UPDATE: Just got my determination letter today! It took 6 business days after my employer and I both responded. I was approved! The adjudicator found that I was laid off due to lack of work despite my employer trying to claim I quit. All my backpay should be coming in the next few days. Thanks for everyone's advice and support during this stressful time!

Congratulations Sofia! That's fantastic news and what a relief it must be after such a stressful wait. Your timeline of 6 business days is actually pretty reasonable for ESD - I've seen some cases drag on much longer. It's also a great reminder that employers sometimes try to contest legitimate layoffs, but the adjudicators are trained to look at the actual facts. Thanks for coming back to update us with the good news - it gives hope to others going through similar situations!

I found Claimyr super helpful for understanding this stuff. The Washington ESD agent they connected me with explained how excess wages work with my specific work schedule. Much clearer than trying to figure it out from the website.

Thanks everyone for explaining this! I was also confused about excess wages when I first started working part-time on UI. One thing that helped me was keeping a simple spreadsheet to track my weekly earnings versus my benefit amount, so I could predict what my payment would be before filing my claim. It takes the guesswork out of it and helps you plan your finances better. Just remember the key rule: benefit amount + $5 = your threshold, and anything above that reduces your UI payment dollar for dollar.

FINAL UPDATE: Just got the notification that 4 weeks of payments were processed and will be deposited tomorrow! Total relief. For anyone else stuck in pending status - definitely try to speak with an actual ESD agent, it made all the difference.

Congratulations on getting your claim resolved! Your experience really highlights how broken the ESD phone system is - the fact that you had to use a third-party service just to reach a human who could fix something in minutes is ridiculous. It's great that you kept updating this thread though, because your story will definitely help other people who find themselves in the same situation. Four weeks of back payments must be such a huge relief after running low on savings. Thanks for sharing what worked!

Great advice from everyone here! Just want to emphasize one more important point - if you're switching from unemployment to work, make sure you understand how your final paycheck timing might affect your last claim. If you get paid for your first few days of work during the same week you're filing your final unemployment claim, you need to report those earnings accurately. Washington ESD calculates benefits based on when you actually performed the work, not when you receive the paycheck. Better to be overly cautious with reporting than risk an overpayment situation later.

Just to add another perspective - I went through this exact situation last year when I started a new job. The key thing that helped me was logging into my Washington ESD account one final time after my last claim to make sure everything looked correct. You can see your claim status change from "active" to "inactive" after a few weeks of not filing, which gives you peace of mind that everything processed properly. Also, keep your login credentials saved somewhere safe - you never know if you might need to access your account later for tax documents or if your employment situation changes. The W-2 forms from Washington ESD are important for tax season!

I had the same confusion when I first started! One thing that helped me was creating a simple calendar reminder that says "File UI weekly claim for [previous week dates]" every Sunday. Also, if you ever miss a week by accident, don't panic - just file as soon as you remember and call Washington ESD to explain. They're usually understanding about honest mistakes as long as you don't make it a habit.

One more tip that really helped me - Washington ESD's mobile app actually makes filing weekly claims super easy once you get the hang of the timing. I was struggling with the desktop site at first but the app is more straightforward. You can also check your claim status and payment history right from your phone. Just make sure you're still filing every Sunday for the previous week (Sunday through Saturday) like everyone mentioned. The app will show you exactly which week you're certifying for so there's less confusion about the dates.