PA UC payment difference - staffing agency vs. school employee confusion affecting my benefit amount
Hi everyone, I'm in a weird situation with my PA unemployment benefits and could use some advice. I work through a staffing agency that places me in schools, but I don't actually get paid directly by the schools. When summer break started (June 2025), I reopened my UC claim. Here's where things got confusing: When I filed, the system initially showed I'd get $315/week in benefits. Then it changed to $265/week with a note saying they were deducting for school wages. Last month, I had to call about another issue, and the rep told me I should have answered "NO" to the question about working for a school, since I'm technically employed by the staffing agency, not the school itself. Now I'm wondering if I can appeal to get the higher benefit amount ($315 instead of $265)? That's $50 more per week which would really help. Would they backpay the difference for all the weeks I've been claiming at the lower rate? Has anyone dealt with this kind of situation before?
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CosmicCommander
same thing happnd to me last year! i work for a cleaning company that does schools and they reduced my benefit too. so annoying
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Amara Okafor
•Did you ever try to get it fixed? Or just accept the lower amount?
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Giovanni Colombo
Yes, you absolutely can appeal this. The key distinction here is who your actual employer of record is (the staffing agency) versus where you physically work (the schools). The PA UC system has specific rules about educational employees and reasonable assurance of returning to work, but those don't apply if your actual employer is a staffing agency. You need to call and specifically request an appeal of your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) determination. Explain that you incorrectly answered the question about school employment and that your actual employer is the staffing agency. Be prepared to provide documentation showing the staffing agency is your employer (like paystubs or your W-2). And yes, if your appeal is successful, they should issue back payments for the difference.
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Amara Okafor
•Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I'll gather my paystubs from the staffing agency to show they're my actual employer. Do you know how long the appeal process typically takes?
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
I've been tryng to call PA UC for THREE WEEKS about my own issue and CANNOT get through!!! Their phone system is a JOKE. Busy signal every single time or it just hangs up on me. This state's unemployment system is BROKEN!!!!!
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Dylan Cooper
•If you're struggling to get through to PA UC on the phone, I'd recommend using Claimyr to connect with an agent. It helped me get through after trying for days with no luck. The service calls the UC line for you and rings when an agent is available. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Their website is claimyr.com - it was honestly worth it for me to avoid the constant busy signals and hours of redialing.
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Sofia Ramirez
This is a common misunderstanding with the PA UC system. The real question you need to focus on is: who issues your paycheck? If it's the staffing agency, then they are your employer, not the school. Call PA UC and explain that you need to correct information on your initial application. Request a "reconsideration of WBA" based on incorrect information. Make sure to mention that you realized you answered the school employee question incorrectly after speaking with a representative. In my experience working with clients who've had similar issues, they typically resolve these within 2-3 weeks and yes, they should backdate the additional payments if your appeal is successful.
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Dmitry Volkov
•I had a similar situation but I worked directly for the school district through a grant program. Even though I wasn't a teacher or regular staff, UC still considered me a school employee and I couldn't get benefits during scheduled breaks. It's all about who signs your paycheck like they said above.
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StarSeeker
wait so do u get paid during summer or not? cuz if u have reasonable assurance of going back in fall u might not qualify anyway right?
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Giovanni Colombo
•That rule about reasonable assurance only applies if you're directly employed by an educational institution. Since OP works for a staffing agency (third-party vendor), different rules apply. The staffing agency is the employer of record, not the school, so OP should be eligible for their full benefit amount without the educational employee reduction.
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Amara Okafor
Update: I finally got through to PA UC yesterday! The agent confirmed I should have answered NO to the school employment question since I'm employed by the staffing agency. They're processing a correction to my WBA and said I should see the additional money (including back payments) within 1-2 weeks. Thanks everyone for your help!
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CosmicCommander
•awesome!! glad it worked out for u!
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Ava Martinez
i think they do this on purpose to save money...my brother went thru something similar with construction work at a university and they tried to say he was a school employee too but he wasnt
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Sofia Ramirez
•It's not intentionally deceptive, but the questions can be confusing. The system is designed to identify educational employees who have reasonable assurance of returning to work after scheduled breaks (like summer). Those individuals have different eligibility rules under PA UC law. The problem is that the question "Do you work for a school?" is ambiguous for contractors or staffing agency employees who physically work at schools but aren't employed by them.
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Ava Rodriguez
Great outcome! This is exactly why it's so important to understand the distinction between where you physically work versus who your actual employer is. For anyone else reading this thread who might be in a similar situation - always check your paystubs and tax documents to see who is listed as your employer. If it's a staffing agency, temp agency, or contractor company, then YOU are not a direct employee of the school/educational institution, even if that's where you perform your work duties. This distinction makes a huge difference in your UC eligibility and benefit amounts.
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