Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live ESD agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this discussion! I learned so much about partial unemployment benefits. Filing my claim tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly!
Best of luck! Remember to keep filing your weekly claims consistently once you're approved.
Thank you! And thanks to everyone else who shared their experiences. This really helped me understand the process.
Just wanted to add that Washington also has a "SharedWork" program that might be relevant for some situations. If your employer participates in this program, they can reduce everyone's hours instead of laying people off, and employees can get partial unemployment benefits to make up the difference. It's worth asking your employer if they've looked into this option - it can be a win-win since they keep experienced workers and you get some income support. Not all employers know about it, but it's administered through Washington ESD.
That's really interesting! I hadn't heard of the SharedWork program before. My employer mentioned they might have to do more layoffs if business doesn't pick up soon, so this could be a good alternative to suggest. Do you know if there are specific requirements for employers to participate in SharedWork?
Join the conversation
I'm glad this thread exists because I was in the exact same situation a few months ago! Yes, you can absolutely receive both unemployment and SNAP benefits simultaneously in Washington. Your UI payments will count as income for SNAP calculations, but at $380/week you'll likely still qualify for food assistance. I ended up getting about $140/month in SNAP benefits while receiving similar UI payments. The key is being upfront about all your income on both applications and reporting any changes promptly. Also, make sure to save copies of your Washington ESD payment notices - you'll need them for your SNAP application. The process took about 3 weeks for me, but it was worth it to have that extra help with groceries while job searching.
That's really helpful to know about the $140/month you received - it gives me a realistic expectation of what to expect! I'm curious, did you have to do a phone interview for your SNAP application, and if so, how long did that take? Also, when you say to save copies of the ESD payment notices, do you mean the weekly claim confirmations or something else? I want to make sure I have all the right documentation ready when I apply.
Yes, I had to do a phone interview which took about 20 minutes. The caseworker was really nice and just went through my application to verify the information. For the ESD payment notices, I'm talking about both the monetary determination letter (shows your benefit amount) and the actual payment history you can print from your eSD account showing what you've received. The weekly claim confirmations are good to have too, but the payment history is what they really want to see your actual income. The whole process was much easier than I expected - just be honest about everything and you'll be fine!
I'm currently going through this exact situation myself! Just lost my job last month and have been navigating both the unemployment and SNAP systems. Can confirm that you can absolutely receive both benefits at the same time - they're completely separate programs administered by different agencies. Your $380/week in UI benefits will count as income for SNAP purposes, but based on what others have shared here, you should still qualify for meaningful food assistance. I'd recommend applying for SNAP sooner rather than later since the processing time can be 2-3 weeks. Also, when you do your SNAP interview (which can be done by phone), just be completely transparent about your unemployment income - they're used to working with people in this situation. Having both programs has been a lifesaver for me during this job search period!
Thanks for sharing your current experience! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who's going through this right now. The 2-3 week processing time for SNAP is good to know - I'll definitely apply this week so I don't have to wait too long. Did you find the phone interview intimidating at all? I'm a bit nervous about having to explain my whole situation to a caseworker. Also, have you noticed if your SNAP benefits help significantly with your grocery budget while you're job searching? I'm trying to get a sense of how much of a difference it actually makes month to month.
Join the conversation
Final thought - bookmark the Washington ESD website and your SecureAccess Washington login page. You'll be checking them frequently over the coming weeks and it saves time to have quick access.
Already done! Thanks for all the advice everyone. This community is amazing.
Good luck with your claim! The first few weeks are always the most uncertain but it gets easier once you establish the routine.
Another important thing to keep in mind - if you moved or changed jobs recently, double-check that Washington ESD has all your correct wage information from the past 18 months. Sometimes wages from other states or recent employers don't show up automatically in their system, which can affect your benefit calculation. You can request a wage review if something looks missing from your base period. Better to catch this early than have it delay your payments later!
This is really good advice! I worked in Oregon for part of last year before moving to Washington, so I should definitely check if those wages are included. How do I request a wage review if something is missing?
You can request a wage review by contacting Washington ESD directly or submitting a wage protest through your SecureAccess Washington account. If you have pay stubs or W-2s from your Oregon job, gather those as documentation. The interstate wage transfer process can take some time, so definitely get this sorted out as soon as possible. I had a similar situation with wages from California and it added a few weeks to my processing time, but it was worth it because it increased my weekly benefit amount significantly.
