PA UC payment calculation - does overtime affect my weekly benefit amount?

Yes, PA UC actually DOES factor in ALL earnings including overtime when calculating your weekly benefit amount (WBA). They look at your highest quarter earnings during your base year period. So all those extra hours you worked will count toward your benefit calculation. That's why you're getting the maximum amount, which is good news! Just make sure you're reporting any part-time work correctly going forward.

i went thru similar last year, my benefit was based on all my earnings including the OT. its all part of your wages that u paid UC tax on so it counts. dont stress about it

The determination is correct, but let me explain how PA calculates this so you understand better. They look at your highest quarter earnings in your base year (first 4 of last 5 completed calendar quarters before filing). Your Weekly Benefit Amount is about 50-55% of your average weekly wages during that highest quarter, up to the maximum. So yes, all that overtime boosted your highest quarter earnings significantly, which is why you're getting the maximum benefit. The system already factored this in - it's not a mistake. They won't come back and reduce your WBA unless there was some error in the wages your employer reported.

MY STORY EXACTLY!!! I worked tons of OT at my manufacturing job and was TERRIFIED about repayment. Called UC for THREE WEEKS straight and couldn't get thru to check if my benefits were calculated right. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to reach an agent - there's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 The agent confirmed that OT is 100% included in the calculation. All earnings that had UC tax taken out count toward your benefit calculation. So you're good!

I think everyone is missing something important here. PA uses your highest QUARTER earnings to calculate benefits, not your highest weekly earnings. So if your overtime was spread across multiple quarters, they might not all count the same way toward your benefit calculation. When did you work most of your overtime?

dont worry about it man. they take ur total earnings from the highest quarter and divide by 13 weeks then multiply by like 50% or something. my brother inlaw works construction and gets tons of overtime in summer and his unemployment in winter is always max out. its all legal. ur fine.

Thanks everyone for the responses! I feel much better now. I was so stressed thinking they might come after me for overpayment when I'm already struggling financially. Glad to know those extra 30-hour weekends actually helped my UC benefits!

One more thing to be aware of: while your overtime was beneficial for determining your benefit amount, remember that PA requires you to report ANY work and earnings each week when filing your bi-weekly claims. Even if you find part-time work with just a few hours, you must report those earnings, and they will reduce your weekly payment for that week accordingly. Failing to report work/earnings is the most common cause of overpayment notices.

Just wanted to add my experience since I was in a similar situation last year. I worked at a delivery company and picked up tons of overtime during peak season - sometimes 80+ hours a week for months. When I filed for UC after getting laid off, I was also worried about the calculation. Like everyone said, PA absolutely includes ALL your earnings when calculating benefits. What really helped me understand it was looking at my wage transcript on the PA UC website - it shows exactly what quarters they used and the total wages reported by your employer. All that overtime definitely counts in your favor! The key thing is they're not going to come back and recalculate unless there was an actual error in what your employer reported to the state. Since you got your determination letter, that calculation is locked in. You earned those higher benefits through all that hard work, so don't feel guilty about it.

Hey Declan! I went through this exact same worry when I filed last year. I was working crazy hours at my warehouse job too - sometimes pulling 12-hour shifts 6 days a week during busy season. When I got my determination letter showing max benefits, I was also paranoid they'd made a mistake. But everyone here is absolutely right - PA includes ALL your earnings when calculating your weekly benefit amount. That overtime you worked actually worked in your favor! The system automatically pulls all wage data that your employer reported to the state, and overtime is just part of your regular wages that had unemployment taxes withheld. I called the UC office multiple times to confirm this (took forever to get through), and they assured me that once your monetary determination is issued, that's your locked-in benefit amount based on the wage records they have. They don't randomly recalculate unless there's an actual reporting error from your employer. So relax and focus on your job search - those extra hours you put in actually helped secure you the maximum weekly benefit! Just make sure to keep reporting your work search activities and any part-time earnings going forward.

I'm actually going through something similar right now! Been laid off from my retail job where I was picking up tons of extra shifts during holiday season. Reading through all these responses is super reassuring - I was also worried that my overtime hours might cause issues with my UC calculation. It sounds like the consensus is that PA includes ALL earnings (regular + overtime) when determining your weekly benefit amount, which makes sense since they're all just wages that had unemployment tax taken out. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - definitely helps us newcomers understand how the system actually works instead of stressing about worst-case scenarios! @Declan glad you got this cleared up and are getting the max benefit. Those long hours finally paid off in a different way!