Surprise PA UC payment appeared in my bank account after years - should I be concerned?

same thing happened 2 my sister last month!! she got like $580 randomly. turns out it was some kinda backpay from when her claim was under review years ago. they finally processed something and just sent $ without telling her why. check ur dashboard on the UC portal, might explain it there

This is likely a retroactive payment from an unresolved issue on your previous claim. PA UC has been working through a backlog of claims with open issues from the COVID period, and sometimes they determine claimants were eligible for benefits they never received. Check your UC dashboard and also look for any mail from them explaining the adjustment. You absolutely want to verify where this came from, as it could affect your tax situation. If it's legitimate, you'll need to report it on next year's taxes.

OMG DONT SPEND IT!!!! The UC office makes TONS of mistakes with payments. My cousin got extra $ and spent it, then 6 months later they demanded it ALL back plus interest!! They said she should have known it wasn't hers! If they made a mistake they will want that money back and they WILL find you trust me!!!

I'd set that money aside and not touch it until you get official confirmation about what it's for. I once had something similar happen and it turned out they were adjusting my WBA after finding additional wages from a previous employer. But yeah don't spend it yet just to be safe.

If you're struggling to get through to PA UC on the phone (and who isn't?), I recently found a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent without waiting for hours. They basically call UC for you and then connect you when they reach an agent. Saved me so much frustration! Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. This might help you get answers faster than waiting for mail to arrive.

Based on what you're saying about seeing a "determination on appeal" notice, this is most likely a legitimate payment. During COVID, many claims had issues that weren't resolved until much later. The PA UC system sometimes automatically files appeals on your behalf for certain types of determinations, especially if there was a question about your eligibility that was initially denied but later approved upon review. Since this happened years ago, the interest has probably accumulated as well, which explains the amount.

cool! glad u got it figured out! UC is so confusing sometimes

Wow, what a relief that you got it sorted out! I was getting anxious just reading about your situation. It's crazy how long these wage investigations can take - over 3 years is insane. At least now you know it's legitimate money and you don't have to worry about them clawing it back later. Thanks for updating us with the resolution, it's really helpful for anyone else who might face something similar. And good tip about that Claimyr service, I'm definitely bookmarking that for future reference!

This is such a great outcome! I've been following your story and I'm so glad you got it resolved. Three years for a wage investigation is absolutely ridiculous, but at least PA UC came through in the end. I had a similar situation last year where I got a random deposit, but mine was only about $200. I was too scared to call and just let it sit in my account for months until I finally worked up the courage. Turns out it was also legitimate backpay from an employer wage report that came in late. It's reassuring to know that these surprise payments are usually legit and not some system error that'll come back to haunt us later. Thanks for sharing your experience - it'll definitely help others who find themselves in the same confusing situation!