When to stop filing PA unemployment after job offer with pending background check?
Hi everyone! I just received a job offer yesterday (yay!) but it's contingent on passing a background check and drug screening. My potential start date is about 3 weeks away IF everything goes smoothly. My question is - do I continue filing my weekly PA UC claims during this period? I don't want to commit fraud by collecting benefits when I shouldn't, but I also don't want to stop filing and then have this job fall through for some reason. Anyone know what the proper protocol is? My bills are tight and I'm anxious about making the wrong decision here.
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Ingrid Larsson
Congrats on the job offer! The official rule is that you should continue filing your weekly claims until your first day of work. A contingent offer isn't the same as employment yet. When filing your weekly certification, you'll answer 'no' to the question about whether you worked or earned wages that week. Just make sure to report your first day of work accurately when it happens.
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Tyrone Johnson
•Thank you! So even though I've accepted the offer, since I haven't actually started working yet, I can continue to claim? That makes sense. I appreciate the help!
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Carlos Mendoza
def keep filing!!!! so many things can go wrong with background checks n stuff. my cousin had a job lined up but then they rescinded the offer cuz of a misdemeanor from like 10 yrs ago. dont stop filing til ur first actual payday
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Tyrone Johnson
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about! I don't have anything on my record, but you just never know with these things. Thanks for the advice.
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Zainab Mahmoud
I would be very careful about this. I got an overpayment notice for $2,800 because I kept filing after I got a job offer but before I started. The UC office said I should have stopped filing as soon as I accepted the job. I've been fighting it for months!!!
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Ingrid Larsson
•That's not correct according to PA UC rules. You're eligible until you're actually earning wages. A job offer alone doesn't disqualify you. You might want to appeal that decision with documentation showing your actual start date versus when you accepted the offer.
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Ava Williams
I went through this exact situation last year. The rule is you should continue filing until you actually start working. However, you MUST report the job offer in the 'other information' section when you file your weekly claim. Specifically mention it's a contingent offer with the expected start date. This covers you legally while still allowing you to receive benefits until you're actually earning wages.
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Tyrone Johnson
•This is super helpful! I didn't know about the 'other information' section. I'll definitely do that with my next claim. Thanks for the specific advice!
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Raj Gupta
Hey, if you're trying to contact the UC office about this, don't waste hours on hold. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me through to a PA UC agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Saved me so much frustration when I had questions about my eligibility status changing.
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Lena Müller
•does that actually work? i been calling for 3 days straight and cant get thru...
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Raj Gupta
•Yes, it definitely worked for me! I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying for a week with no luck. They connected me with an actual UC rep who answered all my questions about my changing employment status.
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TechNinja
Make sure WHEN U START WORKING that u put the EXACT start date on your weekly certification!!! The system will flag inconsistencies and then ur claims get locked and it's a NIGHTMARE to fix. Happened to me. Took 6 weeks to resolve!!!
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Tyrone Johnson
•Good to know - I'll make sure to be super accurate with the dates. Thanks for the warning!
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Zainab Mahmoud
Another thing to consider is your job search requirements don't change until you actually start working. So keep doing your 2 work search activities each week and documenting them.
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Tyrone Johnson
•That's a really good point I hadn't thought about. I'll keep up with my work search activities until I actually start the new job.
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Ava Williams
Just to add one more thing - when you do start working, file your final claim for the partial week (if applicable). Report any earnings for that week. Then after that, simply stop filing claims - you don't need to formally close your benefit year. If something happens with the new job within the same benefit year, you can restart your claim by filing again.
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Tyrone Johnson
•This is great advice! So if I start on a Wednesday, I can claim for Sunday-Tuesday of that week, report zero earnings for those days, and then stop filing after that. Super helpful, thank you!
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