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Pennsylvania

These resources – like the public health crisis itself – are constantly evolving and are only current as to the date of publication. This page was last updated on August 13, 2020.

For more up-to-date information on the relief programs available in Pennsylvania, we recommend that you visit Responding to COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, the United Way's COVID-19 Resources or the Pennsylvania Chamber's Business Resources for Coronavirus.

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Description of Program and Relief

Pennsylvania Shared-Work Program for Employers

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania offers a Shared-Work Program to provide businesses with a tool to help avoid employee layoffs. The program allows an employer covered by a Shared-Work plan to temporarily reduce employees’ hours and divide available work hours equally among employees rather than conducting layoffs. If employees covered by their employer’s Shared-Work plan are otherwise eligible to receive unemployment compensation, they may receive a percentage of their weekly unemployment compensation allowances to partially make up for their reduced hours. Participation in a Shared-Work plan may increase the amount of unemployment insurance contributions that employers owe to the Commonwealth.

Government or Lead Agency

Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Dates Available

Currently available with no end date announced

Eligibility Requirements/Restrictions

The Shared-Work Program is open to employers in Pennsylvania that:

  • Have filed all tax reports required by Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Compensation (UC) program and have paid all amounts due under state UC laws;

  • Have a positive reserve account balance with the Commonwealth’s UC Fund (for contributory employers);

  • Have paid wages for the last 12 consecutive quarters.

Employers must apply to participate in the Shared-Work Program. Participating employers are subject to certain conditions and restrictions while their Shared-Work plan remains in place. For additional details on eligibility requirements, see the Commonwealth’s Shared-Work Program webpage here.

Application Deadlines (If Applicable)

N/A

Contact for More Information

For more information, employers can contact a Shared-Work Representative in Pennsylvania’s Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits at sharedwork@pa.gov or 833-728-2367.

List of Additional Information

More information about the Shared-Work Program, including details on program requirements and conditions, can be found online here.

Employers can access and submit an application to participate in the Shared-Work Program through Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Compensation Management System, which is available here.

Answers to Employer FAQs about the Shared-Work Program can be found here. Employee FAQs are also available online here.


© 2021 Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. This does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. In some jurisdictions, this publication may be considered attorney advertising. Past representations are no guarantee of future outcomes.

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