PA Unemployment Weekly Certification

You Must Certify Every Week to Get Paid

Pennsylvania requires you to submit a certification for each week you want unemployment benefits. No certification, no payment — even if you're otherwise fully eligible. This applies during your unpaid waiting week, during pending reviews, and during ID verification holds. If you miss a weekly claim, contact the UC Service Center or email [email protected] to request backdating; the service center decides whether to approve the request.

How to File Your Weekly Certification

You have two options:

Online at benefits.uc.pa.gov — available 24/7. Log into the UC Benefits System and select your weekly certification. The system covers one calendar week at a time (Sunday through Saturday).

By phone using the PAT system at 1-888-255-4728 (or 1-877-888-8104 for Spanish). PAT is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, including holidays.

File as soon as the certification window opens for your week. Late certifications may not be paid. If you miss the filing window, contact the UC Service Center to request a review or backdating; approval is not guaranteed.

What the Certification Asks

Each weekly certification walks through the same core eligibility questions:

1. Did you work? Report every hour of work performed during the certification week, including part-time, temporary, freelance, and gig work. Report traditional-employment earnings gross and self-employment earnings net for the week the work was performed — not the week you received the paycheck.

2. Were you able and available for work? If you were sick, traveling, or otherwise unavailable for any day during the week, you must disclose it. Being unavailable for the full week makes you ineligible for that week.

3. Did you refuse any job offers? Turning down suitable work without good cause can disqualify you for that week and potentially longer.

4. Did you receive other income? Report separation payments such as severance when you apply. Report holiday or vacation pay for the week in which the holiday or vacation occurs, and tell the state about pension payments when you apply.

The Gross Earnings Trap

For traditional employment, report gross pay before taxes and deductions. For self-employment, report net earnings after expenses. Pennsylvania uses the reported earnings to calculate your partial benefit credit.

Report wages for the week you worked, not when the check arrived. If you worked Monday through Wednesday and got paid the following Friday, those earnings belong to the week you worked.

What Happens if You Miss a Certification

A missed week creates a break in your claim. The week may not be paid, and your claim may go inactive if you miss multiple consecutive weeks. Contact the UC Service Center to request a review or backdating; approval is not guaranteed.

If you're dealing with a pending review or an ID.me hold, keep certifying anyway. The Department determines eligibility for each week after review.

The Pennsylvania Unemployment Claims Guide includes a certification calendar and earnings-reporting worksheet so you never miss a week or misreport your wages.

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