PA UC question: No payment for waiting week after approval - is this normal?

Yes, the waiting week is standard in PA. Everyone has to serve one unpaid waiting week after filing an initial claim. It's basically a "deductible" week - you won't get paid for it, but you still have to certify for it. The good news is it only happens once per benefit year, so all your other weeks should pay normally as long as you meet all eligibility requirements.

congrats on getting approved!! took me 8 weeks to get mine approved last year so you got lucky with only 6 weeks wait lol

The waiting week is SUCH A SCAM!! They do this on purpose to save money. Think about it - every single person who files loses a whole week of benefits. With thousands of people filing every month, the state saves MILLIONS by not paying that first week. It's just another way the system screws over working people who paid into unemployment insurance their whole careers!!!!!

I went through this exact same situation back in November when I got laid off. The waiting week is definitely standard - every PA claimant has to serve one. BTW, if you had trouble reaching someone during those 6 weeks, for anyone else reading this who might be stuck waiting - I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual PA UC agent after trying for days with busy signals. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Got connected to a rep in about 30 minutes instead of spending days getting busy signals. The agent was able to clear the issue that was holding up my claim.

Actually during the height of Covid they temporarily waived the waiting week requirement, so some people who filed in 2020-2021 didn't have to serve one. But they brought it back in September 2021. So now everyone has to serve a waiting week again. Make sure you're meeting your work search requirements going forward (applying to at least 2 jobs and doing 1 work search activity each week) or you could lose benefits.

my brother had this happen to i think its just how they do it now. he said it used to be different years ago but idk. did u get your reliacard yet? that took like 2 extra weeks after my first payment to show up and i was so confused

When I got approved they told me the waiting week is like a "deductible" for unemployment. Every benefit year starts with one unpaid week. At least your backpay came through! I had to fight for 8 weeks to get mine because of an "open issue" that nobody would explain to me.

Just a tip - even though you don't get paid for the waiting week, it still counts toward your total eligible weeks in your benefit year. So if you're eligible for the maximum 26 weeks of benefits, you'll actually get paid for 25 weeks since the waiting week counts as 1 of your 26 weeks. Just something to keep in mind when planning your finances.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation - just got laid off last week and about to file for the first time. Had no idea about the waiting week policy until reading this. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and tips. The Claimyr service mentioned by @Alexander Zeus sounds super useful too. It's frustrating that we have to lose a week of benefits right when we need them most, but at least now I know what to expect when I file. Thanks for the heads up about the work search requirements too - definitely want to make sure I stay compliant from day one.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now - just got approved after 7 weeks of waiting and was completely confused when I saw that $0 for my first week. I actually called the UC hotline three times thinking there was an error with my claim before finding this discussion. It's honestly shocking that PA doesn't explain the waiting week policy anywhere obvious during the filing process. You'd think they'd at least mention it in the confirmation email or put a note next to that $0 payment explaining what it means. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - at least now I know I didn't mess up my application somehow. The whole system really does seem designed to confuse people. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge, especially about the work search requirements and that Claimyr service. This community is a lifesaver for navigating PA's unemployment maze!

This is such a helpful thread for understanding the waiting week policy! I'm currently dealing with my first UC claim after losing my job in a company restructure last month. Filed about 3 weeks ago and still waiting for approval, but this discussion has prepared me for what to expect with that unpaid first week. It's honestly ridiculous that PA doesn't explain this clearly during the application process - you'd think they'd at least put a disclaimer or FAQ section about it somewhere obvious. The fact that so many people are surprised by the $0 payment shows how poorly communicated this policy is. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and tips here, especially about keeping detailed work search records and that Claimyr service for getting through to agents. This community is invaluable for navigating PA's confusing system!

This thread is incredibly informative! I'm actually about to file my first UC claim after being laid off from my manufacturing job two weeks ago, and I had absolutely no idea about the waiting week policy until reading everyone's experiences here. It's honestly shocking that PA doesn't mention this anywhere obvious during the application process - you'd think they'd at least include it in their FAQ or put a note during filing that says "Note: Your first week will be unpaid due to state waiting week requirements" or something like that. Reading about everyone's confusion when seeing that $0 payment really drives home how poorly communicated this policy is. It seems like literally every first-time filer goes through the same panic thinking they messed something up! I'm definitely going to bookmark that Claimyr service info in case I need help getting through to an agent, and I'll start documenting my work search activities right away even before my claim gets approved. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and tips here - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating PA's confusing system. It's unfortunate that we have to rely on each other to figure out basic policies that the state should be explaining clearly upfront!

