Hope everyone gets their claims approved quickly and without too much hassle. The unemployment system can be stressful but at least the benefits provide some financial cushion while job hunting.

Final tip from someone who's been through this process - keep detailed records of everything. Your wage statements, when you filed, when you certified, etc. It makes everything easier if you need to appeal or have questions about your benefits later.

Still think its ridiculous how hard it is to get Washington ESD on the phone to ask these basic questions about your own claim

Thanks everyone for the explanations! This thread helped me understand my benefit calculation way better than the Washington ESD website did.

One thing that might skew your data - a lot of women who lost jobs didn't file for unemployment because they weren't eligible (didn't work enough hours, were contractors, etc.) or because they became full-time caregivers instead of actively job searching.

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when I needed to update my job search log with Washington ESD. Saved me literally hours of trying to get through on the phone. They're pretty efficient at navigating the phone system.

Also remember that any freelance income you earn while collecting benefits needs to be reported on your weekly claims. They'll deduct it from your benefit amount, but you won't necessarily lose all benefits unless you earn over a certain threshold.

The bottom line is you won't know for sure until you apply. The worst they can say is no, and if you do have qualifying wages, you could be missing out on benefits you're entitled to. The application process will walk you through everything.

I keep getting disconnected after waiting for 2+ hours. It's like the system just hangs up on you automatically.

Has anyone tried calling the employer hotline by mistake? I did that once and got through immediately, but they couldn't help with my claim obviously.