Pennsylvania Unemployment Insurance

Pennsylvania Unemployment Insurance is a state-operated insurance program designed to partially replace lost wages when you are out of work through no fault of your own.

Each state sets its own guidelines for eligibility for UI benefits, but you usually qualify if you:

1. have lost a job through no fault of your own;
2. are unemployed or partially unemployed for reasons permissible under federal law;
3. are “able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work;” and
4. have earned at least a certain amount of money during a “base period” prior to becoming unemployed. In most states, this is usually the first 4 out of the last 5 completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, to qualify for unemployment benefits, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base year’ and must have, prior to filing a claim:¹

1. earned at least $116 per week during at least 18 credit weeks in the base year, and
2. earned at least $1,688 during the highest quarter in your base period, and
3. earned at least $2,718 in total qualifying wages in the base year (the requirement rises with your high-quarter wages).

How much do I get a week for PA unemployment?

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, the maximum unemployment benefit rate in Pennsylvania is capped at $605 a week and an additional $5 per week for the first dependent and $3 per week for each additional child.

What is the maximum duration of unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania?

The maximum duration in Pennsylvania is 26 weeks per benefit year. Additional weeks are available only when extended benefits are triggered by a high state unemployment rate.

How do I file for unemployment in PA online?

You can file your initial claim electronically  or if you wish to file your claim over the phone, please call the statewide toll-free number at (888) 313-7284.

If you are eligible for benefits, you should receive your first benefit payment within four weeks after the effective date of your application.

Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
Office of Unemployment Compensation
(888) 313-7284