Claimants who have had direct deposit payments within the last 12 months will not receive a debit card, unless the claimant or the department asked the PA Treasury to stop the direct deposit of UC benefits.
To start or stop direct deposit or to change your account, access your UC dashboard and update your payment method.
Alternatively, you may download and print form UC-310 Authorization For Direct Deposit of UC Benefits. Be sure to carefully follow all instructions on the printed form, including the instructions for returning the form for processing.
Please note: The Pennsylvania Treasury does not allow certain bank routing numbers to be processed in their system for direct deposit due to the large volume of fraud associated with particular routing numbers. Please contact Treasury at 877-869-1956 to verify if your bank routing number will be accepted.
From the date your direct deposit application is received, if using the UC-310 alternative, it takes about one week for direct deposit to be established or stopped so long as the information on the form is correct.
Once direct deposit is established, payments processed by the UC Service Center will post to your bank account within one or two business days. Your claim must be financially eligible, and you must file timely before any payments are processed.
If you have payment method questions, please call the Pennsylvania Treasury Department's Bureau of Unemployment Compensation Disbursements at 877-869-1956 (toll-free).
In most cases, a debit card will be mailed to you after you have been determined financially eligible for benefits, just in case there are any issues with the direct deposit. However, it depends on when the direct deposit becomes active, so you may or may not receive a card. If you do receive one, do not discard it. Keep it in a safe place in case you ever need it to access benefit payments. Debit cards are valid for three years.
Please note: The Pennsylvania Treasury does not allow certain bank routing numbers to be processed in their system for direct deposit due to the large volume of fraud associated with particular routing numbers. Please contact Treasury at 877-869-1956 to verify if your bank routing number will be accepted.
First, make sure to check both your debit card and direct deposit accounts by getting an up-to-date balance amount from your financial institution.
Then, review your method of payment in the UC system for any unauthorized changes. If your payment method was changed to an account, you do not recognize, you must contact PA Treasury at 877-869-1956 to have your method of payment changed back immediately. NOTE: This change will not necessarily be reflected on your personal profile.
Then, you must contact the UC Service Center at 888-313-7284. A UC staff member will review your claim for any additional unauthorized changes, complete a fraud report, and direct you to verify your identity with ID.me or use your ID.me login information if you've already verified with ID.me.
If you are eligible for benefits for the week(s) that you claimed, the funds will generally be transferred on the payment issued date as shown in your UC Dashboard. The payment will generally be available at your financial institution the following day. Payments will not be transmitted on state, federal or banking holidays, or weekends. You will not receive a notice from the department when payments are deposited into your direct deposit account.