PA UC waiting week confusion - initial claim vs first weekly claim?

its the 1st week after u file ur claim. u dont get paid for that week but u still gotta file for it

The waiting week in PA is the first week you're eligible for benefits after filing your initial claim. You must file a weekly certification for this week even though you won't receive payment for it. It's essentially a "qualifying week" before benefits begin. In your case, if you filed on 4/12/2025, your waiting week would typically be the week ending 4/19/2025 (PA unemployment weeks run Sunday-Saturday). You'll need to file a weekly certification for this waiting week when the system allows you to, but won't receive payment for it. Then you'll file for the following week ending 4/26/2025 and should receive payment for that one if you meet all eligibility requirements. The waiting week requirement helps ensure you're actively seeking work and remain eligible before payments begin.

Why do they even have a waiting week?? So stupid to make people wait an extra week when they're already struggling after losing a job. Just another way for the state to save money on our backs!!

I recently went through this process and can confirm what others have said. Your waiting week is the first week you're eligible after filing your initial application. So for you, that would be the week ending 4/19/2025. One tip: don't miss filing for this waiting week! Even though you don't get paid for it, if you don't file for it, it will delay your future payments. The system needs to see you completed all the steps. Also, if you're having any trouble reaching PA UC to ask questions about this or anything else, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent after weeks of trying on my own. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Honestly saved me so much frustration when I had questions about my backdating request.

Everybody here is wrong! The waiting week isn't the first week after you apply! It's the week BEFORE you apply! That's why it's called "waiting" - you were waiting to apply! I got so confused by this too and had to call like 50 times to get it straightened out.

Make sure you also remember that even during your waiting week, you still need to complete and record your work search activities (applying to jobs, networking, etc.). You need at least 2 work search activities each week. The system might not prompt you specifically about this for the waiting week, but it's required and they can audit you later. I learned this the hard way and almost had an overpayment issue because I didn't realize the work search requirement applied to the waiting week too. Just wanted to save you that potential headache!

I just went through this whole process in March and I just want to point out that your financial determination letter is just step one. Make sure you're checking your dashboard for any "open issues" that could delay your payments even after the waiting week. I thought I was all set after getting my financial determination, but then had some identity verification thing pop up that took another 3 weeks to resolve!!

Just wanted to add one more thing that helped me - when you file for your waiting week, make sure to keep a screenshot or record of your confirmation number. PA's system sometimes has glitches and doesn't always show your filing history correctly. Having that confirmation number saved me when I had to prove I filed for my waiting week during a later review. Also, if you can, try to file early in the week (like Sunday evening) rather than waiting until the last minute on Saturday - the system tends to be less overloaded then.