule, plus gave me some tips for my specific situation.
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Chloe Green
•does it actually work? i been trying to call for 3 days now about my claim
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Harper Hill
Wait, I'm confused about something. Does the 4 hours of training mean you're technically employed starting on the 26th? Or is the official start date still December 2nd? Because I think that might affect things too - not just the earnings but whether you're considered employed that week or not.
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Amelia Martinez
•Good question. For PA UC purposes, working 4 hours in one day doesn't make you fully employed. What matters is whether OP is able and available to accept full-time work during the rest of that week. As long as the 4-hour training doesn't prevent availability for other work and is properly reported, it's treated as partial employment for that week.
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Jacob Lewis
Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I'm relieved to know I'll still get my full benefit that week. To clarify about the employment question - my official start date is December 2nd when I begin regular hours. The HR person described the November 26th training as just onboarding paperwork and basic safety training, not my actual employment start.
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Logan Scott
•Perfect, just make sure you report exactly that way when you do your weekly certification. Answer that you worked (yes), report the $80 gross earnings, and indicate you're still unemployed but have a definite recall date of December 2nd. You should be all set!
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Mila Walker
The UC system is so messed up! When I had a similar situation last year, they completely messed up my claim and I had to wait 6 WEEKS to get it fixed!!! The 30% rule isn't always applied correctly in their system. I would CALL THEM DIRECTLY before that week to confirm everything, otherwise you might end up with no money and bills to pay!
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Jacob Lewis
•Oh no, that sounds awful! Did you eventually get paid the correct amount after they fixed it? I'm wondering if I should try calling ahead of time like you suggested, but I've heard it's nearly impossible to get through.
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Amelia Martinez
To give you the complete picture, here's the exact PA UC partial benefit calculation: 1. They take 30% of your Weekly Benefit Rate (WBR) as your Partial Benefit Credit (PBC) 2. Subtract your gross earnings from your WBR 3. If the remainder is $5 or more, that's your partial benefit 4. If the remainder is less than $5, you get no benefit that week In your case: - WBR: $605 - PBC: $181.50 (30% of $605) - Earnings: $80 - Since $80 is less than your PBC, you get your full WBR of $605 One more important thing - when you start your job on December 2nd, make sure to report that you've returned to full-time work on your last weekly certification. This closes your claim properly.
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Jacob Lewis
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! And thanks for the reminder about reporting my return to full-time work. I'll make sure to do that on my final claim. This has been really helpful.
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Edison Estevez
Congratulations on landing the new job! Just wanted to add one more tip from my experience - make sure to keep documentation of that $80 payment (pay stub, direct deposit record, etc.) in case PA UC ever audits your claim later. I had to provide proof of earnings from 8 months prior when they did a random review of my case. Also, since you mentioned budgeting for the transition week, remember that your unemployment payment might come a day or two later than usual if their system flags the earnings report for manual review (even though it shouldn't affect your benefit amount). Better to plan for a slight delay just in case!
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A Man D Mortal
•That's excellent advice about keeping documentation! I hadn't thought about potential audits down the line. I'll definitely save any pay stub or deposit record from that training payment. And good point about the possible delay - I was planning to have that money available right on schedule, but I'll build in a buffer just in case their system needs manual review. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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