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File by phone:
To file a claim for unemployment insurance benefits in Pennsylvania, call toll-free 1-888-313-7284.
File online
You also may file an unemployment benefits claim online by visiting www.state.pa.us.
Keyword "unemployment."
Unemployment Compensation (UC) is a program that provides income if you lose your job through no fault of your own. If you qualify, you will receive money for a limited time while you look for another job. To be covered by the UC program, you must be a worker who performed services covered by the UC Law for an employer that is required by law, or elects to pay into the UC Fund.
Log on to the Internet through PAPowerPort - Keyword "unemployment."
You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed. or Call a UC Service Center locally, or toll-free at 1-888-313-7284. You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed.
UC Service Centers experience a heavier call volume on Mondays. For fast service, call Tuesday through Friday when call volume is lighter. If you get a busy signal when you call the UC Service Center, please call later in the day or later in the week. UC Service Center telephone services are available from 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Claimants are now able to file for continued claims on the Internet through PAPowerPort -Keyword "unemployment"
After you file an initial application or reopen an existing claim, you must file claims for weeks you are unemployed by calling Pennsylvania Teleclaims or through the Internet.
If you stop filing claims for benefits for any reason, such as, you got a job, you must reopen your application by calling the UC Service Center during the first week that you are again unemployed. You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed.
To file an initial application, you may call a UC Service Center where you will talk to a service representative, or you may file an application over the Internet. You should file your application any day during the first week you are unemployed or working reduced hours. You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed or working reduced hours. If you do not have access to the Internet or a telephone, you may use a courtesy computer or telephone provided for this purpose at a participating local Team Pennsylvania CareerLink. UC Service Centers provide services in Spanish as well as English. As needed, other languages may be immediately translated through special telephone services. Please identify the language in which you wish to receive services.
Initial applications can be filed over the Internet by accessing the Department of Labor and Industry web site through PAPowerPort - Keyword - "unemployment" and selecting "Online Application for UC Benefits." "Applying for UC Benefits" will come up with a menu of useful information. Click under the menu to go directly to the application.
Here's what you need when you file an application:
Also, you will be asked to provide:
If you worked in another state in the last 18 months, you will also need all employer names and mailing addresses in the last 18 months.
If you worked for the federal government in the last 18 months, you will also need information from Standard Form 8, Standard Form 50, W-2s and/or pay stubs.
If you were in the military in the last 18 months, you will need your DD 214, Member Copy 4.
If you are covered under a TAA NAFTA-TAA Certification, you will need the TA-W or NAFTA-TAA petition number.
If you are opening an existing claim, you will need your personal identification number (PIN).
After filing an initial application, you can expect to receive by mail a financial determination, UC Handbook, PIN Number and date to call Pennsylvania Teleclaims or use the Internet to file your bi-weekly claim for benefit weeks.
After you have filed an initial application, you must file claims for benefit weeks that you are unemployed in order to receive UC benefits. Claims can be filed by calling Pennsylvania Teleclaims or, in most cases, submitted over the Internet. Usually, you will file claims for two weeks at a time; that is, you will call Pennsylvania Teleclaims or file over the Internet every two weeks.
If you file your initial application by phoning a UC Service Center, you will be given a date to file a claim or claims for the first time. In addition to filing claims, you can use Pennsylvania Teleclaims to access information about your benefit checks, request or cancel federal income tax withholding from your benefits, request a tax statement, or obtain general UC information.
If you stopped filing claims for benefit weeks and want to start filing again, you must call the UC Service Center to reopen your application. If you stopped filing claims because you were ill, hospitalized, or otherwise unable to work, you should call the UC Service Center as soon as you are able and available for work again. If you stopped filing claims because you are no longer unemployed, you should call the UC Service Center during the first week that you are again unemployed (avoid calling on Monday for this purpose). You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed.
If you are eligible for UC, you may receive weekly benefits until you have been paid the maximum amount allowed on your application or your application has expired. An application for UC expires one year after it is filed. If you are still unemployed when your application expires, you may file a new application. In addition to having to meet all the UC eligibility criteria necessary when the first application was filed, to qualify for a subsequent application, you must work between the date of the first application and the date of the second application and have earnings from that work amounting to at least six times the weekly benefit rate in effect during the first application.
