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 :)
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hope this works out for you! the combination of job hunting pressure plus visa timeline plus figuring out benefits is rough but you'll get through it
Thanks! This thread has been incredibly helpful. At least now I know what I'm dealing with.
Final summary for you: 26 weeks maximum duration, same as any other claimant. Focus on meeting work search requirements, keep your documentation current, and file your weekly claims on time. Your visa status doesn't disqualify you from Washington ESD benefits if you've been paying in.
Perfect summary! I feel much more confident about moving forward now. Really appreciate everyone who took the time to help explain this.
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If you're self-employed and getting unemployment, make sure you understand how it interacts with your business taxes too. Can get complicated.
Good point. Self-employment adds another layer of complexity to the tax situation.
Definitely recommend talking to a tax professional if you have self-employment income plus unemployment benefits.
The bottom line is yes, unemployment is taxable income federally. Have the 10% withheld to avoid owing a bunch later. Learned from experience!
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. Definitely going to set up withholding on my next weekly claim.
Smart move. Better to get a small refund than owe a big chunk in April.
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I've been tracking unemployment benefit rates across states for a research project and Washington consistently ranks in the top 3-5. The maximum weekly benefit amount of $999 puts it ahead of about 45 other states. But the duration is standard at 26 weeks like most places.
Several states have proposed increases but it's slow going. Political resistance to raising unemployment benefits is pretty strong in most places.
Meanwhile cost of living keeps going up but benefit amounts in most states stay the same for years. At least Washington adjusts theirs periodically.
The frustrating thing is that even with Washington having relatively high benefits, the process to get help when you have issues is still terrible. I needed to talk to someone about my job search requirements and it took using a service called Claimyr to actually reach a human at Washington ESD.
It's basically a callback service that handles the waiting and calling for you. Way better than sitting on hold for hours. Check out their demo video if you want to see how it works.
I'm definitely going to look into this. The phone situation with Washington ESD has been my biggest frustration.
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One more thing to keep in mind - if you're getting any severance pay from your employer, that might affect when your unemployment benefits can start. Washington ESD has rules about how severance impacts your eligibility timing.
I'm not getting severance, but that's good to know for other people who might be reading this.
Yeah, it's one of those things that can surprise people. Better to mention it during your application than have it cause problems later.
Final thought - even though there can be delays and frustrations with Washington ESD, the unemployment benefits are definitely there and available. Most people who are eligible do eventually receive their payments. Just be patient and persistent if you run into any issues.
I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain everything. This thread has been super helpful!
That's what these forums are for! Good luck with your application and I hope everything goes smoothly for you.
QuantumQuasar
If you're still having trouble getting through to Washington ESD, I had success with Claimyr too. They got me connected to an agent who walked me through my benefit calculation and answered all my questions. Worth trying if you need to talk to someone directly.
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CosmicCadet
•Multiple people have mentioned Claimyr now. I might give that a try if I run into issues after filing.
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Liam McGuire
the hardest part isn't figuring out how much you'll get, it's actually getting washington esd to process your claim without delays. be prepared for potential issues and have backup plans for paying bills
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CosmicCadet
•That's what I'm worried about. I have some savings but not enough for months of delays.
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Amara Eze
•Most claims go through fine, don't stress too much about it before you even file
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