PA UC weekly filing confusion - filed initial claim by phone Thursday, do I file this Sunday or next?

I went through this exact situation last month! You should absolutely file your weekly certification THIS Sunday. The backdating just means they're counting your eligibility from last Sunday, but you still need to certify for that week. If you wait until next Sunday, you'll miss certifying for your first eligible week and might have to deal with the headache of filing for back weeks. The PA UC system expects you to file this Sunday for the previous week (the backdated period).

file this sunday!!! dont wait or you'll regret it trust me

The correct answer is that you should file your first weekly claim THIS Sunday. But I want to clarify something important - when you say "backdated to last Sunday" that means your BENEFIT WEEK runs Sunday-Saturday. So if they took your claim on Thursday, they're processing it for the benefit week that began the Sunday before your call. Make sure you log in to your dashboard at www.uc.pa.gov this Sunday and complete your first weekly certification. You'll need to report any earnings from that backdated week (last Sunday through Saturday). Don't worry about being confused - the PA UC system is notorious for being unclear about these timing issues.

I remember going through this weird timing stuff when I first filed. The whole system is confusing!! Just to add - make sure you have your PIN ready before Sunday. If you don't have it yet, you might need to wait for it in the mail before you can file your weekly claim. They don't make this clear when you file by phone sometimes.

The PA unemployment system is ABSOLUTE GARBAGE when it comes to explaining these things to people!!! I got so messed up when I first filed because no one explained this weekly filing timeline clearly. They expect everyone to just magically understand their confusing system. I ended up missing two weeks of payments because I didn't certify on time and then had to fight for weeks to get backpay. DEFINITELY file this Sunday - don't make my mistake!

To clarify about the PIN situation - when you filed by phone, they should have either given you a temporary PIN or told you one would arrive in the mail. You'll need this to access your account and file weekly claims. If you don't have your PIN by Sunday, you'll need to contact them. This is where a lot of people get stuck because getting through to PA UC by phone is nearly impossible. I would recommend trying Claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to an actual PA UC agent without waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 I used it when I had an issue with my PIN and got through in about 15 minutes instead of spending days trying to get past the busy signals.

One more thing that tripped me up when I first filed - make sure you're doing your weekly certification during the allowed hours. PA UC system is only available for filing from 6 AM to 11 PM on Sundays, and 6 AM to 9 PM Monday-Friday. I missed filing one week because I tried at midnight and the system was down.

Since you filed by phone, I wanted to follow up on your PIN question. Check your mail carefully - they typically send the PIN within 3-5 business days of your initial claim filing. If you don't receive it by Saturday, you have three options: 1. Try the online PIN reset feature at www.uc.pa.gov (but this sometimes only works if you already had a previous account) 2. Call the PIN reset automated line at 888-313-7284 3. If those don't work, you'll need to speak with an agent to get your PIN issued or reset And remember, once you start filing weekly claims, you must continue to file every week, even if your claim has issues or is under review. Missing weeks can create additional problems.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this recently - I also filed by phone on a Thursday and was confused about the timing. The agent I spoke with wasn't super clear either, but I did file that first Sunday and it worked out fine. One tip that helped me: when you do log in on Sunday, the system will show you exactly which week you're certifying for, so you'll be able to confirm it's the right timeframe. Also, keep notes of when you file each week - I started a simple calendar reminder because it's easy to lose track of the Sunday deadline when you're dealing with job searching stress. Good luck with everything! The first few weeks are always the most confusing but it gets easier once you get into the routine.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! Filed my initial claim on a Thursday and was totally confused about the timing. The agent I spoke with mentioned backdating but didn't really explain what that meant for my weekly filing schedule. You should definitely file THIS Sunday - don't wait! The backdating just means your benefit week started the previous Sunday, but you still need to certify for that week. I made the mistake of overthinking it and almost waited, but thankfully I found some posts here that convinced me to file on schedule. One thing that helped me was setting up a recurring Sunday reminder on my phone. The PA UC system is already confusing enough without missing deadlines on top of it. Also, make sure you have all your job search activities documented from the backdated week - they'll ask about that during certification. The first few weeks are definitely the hardest to navigate, but once you get into the rhythm it becomes much more manageable. Just stick to the Sunday schedule and you'll be fine!