Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
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
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
Zara Mirza
If your claim gets denied for any reason, don't give up! You have the right to appeal the decision. The appeal process has strict deadlines though, so make sure you understand your options and act quickly if needed.
What are some common reasons claims get denied? Should I be prepared for that possibility?
Zara Mirza
•Most common reasons are insufficient work history, quitting without good cause, or being fired for misconduct. Since you were laid off, you should be fine.
NebulaNinja
honestly the hardest part for me was just getting started. Once I submitted the application, everything else kind of fell into place. The weekly claims become routine pretty quickly.
NebulaNinja
•You got this! And remember, ESD has customer service if you get stuck, though like others mentioned, actually reaching them can be challenging.
Luca Russo
•That's where services like Claimyr really come in handy. When you do need to talk to ESD, at least you know there's a way to actually get through to them without the usual runaround.
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Luca Ferrari
I had three ineligible weeks in a row last year and it turned out my former employer had contested my claim and ESD was investigating. They never told me about the investigation until I finally got through to someone on the phone. Definitely try to speak with an agent ASAP.
Luca Ferrari
•Yeah, took about two months but I eventually got all the back pay. The employer's contest was bogus but I had to prove it with documentation.
Amina Sy
•Two months?! That's way too long to go without benefits while they investigate.
Update: I ended up using Claimyr after seeing it mentioned here and finally got through to ESD. Turns out my ineligible week was because I reported job search activities that weren't specific enough. The agent helped me understand exactly what they need and fixed the week. Definitely worth it if you're stuck trying to reach them the regular way.
Nia Wilson
•What kind of details do they want for job search activities? I might be making the same mistake.
They want company names, specific job titles, dates, and method of contact. Generic entries like 'applied online' aren't enough anymore.
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The average seems to be about 2-3 weeks for most people I know, but there's a lot of variation. Keep filing your weekly claims and try to be patient. I know that's easier said than done when money's tight.
Thanks for the reality check. 2-3 weeks feels manageable if I plan for it.
Ravi Patel
•Yeah, setting realistic expectations helps with the stress. Just know it will eventually come through.
whatever you do dont stop filing the weekly claims even if it feels pointless. i made that mistake and lost out on 2 weeks of benefits when i finally got approved
Oh wow, that's a costly mistake! I'll definitely keep filing every week no matter what.
yeah it was like $800 down the drain because i got frustrated and skipped those weeks
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Update on the Claimyr thing I mentioned earlier - I actually used it again this week to check on a different issue. Still works great for getting through to Washington ESD when you can't reach them directly.
Yuki Sato
•Good to know it's reliable. Might need to try that myself.
Yeah, beats spending hours on redial. The website is claimyr.com if anyone needs it.
Carmen Ruiz
Hope everything works out for you OP. Being fired is stressful enough without worrying about unemployment benefits too.
Thanks everyone for all the advice and support. I'm feeling much more confident about filing my claim now.
Carmen Ruiz
•You've got this! Keep us updated on how it goes.
Dmitry Sokolov
Bottom line - if you only have self-employment income, you can't get regular unemployment benefits. If you have W2 wages during your base period, you might qualify based on those wages alone. The tricky part is figuring out if you have enough qualifying wages and meeting the availability requirements.
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NebulaNinja
•Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Sounds like I need to look up my exact W2 wages from last year and possibly talk to Washington ESD directly to see if I qualify.
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Ava Martinez
•Good luck! Hope it works out for you. The unemployment system is confusing enough without trying to figure out the self-employment angle.
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Miguel Ramos
One more thing - even if you qualify, your weekly benefit amount will only be based on your W2 wages, not your total income including self-employment. So the benefit might be lower than you expect.
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NebulaNinja
•That makes sense. At this point any help would be better than nothing, so I'll take whatever I can get if I qualify.
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QuantumQuasar
•Exactly. Something is better than nothing when work is slow.
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