PA UC payment less than my weekly benefit amount - tax deductions or error?
I'm so confused about my PA unemployment payment. My weekly benefit amount is supposed to be $425, but when I checked my Money Network card today, the deposit was only $382.50. This is my third week of benefits and the first two payments were the full amount. Did anyone else experience this? Is this some kind of tax deduction I didn't authorize or a mistake by UC? Should I try calling them (ugh) or is there something obvious I'm missing here?
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Amina Bah
This is almost certainly due to tax withholding. The default is to withhold 10% federal tax from your payments. $425 minus 10% is $382.50. You probably didn't have withholding on your first two payments, but they've now processed your tax preference setting. You can check or change your tax withholding on your dashboard by logging into your PA UC account.
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Paolo Marino
•Thank you! That makes total sense. I do remember checking some tax box when I first applied but didn't realize it would kick in later. Is there any way to get back the money they withheld from this payment or is it just gone until tax time next year?
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Oliver Becker
same thing happened 2 me last month. its taxes. you can change it on the website but its actually better 2 keep it so u dont owe a bunch at tax time. trust me. learned that the hard way lol
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Natasha Petrova
ARE YOU SURE you didn't report some part-time work? Because they will REDUCE your payment if you earned ANY money during the week you claimed. That happened to me and I was SO CONFUSED!!!! I had forgotten I worked one shift at my sister's shop! Check your weekly certification to see if you accidentally reported earnings.
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Paolo Marino
•I'm positive I didn't work or report any earnings. I've been completely unemployed since the layoff. But good point, I'll double check my certification just to be sure.
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Javier Hernandez
There are three common reasons for a lower payment amount: 1. Federal tax withholding (10%) 2. Reported earnings for that week 3. Child support garnishment Based on your numbers ($425 to $382.50), this is exactly a 10% reduction, which strongly suggests federal tax withholding. You can verify this by checking your Payment History in your PA UC account - it will show the breakdown of deductions. If you want to change your tax withholding preference, go to your dashboard, select "Manage Tax Withholding" and make your selection. However, remember that if you don't withhold taxes now, you'll still owe them when you file your tax return next year.
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Paolo Marino
•Thank you for this detailed explanation! I just checked my payment history and you're right - it shows "Federal Tax Withholding: $42.50" as a deduction. I think I'll leave it as is so I don't have a tax bill later. I appreciate everyone's help!
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Emma Davis
When I was on unemployment last year they randomly started taking taxes out of my check too even though I never asked them to. I had to call to fix it which took FOREVER. I tried the website but kept getting errors.
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LunarLegend
•If you're having trouble getting through to PA UC on the phone, I highly recommend using Claimyr. It saved me hours of frustration by connecting me directly to an agent without the constant busy signals and disconnects. It worked perfectly when I needed to fix a tax withholding issue too. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 that shows how it works. I was speaking with a UC agent in under 20 minutes after trying for days on my own.
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Malik Jackson
hey this happened to me too actually my amount was different but the percentage was the same!! its definitely taxes like everyone is saying. you can change it on your dashboard but honestly I just keep it cuz tax time is painful enough without owing more lol
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Natasha Petrova
Does anyone know if you change the withholding back to NONE does it apply to the NEXT payment or does it take a couple weeks? Just curious because I'm thinking of changing mine too.
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Javier Hernandez
•Any tax withholding changes typically apply to your next payment after the change is processed. In most cases, if you make the change before you file your next weekly certification, it will apply to that upcoming payment. However, if you've already filed for the week, it will likely take effect the following week.
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Oliver Becker
i just remembered that on mine the first 2 payments were full amount then tax started on the 3rd payment. exactly like yours. i think its just how their system works for some reason
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Paolo Marino
•That's reassuring to hear! Seems like it's just their standard process then. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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