Just want to echo what others have said about being completely honest - I made the mistake of marking myself as "available" during a weekend trip to Portland last year thinking it would be fine since it was just 3 days. Big mistake! ESD caught it during a routine audit (they can see when your phone pings different cell towers) and I had to go through a whole fraud investigation process. Nothing came of it since it was clearly just a misunderstanding, but it was super stressful and delayed my benefits for weeks while they sorted it out. For your Arizona trip, definitely file your claims but mark yourself unavailable for the exact dates you'll be gone. Keep all your travel receipts and boarding passes just in case. The temporary loss of benefits is way better than dealing with potential fraud issues later. Have a great trip!

I just wanted to add another perspective from someone who travels frequently for family reasons while on unemployment. The advice here about continuing to file and marking unavailable days is spot-on, but I'd also suggest calling ESD before your trip if possible to document your plans. I know their phone lines are terrible, but when I called before my last out-of-state trip, the representative made a note in my file about my planned travel dates. This actually helped later when they had questions during a routine review - they could see I'd been proactive about reporting my unavailability. Also, for the job search requirements, remember that if you're marked unavailable for the entire benefit week, you don't need to complete job search activities for that week since you won't be receiving benefits anyway. But if you're only unavailable for part of the week (like your travel days), you still need to meet the job search requirements for the days you were available. Arizona is beautiful this time of year - enjoy your visit with your sister!

I had this exact same confusion when I first applied! You definitely don't need the unemployment tax number as an employee - that's your employer's UBI number that they use for their quarterly tax filings. For a regular unemployment claim, you just need your own info (SSN, work history, etc.) and basic employer details like business name and address. Washington ESD can look up all the backend tax stuff themselves. Make sure you're on the claimant section of their website, not the employer portal - they look really similar and it's easy to accidentally end up on the wrong form asking for employer-specific information you wouldn't have.

I just went through this same confusion a few months ago when I first filed! You definitely don't need your employer's unemployment tax number (UBI number) for your personal claim - that's strictly for employers when they file their quarterly reports with the state. It sounds like you might have accidentally ended up on the employer portal section of the Washington ESD website, which happens to a lot of people since the navigation isn't great. For a regular unemployment claim, you only need your SSN, basic employer info (name, address), and your work history. Just make sure you're on the right page by going directly to esd.wa.gov and clicking "File for Unemployment Benefits" - that'll take you to the actual claimant application where you won't see any requests for employer tax numbers.

I'm going through the exact same frustrating experience! My weekly claim has been flagged for "additional review" for over 10 days now and I can't get through to anyone at Washington ESD no matter what I try. I've called that 800-318-6022 number at least 50+ times using every strategy mentioned here - calling right at 8am, hitting redial constantly, trying different menu options - but I keep getting busy signals or sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected. It's incredibly stressful when you're counting on these benefits to cover rent and groceries. After reading all the success stories about Claimyr in this thread, I think I'm going to have to try that service tomorrow. It's ridiculous that we need to pay a third-party company just to contact our own state unemployment office, but when the alternative is wasting entire days getting nowhere, it seems worth it. The whole ESD phone system is completely broken and causing real hardship for people who desperately need help. Thanks for posting this - it's both frustrating and reassuring to know so many others are dealing with this same nightmare!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue! My weekly claim has been stuck in "under review" for over two weeks now and the Washington ESD phone system is completely broken. I've tried calling 800-318-6022 at every possible time - right at 8am, during lunch, even tried that redial strategy dozens of times - but I either get busy signals or sit on hold for 3+ hours just to get disconnected. It's so frustrating when you need those benefits to pay bills! After reading through all these success stories about Claimyr, I think I'm going to try that service tomorrow morning. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to pay a third party just to contact our own state unemployment office, but at this point I'm desperate for answers. The whole system clearly needs more staff or a complete overhaul. Thanks for starting this thread - it's both maddening and oddly comforting to know I'm not alone in this nightmare!

Just remember that even though Washington ESD pays the benefits, the money ultimately comes from a system that employers pay into. It's not charity or welfare - it's insurance that was paid for on your behalf throughout your employment.

I went through this exact situation two years ago when my retail company closed all their Washington locations. The process was actually pretty smooth - filed online the day after my last shift and got approved within about 10 days. Just make sure you have your Social Security number, employment dates, and employer contact info ready when you file. The key thing to remember is that Washington ESD handles everything once you submit your claim - your employer has already paid their part through the unemployment insurance taxes they've been contributing all along. Don't stress too much about it, business closures are one of the most straightforward unemployment cases.

Just went through this exact same situation moving from Oregon to WA in January! Here's what worked for me: I started online like everyone's saying, but the key is calling within 24-48 hours of filing your initial claim. Don't wait weeks like I did initially. When you call, specifically ask them to "initiate a combined wage claim with Oregon" and have your Oregon employer details ready (company name, dates worked, approximate quarterly wages). The agent I spoke with said they see this WA/OR situation constantly and it's a pretty straightforward process once they manually trigger the interstate request. My Oregon wages came back in about 10 days and increased my weekly benefit amount significantly. Good luck!

Pro tip from someone who just went through this exact process in February: Call ESD early in the morning (right when they open at 8am) or late in the afternoon around 4pm. Those seem to be the best times to actually get through. Also, when you do get connected, ask the agent to give you a confirmation number for the interstate wage request - this way you can reference it if you need to call back. The whole process took about 3 weeks for me from initial filing to getting my first payment with the Oregon wages included. The waiting is frustrating but it's worth it because my benefit amount was almost double what it would have been with just WA wages!