This thread has been such an eye-opener! I'm currently 3 weeks into my first UC claim after getting laid off from my office job, and I had no clue about the waiting week until reading everyone's experiences here. It's honestly mind-boggling that PA doesn't explain this basic policy anywhere during the filing process - would literally take them one sentence to add "Note: First week is unpaid waiting period" somewhere obvious. The fact that every single person here went through the exact same $0 panic shows how broken their communication is. I'm definitely saving that Claimyr info and already started keeping detailed work search records based on the advice here. Really appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge - this community fills in all the gaps that PA's system leaves wide open. Hope my approval comes through soon without too many headaches!

Just wanted to add my experience to this incredibly helpful thread! I'm currently going through my first UC claim after being laid off from my retail management position 4 weeks ago. Like everyone else here, I had absolutely no idea about the waiting week policy until stumbling across this discussion while researching why my friend mentioned getting $0 for her first week. It's honestly unbelievable that PA doesn't explain this anywhere obvious during the application process. Reading through everyone's stories of panicking when they saw that $0 payment really shows how universally confusing this policy is for first-time filers. You'd think after years of people having the same reaction, they'd add a simple disclaimer like "First week payment will be $0 due to mandatory waiting period" somewhere prominent. I'm still waiting for my approval but at least now I know what to expect and won't freak out when I see that unpaid first week. Also bookmarking that Claimyr service info and already started documenting my work search activities based on all the great advice here. This community is literally more helpful than PA's own website for understanding how their system actually works! Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and knowledge - you're saving so many people from unnecessary stress and confusion!

This thread is absolutely incredible! I'm dealing with my first UC claim right now after getting laid off from my healthcare admin job about 2 weeks ago, and I was completely clueless about the waiting week policy until reading everyone's experiences here. It's honestly shocking how PA just leaves people to figure this out on their own - literally every single person went through the same exact panic when seeing that $0! I haven't gotten my approval yet but at least now I won't have a heart attack when I see that unpaid first week. What really frustrates me is that this seems like such an easy fix for PA - just add ONE sentence during filing that says "Your first week will be unpaid due to state waiting week policy" and it would save thousands of people from unnecessary stress every month. Already started keeping detailed work search records based on all the advice here, and definitely saving that Claimyr contact info just in case. This community is honestly doing PA's job better than PA does! Thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge and helping newcomers like me understand what we're actually getting into with this system.

I'm in the exact same boat! Just got my approval yesterday after 4 weeks of waiting and was completely confused when I saw that $0 for my first week. I actually spent an hour on PA's website trying to find an explanation before stumbling across this thread. It's honestly ridiculous that they don't mention the waiting week policy anywhere obvious during the filing process - would save so many people from thinking they messed up their claim somehow. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - at least now I know I didn't do anything wrong and that $0 is just their standard (and poorly explained) policy. Really appreciate all the tips about work search requirements and that Claimyr service too. This community is definitely more helpful than PA's own resources for understanding how their system actually works! Congrats on finally getting your backpay - 6 weeks without income is brutal and I can only imagine the relief when it finally came through. Here's hoping we both find new jobs soon and won't need these benefits much longer!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I just started my claim process after being laid off from my customer service job last week, and I had absolutely no clue about the waiting week policy until reading everyone's experiences here. It's honestly crazy that PA doesn't explain this basic information anywhere during the application - you'd think they'd at least put a simple note that says "First week will show $0 payment due to mandatory waiting period" or something like that. Reading through all these stories of people panicking when they see that $0 really shows how broken PA's communication is. Every single person went through the exact same confusion! I'm definitely bookmarking that Claimyr service info and already started documenting my work search activities based on all the great advice here. Thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge - this community is literally more informative than PA's own website for understanding how their system actually works. At least now I'll be mentally prepared for that unpaid first week instead of freaking out thinking I messed up my application!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently dealing with my first UC claim after being laid off from my tech job about 3 weeks ago. I had absolutely no idea about the waiting week policy until reading everyone's experiences here - honestly thought I was going crazy when I heard about people getting $0 for their first week! It's really frustrating that PA doesn't explain this anywhere obvious during the filing process. You'd think they'd at least mention it in their confirmation emails or have a clear FAQ section about it. The fact that literally everyone here had the same panic reaction when seeing that $0 payment really shows how poorly communicated this policy is. I'm still waiting for my approval but at least now I know what to expect. Already started keeping detailed work search records and bookmarked that Claimyr service info just in case I need help reaching an agent. This community is honestly more informative than PA's official resources for understanding how their system actually works! Thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge and experiences - you're saving so many people from unnecessary stress and confusion. Hoping my approval comes through soon and that the rest of the process goes more smoothly than the initial filing!