PA UC question: Reduced hours after FT promotion - when to file for partial benefits?

You'll want to file as soon as your hours are actually reduced, not before. In Pennsylvania, you can qualify for partial UC benefits if your hours are reduced through no fault of your own. The system will calculate your partial benefit based on your full-time wages minus what you're earning now. Make sure you have your pay stubs from your full-time employment to establish your base period wages correctly. When you file online, there will be a question asking if you're still working - answer yes and report your part-time earnings each week.

same thing happend to me last year!!! was working at a warehouse full time then they cut me to 15hrs and i got partial benefits. just make sure u report ALL earnings every week or they'll hit u wit an overpayment later trust me

Pennsylvania has a credit week requirement too. You need to have earned at least $116 per week for at least 18 weeks in your base year to qualify at all. And your hours need to be reduced enough that your weekly pay is less than your weekly benefit rate plus the partial benefit credit (which is 30% of your weekly benefit rate).

When my hours got cut, I couldn't get through to anyone at UC to answer my questions about partial benefits. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to a UC rep without waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. The rep was able to confirm I qualified for partial benefits and explain exactly how much I needed to report each week.

THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE YOU!!!! I bet they cut your hours just enough that you BARELY don't qualify! Happened to me and THREE other people I know. They'll make you jump through 50 hoops and then deny you anyway. Start looking for another full-time job NOW.

To answer your follow-up question - yes, wait until after the 20th when your hours are actually reduced. And regarding your promotion, it will matter for your benefit calculation. UC benefits are based on your highest quarter earnings in the base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters). If your promotion came with higher wages, that could potentially increase your benefit amount, but only if those higher wages fall within your base period. One more important thing: Pennsylvania requires you to complete weekly work search activities when collecting benefits. Even with partial benefits, you'll need to apply to at least two jobs and complete one work search activity each week.

took me about 3 weeks to get my first partial payment so def have some savings if u can! and ya gotta certify every week don't miss any!!

My cousin works at the unemployment office and she says they're backed up with claims right now because of seasonal layoffs. You might want to file right after your hours are cut so you get in the queue. Oh and my brother-in-law got partial unemployment last year when his factory cut everyone to 24 hours.

I filed my claim yesterday after my first reduced schedule week. The system asked if I was still working and I said yes, then entered my reduced earnings. It looks like my claim is processing, but now I have an "open issue" showing on my dashboard. Is this normal for partial claims? How long does it usually take to resolve?