PA Unemployment Phone Numbers: Best Times, Weekly Filing, and Appeals

The main Pennsylvania unemployment phone number is 888-313-7284, which reaches a live representative at the UC Service Center Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.¹ If you only need to file a weekly certification, use the automated PAT line at 888-255-4728 instead, which runs 24 hours a day.²

All Pennsylvania Unemployment Phone Numbers

The Department of Labor and Industry runs separate lines for different tasks. Calling the right one first saves time.

UC Service Center (claims, eligibility, PIN resets, payment problems, appeals): 888-313-7284
PAT weekly certification (automated, 24/7): 888-255-4728
Spanish-language claims filing: 877-888-8104
PAULA virtual assistant for general questions: 1-833-755-0882
ASL videophone: 717-704-8474
Fraud hotline: 1-800-692-7469
Benefit Payment Control (overpayments, lien payoffs): 717-787-4621
Relay service: dial 711, then the voice number for the office you need

The ASL videophone operates on a limited schedule: Wednesdays 8:00 a.m. to noon and Fridays noon to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, sign language only.³

Best Time to Call the UC Service Center

Live representatives are available weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and the line is closed on state holidays.¹ Call volume tends to spike on Monday mornings and right at 8:00 a.m. when the lines open. Midweek in the early afternoon usually gives you a shorter hold.

The PAT automated system at 888-255-4728 has no wait queue at all, so it’s the faster route if your only task is a weekly certification or a payment status check.

What to Have Ready Before You Dial

The service center will ask for identifying information right away. Have this in front of you:

Your Social Security number
Your UC PIN, which appears on the claim confirmation letter mailed after you file²
Your home and mailing address
A working phone number and email

If you’re filing an initial claim by phone, also have your most recent employer’s name, address, and phone number, your first and last day worked there, the reason you left, and details on any pension or severance you’re receiving.⁴

Lost your PIN? Call anyway. A representative can walk you through secondary verification to reset it, though the call will run longer.

Filing Your Weekly Certification by Phone

PAT stands for Pennsylvania Teleclaims. Call 888-255-4728, choose your language, and enter your Social Security number followed by your PIN. The system then walks you through the certification questions using touch-tone prompts. If you mis-key an answer or the session times out, hang up and call right back; there’s no queue.²

Pennsylvania certifications are weekly, not biweekly. File one for every week you’re unemployed or working reduced hours, even weeks when no payment is due.²

When You Don’t Need to Call at All

Pennsylvania’s online system at benefits.uc.pa.gov handles initial claims, weekly certifications, and payment status around the clock. The state calls it the “best and fastest way” to apply.¹

For general questions that don’t require pulling up your specific claim, the state offers PAULA, a virtual assistant available on the Labor and Industry website or by phone at 1-833-755-0882. PAULA can answer common questions about eligibility, deadlines, and how the system works.⁵

Fraud, Appeals, and Overpayments

To report someone using your identity to collect benefits, or a claimant collecting fraudulently, call the fraud hotline at 1-800-692-7469 or file online at reportucfraud.pa.gov.⁶ If you discovered the theft because a claim in your name already exists, call the UC Service Center at 888-313-7284 as well so the fraudulent claim can be flagged before you file your real one.

If your claim is denied, you have 21 days from the date you receive the denial to appeal. You can file the appeal through your dashboard at benefits.uc.pa.gov or by calling 888-313-7284.⁷ Missing the 21-day window generally ends your right to appeal.

For overpayment balances, payments already made, or a lien payoff request, call Benefit Payment Control at 717-787-4621. Payments can take up to 21 days to post against your account. A lien is satisfied only when principal, interest, penalties, and lien fees are paid in full, and you can request a payoff letter through the online Claimant Lien Payoff Request Form or by phone at the same number.⁸

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for Unemployment Compensation Benefits
2
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. File a Weekly Unemployment Compensation Certification
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Contact the Office of Unemployment Compensation
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. How to File
5
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. UC Benefit Secure Chat Registration
6
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. File a Fraud Report
7
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Appeal an Unemployment Compensation Decision (Claimants)
8
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Online Overpayments FAQs