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Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (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.

PUA benefits are only for individuals who are unemployed due to COVID-19 reasons, it does not cover:

Individuals without an attachment to the labor market, or

Individuals who are unemployed for non-COVID-19 reasons. Check out our infographic or watch our video that illustrates who is NOT eligible for PUA.





Groups who should NOT File for PUA



Retired , with no job and no job offer



, with no job and no job offer Individuals who were not working at all or did not have a job offer



at all or did not have a job offer Inmates

Children who were not working in actual employment



who were not working in actual employment Being paid to file other people's PUA application. This is ILLEGAL ; report these individuals to the authorities



; report these individuals to the authorities College students with no job and no job offer



with no job and no job offer Individuals on Social Security Disability with no work attachment



with no work attachment Claimants who work as an employee and should file UC



and should file UC I ndividuals living in a halfway house on lockdown



on lockdown Landlords



*Knowingly making false statements or omitting material facts to obtain PUA benefits to which you are not entitled will result in a disqualification and repayment of all overpaid PUA and corresponding FPUC benefits. You may also be subject to criminal prosecution.

You should file for PUA if you are ineligible for regular UC because you have lost income due to COVID-19 and

are self-employed, or

are seeking part-time work, or

lack sufficient work history, or



have exhausted all rights to regular UC or extended benefits.





Learn more about the PUA program.

Learn more about the PUA System.

Find answers to PUA FAQs and PUA system FAQs.

Learn more about the Federal CARES program.

Learn about PUA and unemployment scams and what to do if you're impacted.





Updates & News

Sept. 16, 2020 -PUA Payment Delay Notice:

If you normally receive a PUA payment on Tuesday or Wednesday, please be advised that we are experiencing payment delays due to exceptionally high volumes. You should receive your PUA payments within the next 2 days.









If at any time you are no longer unemployed for one of the COVID-19-related reasons included in Section 2102 of the CARES Act, or your unemployment is due to reasons other than one of these specific pandemic-related reasons from Section 2102 of the CARES Act, then you are no longer eligible for PUA benefits. At that point, you should simply stop filing for weekly PUA benefits.





As an important reminder because individual situations may change over time, the reason(s) for unemployment which you initially provided is not required to match the reason(s) you remain unemployed.





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Expand All Click here for a more accessible version ​Contact Us

Click here for contact information. ​Telephone

855-284-8545

Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

(PUA questions only)

Email

UCpua@pa.gov

This email address is for PUA questions only. Emails not related to PUA will not receive a response.



