Tuesday, July 24, 2012

YOU CAN GET PARTIAL UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION IN PENNSYLVANIA IF YOUR EMPLOYER REDUCES YOUR HOURS OR MAKES YOU A PART-TIME EMPLOYEE


If You are Changed From Full-Time to Part Time, 
You May Qualify for Unemployment Benefits

Can I Get Partial Unemployment Compensation Benefits In Pennsylvania If My Job Is Reduced 
To A Part-Time Position?  

Yes, provided that 1) your are not being demoted due to willful misconduct (i.e. misconduct at work) 2) your pay reduction is sufficiently dramatic (see explanation, below).

NOTE:  If you believe that the decision to demote you was based upon impermissible factors such as your age, race, national origin, religion, disability, absence from work due to FMLA Leave, you should consider contacting counsel at once.

HERE ARE SOME OTHER ARTICLES YOU MAY FIND WORTHWHILE:

What is an ILLEGAL Hostile Work Environment? Workplace Bullying Alone is Not Illegal in Pennsylvania

#MeToo - The Rules and Deadlines for Sexual Harassment Claims in Pennsylvania - A List of Most Famous Sexual Predators

Why is it Important to File an EEOC Charge? How to File Discrimination Claims in Pennsylvania? Time Limits to File Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment and Retaliation Charges in Pennsylvania

Employee Complaints and Retaliation - What is Legal and What is Illegal

What Are the Differences Between the Anti-Discrimination in Employment Laws Title VII and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act?

How Do Federal, State and Local Anti-Discrimination Laws Work Together to Protect Pennsylvania Workers?

Does My Pennsylvania City, County, Township or Borough Have Any Discrimination Laws Protecting Employees?

FILING A CHARGE OF DISCRIMINATION IN PENNSYLVANIA - A FEW TIPS FROM CONTINGENT FEE LAWYERS

The Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance Makes it Illegal to Engage in Workplace Discrimination Because of Sexual Identity, Sexual Preference, Status as Domestic Abuse Victim, Marital or Familial Status, Ethnicity or Ancestry

Employed "At Will":  What Does That Mean? Pennsylvania Contingent Fee Lawyers Explain the Most Important Employment Law Principle

United States Employment and Discrimination Laws - An Overview by Pennsylvania Employment Lawyer

Do I Have a Case for Constructive Discharge? Nearly 50% of People Who Are Unemployed Quit Their Job - Pennsylvania Contingent Fee Employment Lawyers

Are Settlements in Discrimination Cases Subject to Taxes? Pennsylvania Contingent Fee Discrimination Lawyers

Is Your Boss a Bad Person - or Just a Bad Boss? Is Bullying at Work Illegal? Pennsylvania Contingent Fee Employment Lawyers Explain

UPDATE on Recent and Pending Discrimination Matters Pertaining to LGBT-Rights from SCOTUS and EEOC

Ranking the Most Common EEOC Discrimination Claims in 2011



Are Pennsylvania Employees Eligible for Partial Unemployment Compensation Benefits When Their Pay is Substantially Lowered or Reduced or They Have Been Demoted, Reduced to Part-Time or Fired?  

Not unless your hours of work are reduced as well. 

According to the Pa. Dept. of Labor, partial unemployment benefits are available only to those who experience a reduction in hours and a reduction of pay; a mere reduction in hourly pay or salary unaccompanied by a reduction in hours does not qualify one for partial unemployment.

In other words, if you are making $50,000 per year, and your employer suddenly reduces your pay rate to $35,000 per year (but does not reduce your hours), and you do not quit your job, you will be ineligible for partial unemployment.

Can I Quit My Job and Get Unemployment in Pennsylvania if My Pay or Salary Has Been Cut or Reduced?
If Pay Cut >25%, You Will Likely be Eligible for PA Unemployment if You Quit Promptly

If the pay cut exceeds roughly 25% of your previous pay rate, and you quit your job soon after the reduction is imposed, you will have an excellent chance of securing unemployment compensation in Pennsylvania, because such a pay cut provides a necessitous and compelling reason for quitting one's employment.

What are Necessitous and Compelling Reasons to Quit Job Under Section 402(e) of Pennsylvania's Unemployment Law?  

See:  What is a Necessitous and Compelling Reason for Quitting my Job Under Pennsylvania Unemployment Law? Philadelphia Unemployment Lawyers Explain


How Much of a Pay Cut Do I Need to be Eligible for Partial Unemployment in Pennsylvania? Salary or Hourly Rate of Pay Cut Significantly?  Philadelphia Unemployment Lawyer

To figure this out, you must first understand what your weekly benefit rate would be if you had been fired from your job as opposed to having your hours and pay reduced.

See: Pennsylvania Unemployment Determination of Financial Eligibility - PENNSYLVANIA UNEMPLOYMENT LAWYERS

If My Pennsylvania Employer Cuts My Pay Significantly, Should I Quit or Apply for Partial Unemployment?

It may depend in part upon the amount of the reduction in pay, your current financial position and the likelihood of you securing a comparable job in the coming months.

If your pay cut is 40% of your prior rate of pay, you can, as discussed above, almost certainly be eligible for full unemployment compensation if you quit your job.

By the same token, such a dramatic pay cut will also enable you to collect partial unemployment compensation and, if the reduction is temporary and you can afford to hold on with the help of such benefits, that may be the right approach.

