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.

Congrats on finally getting approved! The waiting week thing caught me off guard too when I first filed. It's definitely frustrating to lose that money, especially when you're already dealing with the stress of being unemployed. I agree with everyone else that it feels unfair, but unfortunately it's just how the system works in PA. At least now you know what to expect and your regular weekly payments should come through without issues. Hope you find something soon!

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 going through the exact same thing right now! Just got approved after 5 weeks of waiting and saw that $0 for my first week. I was so confused and thought there was an error with my claim. Reading everyone's explanations about the waiting week being standard really helps - at least I know I didn't mess something up during the filing process. It's definitely frustrating to lose that money when you're already stressed about finances, but I'm just grateful to finally have the approval and backpay. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here!

Welcome to the club of confused first-time filers! I went through the exact same thing about 8 months ago - saw that $0 for the waiting week and immediately panicked thinking I'd done something wrong. It's honestly ridiculous that PA doesn't explain this better in their filing process or confirmation emails. Would save so many people from unnecessary stress! The waiting week policy is definitely one of those "gotchas" that hits you when you're already dealing with enough uncertainty from losing your job. At least you got through the approval process relatively quickly compared to some horror stories I've heard. Make sure to keep detailed records of all your work search activities moving forward - the state can be pretty strict about compliance checks. Congrats on getting approved and best of luck with the job hunt!

The waiting week is definitely one of those unpleasant surprises that hits you when you're already stressed about finances! I just went through this myself a few months ago and had the exact same reaction - saw that $0 and immediately thought something was wrong with my claim. It's frustrating that PA doesn't make this clearer upfront, but unfortunately it's just standard policy. The silver lining is that once you get past that first week, your payments should be consistent as long as you keep up with certifications and work search requirements. Congrats on finally getting approved after 6 weeks - that must be such a huge relief to see that backpay come through! Hope the job search goes well and you won't need the benefits for too much longer.

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 thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually in the process of filing my claim right now after getting laid off from my retail job last week. Had no idea about the waiting week policy until reading everyone's experiences here. It's honestly mind-blowing that PA doesn't mention this anywhere obvious during the application process - would have saved so many people from panicking when they see that $0! Question for those who've been through this - when you say you have to do work search activities, does applying through company websites count, or do you have to use specific job boards? And how detailed do the records need to be? I want to make sure I'm doing everything right from the start to avoid any issues down the road. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - this community is amazing for figuring out PA's confusing system!

Just went through this exact same situation a couple months ago! That $0 for the waiting week definitely threw me for a loop too - I spent hours on the phone trying to figure out if something was wrong with my claim. It's really frustrating that PA doesn't explain this policy clearly anywhere during the filing process. Would save so many people from unnecessary stress and confusion! For what it's worth, once you get past that waiting week, the weekly payments should come through consistently as long as you keep certifying and meeting the work search requirements. The system definitely has its quirks, but at least you made it through the approval process. Six weeks is rough but could have been worse based on some of the stories I've heard. Congrats on getting your backpay - that must be such a huge relief after going so long without income!

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!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just got my approval letter yesterday after 5 weeks of waiting, and when I saw that $0 for my first week I immediately thought something was wrong with my claim. Spent half the morning trying to figure out if I had messed up my application somehow. This thread has been so helpful in explaining that it's just the standard waiting week policy - wish PA made this clearer upfront! It's frustrating to lose that money when you're already dealing with the financial stress of unemployment, but at least now I know it's not an error. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here. The tip about keeping detailed work search records is especially helpful since I want to make sure I stay compliant from day one. Congrats on finally getting your backpay - that must be such a huge relief!

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 whole thread perfectly captures the frustration so many of us have experienced with PA's waiting week policy! I went through the exact same thing about 4 months ago - saw that $0 payment and immediately thought I had somehow screwed up my application. Spent an entire day researching and calling numbers trying to figure out what went wrong before finally learning it was just "normal." What really gets me is that this is such a predictable point of confusion for literally every first-time filer, yet PA does absolutely nothing to explain it clearly. It would take them 30 seconds to add a simple note during the certification process or in confirmation emails explaining "Your first week shows $0 due to PA's mandatory waiting week - this is normal and not an error." Instead, we all have to go through the same unnecessary stress and waste time trying to figure out if we messed something up. It's almost like they want people to be confused and potentially give up on their claims. Really glad this community exists to help people navigate these poorly explained policies! Congrats on getting through the approval process - 6 weeks is brutal but at least the backpay finally came through. Hope your job search goes well!