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This thread should be pinned somewhere. So much good info here that I wish I'd had when I filed my claim last year. Would have saved me a lot of confusion and mistakes.
Final reminder - keep copies of everything you submit and take screenshots of your online application before you submit it. If there are any technical issues or questions later, having that documentation helps a lot.
OP, based on what you described, it sounds like your employer might have reported the separation incorrectly to Washington ESD. This happens more often than you'd think. Employers sometimes report layoffs as voluntary quits by mistake, or they may be trying to avoid having their unemployment tax rate increased.
That makes sense. My old manager seemed pretty frazzled when she was letting people go. She might have filled out the forms wrong.
The good news is that if this really was just an employer reporting error, your appeal should be successful. Washington ESD will review the evidence and make a new determination. Just make sure you have everything documented and submit your appeal before the deadline.
Just circling back to say that having that direct line to Washington ESD through Claimyr really made the difference for me when I had questions about my eligibility. Sometimes you just need to talk to a human to get clarity on your specific situation.
The tax withholding really is the easiest way to handle this. I've had it set up from day one and haven't had to worry about setting money aside or calculating payments.
For anyone still confused about this stuff, the IRS also has Publication 525 that explains what types of income are taxable, including unemployment benefits. It's pretty detailed if you want to dive deep into the rules.
Oliver Schulz
Good luck with your claim! The majority of people fired for performance reasons do get approved eventually. Just be patient with the process and don't give up if there are delays.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice! I feel much more confident about applying now.
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Natasha Orlova
•You've got this! The system works better than people think, it's just slow sometimes.
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Javier Cruz
One last tip - if you do need to reach Washington ESD and can't get through on the regular phone lines, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier actually works. I was skeptical at first but when I was desperate to check on my adjudication status, it got me through to an actual person in like 10 minutes instead of hours of busy signals.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•I bookmarked their site just in case. Hopefully I won't need it but good to have as a backup option.
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Emma Wilson
•Same here, I've heard too many horror stories about people never getting through to Washington ESD on their own.
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