Here is the Pennsylvania Department of Labor's calculation for partial unemployment compensation benefits:

Where a claimant works less than his full-time hours through no fault of his own, the claimant may be potentially eligible to receive full or partial benefits, depending on his gross earnings and Partial Benefit Credit (PBC). A claimant's PBC is the amount equal to 30 percent of his Weekly Benefit Rate (WBR). Where a claimant is working less than his full-time hours and his gross earnings for a week are equal to or less than the PBC, the claimant's full WBR is payable for the week. When the claimant's gross earnings for a week exceed the PBC, the gross earnings are deducted from the sum of the WBR plus PBC to determine the amount of any partial benefits for which the claimant may be eligible.

The following examples illustrate how the amount of any partial benefits payable to a claimant who worked less than his full time, is calculated. In each example, the claimant was determined financially eligible for a WBR of $100. The PBC for each example is therefore $30 (30 percent of $100).
 
Example 1: The claimant's earnings for the week are $29. As $29 is less than the PBC, the claimant is eligible for the full WBR ($100) for the week.
 
Example 2: The claimant's earnings for the week are $30. As $30 is equal to the PBC, the claimant is eligible for the full WBR ($100) for the week.
 
Example 3: The claimant's earnings for the week are $31. As $31 exceeds the PBC by $1, the claimant is eligible for partial benefits of $99 ($130 - $31 = $99).
 
Example 4: The claimant's earnings for the week are $31.01. The $31.01 is rounded up to $32.00. As $32 exceeds the PBC by $2, the claimant is eligible for partial benefits of $98 ($130 - $32 = $98).
 
Example 5: The claimant's earnings for the week are $132. As the claimant's weekly earnings exceed the combined rate sum of the WBR and PBC, the claimant is ineligible for UC benefits for that week.

Can I Get Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits if I Take a Part-time Job While I Am on Unemployment?  

Yes, and unless you are paid at least 40% of your weekly benefit rate (i.e. around $240 per week if you are receiving $575 a week in unemployment), you will not lose any benefits.

But, BEWARE - the part-time job must be one that pays you w-2 wages.  if you are paid via 1099, you will be deemed self-employed, and essentially employed on a full-0toime capacity in that capacity.

HERE ARE SOME OTHER LINKS YOU MAY FIND WORTHWHILE:

Should I Hire a Lawyer for My Unemployment Appeal Hearing in Pennsylvania?

Unemployment Appeal Hearings by Telephone in Pennsylvania - The New Norm - And Why You Want to Consider Hiring Legal Counsel

Pennsylvania Unemployment Lawyer - Willful Misconduct Referee Hearings

I Want to Quit My Job and Get Unemployment Benefits in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Unemployment Determination of Financial Eligibility - PENNSYLVANIA UNEMPLOYMENT LAWYERS

How Do I Complete an Application for Unemployment Compensation Benefits in Pennsylvania - Did I Resign or Was I Fired?  What is a Reduction in Force Versus a Layoff?

 What is a Necessitous and Compelling Reason for Quitting my Job Under Pennsylvania Unemployment Law? Philadelphia Unemployment Lawyers Explain

The Burden of Proof in a Pennsylvania Unemployment Appeal Referee Hearing

Performance Appraisals, Performance Evaluations and Character Evidence at a Pennsylvania Unemployment Appeal Hearing -  Experienced Unemployment Lawyers Explains Why They Are Generally Irrelevant

Can I Get Unemployment in Pennsylvania if I am Out on Disability Leave? What are the Differences Between Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability?

 

I was Fired - What Should I Say on My Internet On Line Application for Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits?

Voluntary Retirement and Unemployment Compensation in Pennsylvania - Am I Entitled to Benefits if I Retire From My Job?

Should I Resign or Let Them Fire Me? What Happens If I Quit My Job?  What Rights Do I Lose If I Resign or Quit From My Job?

How Do I Complete an Application for Unemployment Benefits in Pennsylvania Via the Pandemic Portal If I am Self-Employed, an Independent Contractor or a Gig Worker?

 

Unemployment Applications for Self-Employed Business Owners, Independent Contractors and Gig Workers is Now Available in Pennsylvania

 

Overpayments Under Pennsylvania Unemployment Law - Fraud, Non-Fraud, At Fault, Non-At Fault- Can I Go To Jail for an Unemployment Overpayment in Pennsylvania?

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We typically represent employees who need an employment lawyer in Philadelphia County, Chester County, Delaware County, Bucks County, Berks County, Lancaster County and Montgomery County.

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If you are looking for an employment lawyer, and live in Northeast Philadelphia, Media, Germantown, Ambler, Ft. Washington, Phoenixville, Springfield, St. Davids, Radnor, Ardmore, Overbrook, Collegeville, Lionville, Kimberton, Chester Springs, Lower Gwynedd, Malvern, Wayne, King of Prussia, Downingtown, Glenside, Doylestown, Radnor, Newtown Square, Exton, Philadelphia, West Chester, Skippack, Langhorne, Haverford, Nether Providence, Broomall, Drexel Hill, Reading or any of their surrounding towns, feel free to send us an e-mail via our Contact Form or give us a call at 610-647-5027.  We are always glad to spend some time with people via a free telephone consultation.

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