Expand AllClick here for a more accessible versionNo. If you are offered work by your employer and refuse to accept it, without good cause, you may no longer be eligible for UC. Determining whether there was good cause for a refusal of work is driven by the facts of each claimant’s circumstances. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, examples of good cause may include: an employer violating the Governor’s and Secretary of Health’s business closure orders and opening their business prematurely, or if a person is at high risk of complications from the virus and their employer cannot make reasonable accommodations for them. UC staff would review those specific reasons and make determinations based on the facts of their individual cases.
No. If you are offered work by your employer and refuse to accept it, even if it is at reduced hours, and your acceptance is without good cause, you may no longer be eligible for UC. Determining whether there was good cause for a refusal of work is driven by the facts of each claimant's circumstances. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, examples of good cause may include: an employer violating the Governor's and Secretary of Health's business closure orders and opening their business prematurely, or if a person is at high risk of complications from the virus and their employer cannot make reasonable accommodations for them. UC staff would review those specific reasons and make determinations based on the facts of their individual cases.
If you do return to work at reduced hours, and this results in a reduced weekly income compared to your weekly income prior to filing for UC, you may be eligible for partial UC plus an additional $300 in FPUC benefits per week.
Yes, if your employer violates the Governor’s and Secretary of Health’s business closure orders, you may refuse work and remain eligible for UC.
Yes. The fastest and easiest way is to file an initial claim online. After submitting your initial claim, you will receive a confirmation email with important details.
Effective March 16, 2020 through the remainder of the COVID-19 emergency declaration:
Work Search and Work Registration requirements are temporarily suspended for all UC claimants.
The Waiting Week requirement is also been temporarily suspended. This means that new claimants who are approved for UC benefits will receive payment for their first week of unemployment.
If you are currently employed but have been directed by a healthcare provider, medical professional or public official to isolate or quarantine, you may be eligible for UC. Follow the instructions above to file an initial claim.
Before returning to work, please consult the PA Department of Health guidance on home isolation or quarantine while awaiting laboratory results.
You may be eligible and should file an initial claim online.
Yes, you may be eligible. The fastest and easiest way is to file an initial claim online. After submitting your initial claim online, you will receive a confirmation email with important details.
Before returning to work, please consult the PA Department of Health guidance on home isolation or quarantine while awaiting laboratory results.You may be eligible for UC if you are no longer being paid and should file an initial claim online.
Individuals receiving paid leave are not considered unemployed, because unemployment requires both lack of full-time hours and a lack of full-time pay. If your place of work is still operating but you are unable to work due to COVID-19, talk to your employer about use of paid leave as opposed to filing for UC.
Please note:
Most paid leave will provide 100 percent of your usual pay, while unemployment benefits typically pay between 50 to 70 percent, depending on your circumstances.
Paid leave may be available immediately and allow you to keep receiving a paycheck; it typically takes two to four weeks to receive UC benefits.
You may file a UC claim if you know you will exhaust your paid leave. You must report all income received from any source, including paid leave.
Learn more about financial eligibility here.
If your employer offers you telework and you are able to perform that work, you are not eligible for UC. However, if the telework your employer offers results in a reduction of hours, you may be eligible for UC benefits.
A person who is not eligible for UC may be eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits as established under the CARES Act and extended by the Continued Assistance Act of 2020. PUA may provide benefits to an individual who is unable or unavailable to work due to their role as primary caregiver of a member of their household who cannot attend school or another care facility as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Learn more about PUA on our PUA FAQ page.
If you are not receiving pay or using employer-paid sick leave or time off, you may be eligible for UC benefits. You should file an initial claim online.
If you or your employer is unsure of your risk to COVID-19, the PA Department of Health has created a "risk assessment tool" to help businesses make decisions about operations and employee and customer safety during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Before returning to work, please consult the PA Department of Health guidance on home isolation or quarantine while awaiting laboratory results.
If you are out of work due to lack of work, you may be eligible for UC benefits. See "Am I eligible for UC if I am out of work because my employer closed (temporarily or otherwise) because of COVID-19?" for more information.
The following rules have been temporarily suspended due to Governor Tom Wolf's emergency declaration to make it easier to file for UC benefits:
The Work Search and Waiting Week will continue to be suspended for the remainder of the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration.
Governor Wolf temporarily suspended the work registration and work search requirements for UC benefit eligibility. If you are required to attend a Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment session, you may attend the session virtually. You should continue to file your bi-weekly claims.
Please see L&I's Workers' Compensation information to learn more. You can also learn more on our Workers' Compensation COVID-19 FAQs.
The amount of benefits paid out will depend on the benefit program(s) for which you are eligible. Regular UC benefits are based on your reported earnings during the base year (the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters). You must also have at least 18 credit weeks (weeks during which you earned $116 or more) in your base year to be eligible.
Click here to find out how to calculate your weekly benefit rate
Additionally, the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020, an expansion of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, provides for a temporary emergency increase in UC benefits, referred to as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program.
This program provides an eligible individual with $300 per week on top of the weekly benefit amount he or she receives from certain other UC programs. An individual must first be eligible for UC benefits to qualify for the additional $300 per week in benefits. FPUC benefits will be available for benefit weeks ending January 2, 2021 through benefit week ending March 13, 2021.
Learn more at the FPUC FAQs page.
If there are no eligibility issues, claimants typically receive their first UC payment within two to four weeks of filing their initial claim. After the initial payment, payments are typically made within two business days of a claimant filing their biweekly claim. Benefit payments are issued via a debit card provided by the UC office or through direct deposit.
Yes, you may be eligible for UC. Your weekly benefit amount is based on the total wages, including tips, reported by your employer in the base year (the first four of the last five calendar quarters).
Individuals applying for unemployment compensation benefits must be US citizens, lawful residents of the US, or have proper authorization to work in the US.
It depends upon whether your work is deemed essential and your potential medical risk. If you are in a population particularly susceptible to COVID-19 and are directed by a medical professional or government official to quarantine or self-isolate, you may be eligible for UC.
If you or your employer is unsure of your risk to COVID-19, the PA Department of Health has created a "risk assessment tool" to help businesses make decisions about operations and employee and customer safety during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Depending on your situation, your employer may be able to terminate your employment if you do not report to work as required by the employer. Employment in Pennsylvania is “at-will,” meaning your employer can terminate you for any reason unless you have a contract with your employer or you are a member of a union with a collective bargaining agreement. If you are a member of a union, contact your union representative for more information about the collective bargaining agreement under which you operate.
No. Individuals should file for UC the first week that their work hours are actually reduced. Under the PA UC Law, a week is any calendar week ending at midnight Saturday. Do not apply in anticipation of a layoff or furlough, because your claim may be denied or delayed.
Every naturalized or authorized worker MUST email or mail legible copies of the front and back of their Social Security Card and Employment (Work) Authorization Document within 14 calendar days to be eligible to receive benefits.
If sending the documents via email, please send to greencard@pa.gov with the email subject as: First & Last Name.
If mailing, please mail to:
651 Boas Street
Central Office, Room 625,
Attn: Jen M.
Harrisburg, PA 17121