Will a PA UC overpayment from PUA affect eligibility for regular unemployment benefits?

they might hold ur payments until u agree to a repayment plan. happened to my cousin

This is a complicated question. In PA, PUA and regular UC are different programs, but both administered by the same department. An overpayment from one program can absolutely affect benefits from another. They may not outright deny you, but they will likely establish a recoupment where they withhold a percentage of your weekly benefits (usually 1/3) to pay back the overpayment. You have a couple options: 1. File an appeal if you just received the overpayment notice (15 day deadline) 2. Request a waiver if the overpayment wasn't your fault 3. Set up a repayment plan before filing for regular UC A lot depends on whether your overpayment was due to fraud or non-fraud reasons. Do you know which type they classified it as?

When I had this exact situation in January, I couldn't get through to anyone at UC for weeks. Every time I called, it was busy signals or getting disconnected after waiting for 2+ hours! I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. They explained that while they wouldn't deny my new claim, they would take 1/3 of each payment until the overpayment was resolved. The agent helped me submit a waiver request too. Check out their demo video if you're struggling to reach someone: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2

The system is RIGGED against us! I had a similar issue last year and they took 33% of every payment until my overpayment was paid back. NO NEGOTIATIONS! They don't care if you can't pay rent or buy food!!! And when I asked for a waiver they denied it even though the overpayment was THEIR MISTAKE not mine. Just warning you now - DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and take screenshots of all your communications with them. The PA UC system is designed to frustrate people so they give up. DON'T GIVE UP!

u should still file for reg uc asap even with the overpayment. dont wait

I was in the same boat about 8 months ago. Had a PUA overpayment from 2022 (mine was about $3,600) and then lost my job in April 2025. Here's what happened: 1. I was approved for regular UC 2. They started taking 1/3 of my weekly benefit to pay back the overpayment 3. I filed a waiver request showing financial hardship (had to provide bank statements, bills, etc.) 4. They APPROVED my waiver after about 6 weeks and I got back the money they had already recouped So my advice is to file for regular UC immediately, then immediately request an overpayment waiver based on financial hardship. You'll need to provide documentation that paying it back would cause significant hardship. In my case, I showed I couldn't pay rent if they took 33% of my benefits.

You have to call and request the overpayment waiver form (UC-482). They'll mail it to you, or sometimes they can email it. Make sure you attach as much documentation as possible showing financial hardship - bank statements showing low balance, bills, rent, utilities, etc. It takes time but it's worth it if they approve it!

One more thing to consider: if your current unemployment is with the same employer as when you received PUA, that might complicate things. But if it's a different employer, your case for waiver is stronger since it's a completely different claim. Also, make sure you're accurately reporting any part-time/gig work on your new claim to avoid creating another overpayment situation.

I went through something similar last year and want to echo what others have said - definitely file for regular UC right away, don't let the overpayment stop you. In my case, they approved my regular claim but did set up automatic deductions of about 33% from each payment to pay back the PUA overpayment. The key thing that helped me was requesting a hardship waiver immediately after filing. I had to show that the deductions would prevent me from paying for basic necessities like rent and food. It took about 2 months to get approved, but once they did, they stopped the deductions and even refunded what they had already taken. Also, since your overpayment notice just came last week, you still have time to appeal if you think it was issued in error. You have 15 days from the date on the notice. Even if you're not sure you'll win the appeal, filing it can sometimes buy you time while they review your case. Hang in there - the system is frustrating but there are options available to help with situations like this!