


Ask the community...
Just to add one more confirmation - filed my claim in January 2025 and got paid for week 1. No waiting week in Washington state. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims on schedule!
Bottom line for OP: Washington eliminated waiting week in 2020, you'll get paid for week 1 if eligible, still need to file your weekly claim, and if you can't get through to Washington ESD by phone there are services like Claimyr that can help you connect with an agent.
Don't forget you'll need to do job searches every week to keep getting benefits. Washington requires 3 job search activities per week and you have to log them in WorkSourceWA. The benefit amount doesn't matter if you can't meet the work search requirements.
Make sure you understand what counts as a valid job search activity. Just browsing job websites doesn't count - you need to actually apply or make contact with employers.
Bottom line - with your $52k salary you're probably looking at $500-600 per week in unemployment benefits. Just be patient with the system because everything takes forever to process, even when there are no issues with your claim.
Yeah this thread was really helpful. I'm in a similar situation and was totally confused about how the calculations work.
If anyone needs to contact Washington ESD about their benefits and can't get through on the phone, definitely check out Claimyr. The video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ explains exactly how it works and it's been a game changer for actually reaching agents.
One thing to watch out for - if you had any pension or retirement account withdrawals in the past year, that might affect your benefit calculation. Washington ESD counts certain types of retirement income when determining your weekly amount.
Just wanted to add that once you do find out your weekly benefit amount, that's the maximum you can get each week. If you work part-time while on unemployment, they'll reduce your weekly payment based on how much you earn. It's not dollar for dollar though - there's some formula they use.
One last thing - if your claim goes into adjudication for any reason, don't panic. It just means they need to review something about your separation or eligibility. It can take a few weeks but usually resolves in your favor if you were legitimately laid off.
Usually if there's a question about why you left your job, if you had any disciplinary issues, or if your employer contests the claim. Most layoffs are pretty straightforward though.
If you do get stuck in adjudication and need to speak with someone, that Claimyr service might help you get through to check on the status.
Emma Anderson
one more tip - if you get denied for any reason, don't give up! you can appeal the decision. a lot of people don't realize that and just accept the denial
0 coins
Ava Williams
•good to know. hopefully won't need to appeal but thanks for the heads up
0 coins
Emma Anderson
•no problem. the appeal process isn't too complicated and sometimes they made mistakes on the initial decision
0 coins
Malik Thompson
been reading this thread and just wanted to say that washington's UI system is actually pretty good compared to what my friends in other states deal with. the amounts are decent and the process isn't too terrible if you have all your paperwork ready
0 coins
Ava Williams
•that's reassuring! i was worried it would be a nightmare to deal with
0 coins
Malik Thompson
•nah it's not that bad. just be patient with the phone system if you need to call them
0 coins