Federal employees or contractors who worked in Pennsylvania and lost work through no fault of their own may be eligible for unemployment benefits.
Qualifying job loss can include:
- Being fired for a reason other than willful misconduct,
- Quitting your job for a good reason (for example, a change in work conditions like a new requirement to return to in-person work that creates hardship), or
- Termination due to probationary status or poor work performance.
Federal workers and contractors should file for UC benefits as soon as they stop working.
You will need provide evidence that you were a federal employee or contractor when you apply.
When you file your initial application, you will be asked if you are federal employee. When you answer “yes,” you will be asked to provide more information.
- If you are a federal employee, upload your SF-8 or SF-50 forms, or your W2 and a recent pay statement, during your initial application.
- If you are a federal contractor, upload your W2 and a recent pay statement during your initial application.
- You must report severance pay on your initial application.
After you submit your initial application, email [email protected] with:
- Your full name
- The last four digits of your Social Security number
- An explanation that you are a federal employee who just submitted an initial UC application and wage documents.
To receive benefits, you must file weekly certifications. You should start filing your weekly certifications right away, even if you are still waiting on eligibility determinations.
You can file weekly certification in your online UC account (benefits.uc.pa.gov) or using the automated phone filing system (888-255-4728).