Filing for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
PUA Claimants will be receiving their PUA benefit payments via paper checks for the foreseeable future as a precaution. The Notice of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Filed was mailed to all PUA claimants in the system due to our recent discovery of attempts by scammers using personal information obtained from sources other than L&I to apply for PUA.
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In general, PUA provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits, including those who have exhausted all rights to such benefits.
Individuals covered under PUA include the self-employed (e.g. independent contractors, gig economy workers, and workers for certain religious entities), those seeking part-time employment, individuals lacking sufficient work history, and those who otherwise do not qualify for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits.
To learn more about the PUA program, visit our
PUA FAQs.
For information about the PUA System, visit our
PUA System FAQs.
Filing an Initial Claim for PUA
Make sure to review the
PUA System Guide for helpful information on what to have ready to prepare for registering and filing your initial claim. You’ll also want to collect proof of earnings documents in advance. Acceptable documentation of wages can include but is not limited to:
- 2019 tax returns;
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your 2019 1099 form(s);
- paycheck stubs;
- bank receipts;
| - ledgers;
- contracts;
- invoices; and/or
- billing statements.
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You do NOT need a Personal Identification Number (PIN) with the PUA system, you will have the username and password that you create.
You will NOT receive a confirmation email after submitting your initial PUA claim, you can go into the PUA dashboard to see the claim.
You CAN manage everything through your PUA dashboard - check on your claim status, upload documents, see payment information, etc.
File for PUA
Filing your Weekly Certification for PUA Benefits
The PUA system is now accepting weekly certifications. The PUA system will backdate your weekly claim to when you first became unemployed, as reported by you when you entered your last day of work in your initial PUA claim.
You can refer to the
PUA System Guide, or we’ve created two helpful screenshot guides to help you through the process:
You need to file your PUA certifications WEEKLY to get paid. An unemployment week is Sunday through Saturday, so the first day you can file your weekly claim is on Sunday. You don’t have to file on Sunday – you can file your weekly claim any day Sunday through Friday.
After the first payment, you will receive weekly PUA payments typically within three business days after filing your weekly certification.
Please note: the PUA system's Financial Determinations include the wrong email address for our UC Appeals team, please email our team at
UCAppeals@pa.gov.
PUA Payments Screen & What it Means
For your weekly PUA payment, our PUA system is currently stating "Paid;" however, this truly means that the funds are in process and will be released to your bank account typically within three (3) business days. We are updating our system to state "Approved for Payment" to reduce confusion. Thank you for your patience as we continue to implement and improve our PUA system.
File PUA Weekly Certification
Our PUA phone line is now available. Call us at 855-284-8545 if you have issues with your PUA claim Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This phone line is for PUA claimants only. We will not be able to assist callers with regular UC questions.
If you have questions or need assistance, please email
UCPUA@pa.gov. This email address is for PUA questions only. Emails not related to PUA will not receive a response.