UC's first goal is to assist you in your efforts to get re-employed. UC is working in partnership with Team Pennsylvania CareerLink to match claimants with available jobs in the extensive databases maintained by CareerLink. During the initial application process, information is gathered, such as what type of work you are seeking, to assist CareerLink in matching your employment needs with available jobs. When one or more job matches are found, a claimant will receive a letter from CareerLink informing him/her of these and other career opportunities. CareerLink may also send a letter to a claimant offering re-employment services such as workshops or information about special programs.
If your separation is permanent, you may be interested to know that Team Pennsylvania CareerLink is your one-stop resource to create customized resumes, explore career opportunities and to find a job.
CareerLink provides service online and in person. CareerLink can be found on the Internet through PAPowerPort - Keyword "jobs" and in person at more than 60 CareerLink centers conveniently located throughout Pennsylvania. When a claimant applies for benefits by telephone, the UC Service Center will provide this web site information and the location of the nearest Team Pennsylvania CareerLink. This information can also be found through the PAPowerPort - Keyword "unemployment."
All UC Service Centers can be reached by using the below listed local number or the statewide toll-free number: 1-888-313-7284. TTY services for people with a hearing impairment can be reached by using 1-888-334-4046. Pennsylvania Teleclaims toll-free number is 1-888-255-4728. Pennsylvania Teleclaims TTY toll-free number is 1-888-411-4728.
UC Service Centers experience a heavier call volume on Mondays. For fast service, call Tuesday through Friday when call volume is lighter. Your initial claim may be filed any day during the first week you are unemployed. You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed. If you get a busy signal when you call the UC Service Center, please call later in the day or later in the week.
There are eight UC Service Centers:
Allentown:
Serving counties of Berks, Bucks, Lehigh, and Northampton
Local: (610) 821-6735
Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local:
(215) 781-3250
(610) 821-6659
(610) 378-1548
Fax: (610) 821-6281
Erie:
Serving counties of Crawford, Erie, and Venango
Local: (814) 871-4311
Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local:
(814) 878-5700
(814) 332-6686
Fax: (814) 871-4863
Altoona:
Serving counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion,
Clearfield, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Huntingdon, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Somerset, and Warren
Local: (814) 946-7224
Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local:
(814) 941-6849
Fax: (814) 941-6801
Philadelphia:
Serving counties of Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia
Local: (215) 856-6990
Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local:
(610) 447-5359
(610) 384-0807
(610) 270-1925
(610) 970-7113
(215) 560-1978
(215) 560-2817
Fax: (215) 560-6981
Scranton:
Serving counties of Bradford, Carbon, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming
Local: (570) 496-2332
Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local:
(570) 562-4800
(570) 620-2875
(570) 644-4384
(570) 459-3861
(570) 820-4914
Fax: (570) 562-4872
Lancaster:
Serving counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata,
Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, and York
Local: (717) 299-7711
Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local:
(717) 243-8211
(717) 264-0300
(717) 783-1767
(717) 299-7560
(717) 273-9430
(717) 767-7632
Fax: (717) 299-7557
Indiana:
Serving counties of Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana, and Westmoreland
Local: (724) 599-1250
Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local:
(724) 599-1004
(724) 425-3844
Fax: (724) 599-1068
Duquesne:
Serving counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, Mercer, and Washington
Local: (412) 267-1315
Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local:
(412) 267-1494
(412) 664-5230
(724) 846-5871
(724) 223-2151
(724) 983-5874
(724) 656-3093
Fax: (412) 267-1475
Statewide PAT en Espa"ol:
1-877-888-8104
Normal hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. (Winter hours during heavy workloads may be extended to 6:45 p.m.)
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The Workforce Investment Act is a government-funded program with the goal of providing adults with the education, skills and training they need to get and retain jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor works with states to provide money for workers, so they can afford career training for jobs that are in demand in local markets.
Learn more about the benefits of the Workforce Invesment Act.