Join the conversation
Just wanted to add something that really helped me when I was in a similar situation - start gathering all your employment documents NOW while you still have access to your work systems. Make copies of your employment contract, any performance reviews, and especially any documentation about the layoff decision (emails, meeting notes, official announcements). Sometimes ESD asks for additional verification, and it's much easier to provide this stuff when you still have your work email and computer access rather than trying to get it from HR after you're gone. Also, if you have direct deposit set up with your employer, double-check that your bank account info is correct since you'll want to use the same account for unemployment benefits. One small typo in your routing number can delay your first payment by weeks while they mail you a paper check instead.
This is such smart advice! I wouldn't have thought to gather all those employment documents while I still have system access. I'll make sure to download copies of everything - my employment contract, the layoff announcement, and any performance reviews - before my access gets cut off. The tip about double-checking bank account info is really important too. I'd hate to have my first unemployment payment delayed because of a simple typo when I'm already dealing with the stress of being between jobs. Thanks for thinking of these practical details that could easily be overlooked!
Hey Jackson! I just went through this exact situation a few months ago when my company did layoffs. One thing I wish someone had told me - make sure you save/print your final paystub as soon as you get it, because you'll need it for the ESD application and sometimes payroll systems get deactivated quickly after layoffs. Also, if your employer uses a third-party payroll service (like ADP or Paychex), you might lose access to your pay history sooner than you expect. I had to scramble to get documentation because I couldn't log into the payroll portal after my separation date. One more tip - if you're comfortable doing so, exchange contact info with some of your coworkers who are also being laid off. Having people who went through the same process at the same company can be really helpful for comparing experiences and troubleshooting any ESD issues that come up. We created a little group chat and it was super helpful for sharing updates and tips throughout the unemployment process.
This is incredibly helpful - thank you so much! The tip about saving/printing my final paystub immediately is something I definitely wouldn't have thought of. I'll make sure to do that as soon as I get my last paycheck. And you're absolutely right about the payroll system access - our company does use ADP, so I should probably download/print any pay history I might need while I still have access. The group chat idea is brilliant! There are about 8 of us getting laid off from my department, and we're all pretty close. I think we'd all benefit from sharing our experiences and helping each other navigate the unemployment process. It would be reassuring to have people going through the exact same situation at the same time. Thanks for all these practical tips - it's so helpful to hear from someone who just went through this recently!
Andre Rousseau
Bottom line - budget around 2.7% of your first $71k per employee for Washington unemployment tax as a new business. It'll likely go down after a few years if you manage your workforce well and avoid frequent layoffs.
0 coins
Paolo Moretti
•Perfect summary. This gives me exactly what I need for my business planning. Thanks everyone!
0 coins
Zoe Papadakis
•Good luck with your business growth! Managing payroll taxes gets easier once you get into a routine.
0 coins
Javier Cruz
Just wanted to add that Washington ESD also offers online workshops for new employers that cover unemployment tax basics. I attended one last year when I was starting my business and it was really helpful for understanding the reporting requirements and deadlines. They usually have them monthly and they're free. You can find the schedule on their website under employer resources.
0 coins
Nia Watson
•Yes, they definitely provided a new employer timeline! They gave us a really helpful checklist that breaks down everything by when you need to do it. You have to register within 30 days of becoming liable (basically when you first pay wages), and your first quarterly report is due by the last day of the month following the end of the quarter where you first paid wages. So if you start paying employees in February, your first report covers Q1 and is due April 30th. They also emphasized that even if you have zero wages to report in a quarter, you still need to file a report saying so. The workshop materials included a calendar showing all the quarterly due dates for the year, which was super useful for planning ahead.
0 coins
GalaxyGazer
•This workshop information is exactly what I've been looking for! As a complete newcomer to employment taxes, I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed trying to figure out all the Washington ESD requirements on my own. The fact that they offer free structured training specifically for new employers sounds like a lifesaver. I'm planning to hire my first employee in the next couple months, so the timing would be perfect. Do you remember if they also covered what documentation you need to keep for audits, and for how long? I want to make sure I'm setting up good record-keeping practices from the start rather than trying to fix things later.
0 coins