PA UC weekly filing with partial hours - orientation starts next week

congrats on the job! yes u need to report ANY hours worked on the weekly claim. doesnt matter if its just orientation or training

Congratulations on your new position! You absolutely need to report those 4 orientation hours when you file your weekly certification. PA UC requires reporting all work and earnings during the week you're claiming, even if it's just orientation or training. Your benefits will be reduced based on your partial earnings, but you'll likely still receive a partial payment. PA uses a formula where they deduct a percentage of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. Generally, as long as what you earn is less than your weekly benefit amount, you'll receive something. Make sure to answer "YES" to the question about working or earnings, enter the correct number of hours, and report the gross amount (before taxes) that you'll be paid for orientation, even if you haven't received the payment yet.

I started a new job last month and messed this up! I didn't report my 2-day training and got a letter saying I was overpaid and now I'm fighting with them about it. DEFINITELY report every single hour, even if it seems minor. They crosscheck with employer reports later.

You need to report any and all work hours and income when filing your weekly certification, including orientation and training hours. Report the gross pay (before taxes) for those hours during the week you actually worked them, even if you don't receive your first paycheck until later. As for how it affects your benefits - PA UC has a partial benefit credit formula. They'll deduct a portion of what you earn from your weekly benefit amount. The current formula allows you to keep the first 30% of your weekly benefit amount without reduction, then anything you earn above that is deducted dollar-for-dollar from your benefits. For example, if your weekly benefit amount is $400, you can earn up to $120 (30% of $400) with no reduction. If your orientation pays you $80, you'd still get your full $400. If it pays you $150, your benefit would be reduced by $30 (the amount over your partial benefit credit). When you start working full-time the following week, you'll likely no longer be eligible for benefits, but still file your final claim and report all hours/earnings so your claim closes properly.

UGH the PA unemployment system is RIDICULOUS with this stuff!! I had a similar situation last year and reported my training hours, but then they somehow lost that information and accused me of fraud SIX MONTHS LATER!!! Had to go through an entire appeal process just to prove I reported everything correctly. Make sure you SCREENSHOT everything when you submit your claim with those hours!!! The system is designed to trip people up I swear.

I was in this exact situation in January. Had 3 hours of orientation before starting my job. Here's what I did: 1. Reported YES to working during the week 2. Entered the employer information (had to add the new employer) 3. Reported the exact hours (3) and gross pay ($45) 4. Answered the availability questions honestly I still received my full benefit that week because the amount was under the partial benefit threshold. The following week when I started full-time, I just reported all my hours and that closed my claim automatically. One thing - if you have trouble reaching someone at UC for any questions (I did because my employer name wasn't showing up correctly), try using Claimyr.com to get through to an agent. Worked for me when I was stuck on hold forever. They have a quick demo video too: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2

When I started my new job I had a week with just 2 days of work and I still got partial benefits. Just make sure to answer the questions about being able and available to work correctly. If you say you're not available for full-time work because you have a job lined up, they might disqualify you for the whole week instead of just reducing your benefit based on the 4 hours. At least that's what happened to my cousin.

Wait I'm confused about something... if you already have a job lined up don't you have to report that to UC right away? Or is it only when you actually start working? Asking cause I might be in a similar boat soon 🤞

make sure u know when ur first payday is too cuz sometimes they ask about that when reporting a new employer

Update: I filed my weekly certification yesterday and reported my 4 hours of orientation plus the $58 gross pay. The system calculated everything automatically and I'm still getting a partial benefit payment of $382 instead of my usual $400. Pretty seamless process! Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice - I'll file one last certification next week when I start full-time to properly close out my claim.