How to file for unemployment in Pennsylvania
The online claim is usually the fastest way. Here is what to have ready, when your claim starts and what comes after you file.
All about unemployment in Pennsylvania
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Filing, step by step
Apply online at any time, day or night (fastest). You can also apply by phone at 1-888-313-7284, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. American Sign Language users can apply by videophone at 717-704-8474 on Wednesdays and Fridays, noon to 4 p.m. For in-person help, make a UC Connect appointment at a PA CareerLink office by calling 1-855-284-8545.
When to file and when your claim starts
Apply in the week you lose your job or your hours are cut. Your claim is effective on the Sunday of the week you apply. L&I backdates a claim only in a few cases, usually when you could not file on time through no fault of your own; ask the UC Service Center or email uchelp@pa.gov with "Back Date Request" in the subject line.
What to have ready
- Your Social Security number
- Your home and mailing address, phone number and email address
- If you are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. national: your Alien Registration number
- Military service in the past 18 months: DD Form 214, Member 4. Federal work in the past 18 months: Standard Form 8 and Standard Form 50
- Your last employer's name, mailing address, phone, fax and email, and its UC account number if you know it
- Your first and last days of work, your gross pay in your last week, and why you left (or why your hours were cut)
- Your recall date, if you will be called back; severance pay amount, if any
- Names and addresses of all employers in the past 18 months, your dates of work, and other states where you worked
- For direct deposit: your bank's name, address and phone, your account number and routing number
Certify (claim your weeks)
How often: Weekly. File a weekly certification online or by phone (1-888-255-4728) for every week you want benefits, during the Sunday-to-Saturday week right after the week you claim, by 11:59 p.m. Saturday. Report all gross earnings for the week you did the work. Keep filing while you wait for a decision or an appeal.
Your first payment
Your first week is an unpaid waiting week. Payments go to a debit card unless you sign up for direct deposit. Payments can take two to three business days to post after the payment issued date shown in your UC Dashboard.
Register for work
Most people must register for employment-search services with PA CareerLink within 30 days after filing. Registration is complete only when you have a Keystone ID and have uploaded or created a resume. Some people are exempt, such as people with a written recall date, people in approved training and Shared-Work participants.
Law: Pa. UC Law secs. 401, 404; Pa. UC Law secs. 34 Pa. Code ch. 65
Official source: Source page
What applies in every state
- File with the unemployment program of the state where you worked. If you worked in another state or in several states, the agency in the state where you live now can tell you how to file with other states.
- It generally takes two to three weeks after you file to get your first payment. Some states require a one-week waiting period, so the second week you claim is the first week paid.
Free help
Call 1-888-313-7284. Legal aid and other free help in Pennsylvania → Official sources →
More questions about unemployment in Pennsylvania
Is there a waiting week in Pennsylvania?
Yes. The first week you are unemployed and otherwise eligible is an unpaid waiting week. You must file a weekly certification for it to be paid for later weeks.