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 :)
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Lydia Bailey
Quick question - does overtime pay count toward the benefit calculation? I had a lot of OT in my highest quarter.
Lucas Turner
•Yes, overtime counts. It's all part of your gross wages for that quarter. So if you had a high-OT quarter, that would actually help your benefit calculation.
Lydia Bailey
•Perfect, that should bump up my weekly amount then.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Sounds like I should expect somewhere in the $600-700 range per week based on my salary. I'll file this week and see what happens. Fingers crossed I don't need to call Washington ESD for anything, but good to know about that Claimyr service if I do.
Lucas Turner
•Good luck with your claim! The process is usually pretty smooth if you have straightforward employment history like yours.
Hope it goes smoothly for you. The online filing system is pretty intuitive these days.
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The Washington ESD website has a benefits calculator where you can estimate how much you'll get per week and for how many weeks. It's not 100% accurate but gives you a ballpark idea of what to expect.
Thanks! I'll check that out. Having an estimate would help me budget better while I'm job searching.
The calculator is pretty close to accurate in my experience. Just remember the weekly amount is before taxes if you choose to have them withheld.
Keep in mind that if you exhaust your regular UI benefits and still can't find work, there might be other training programs or assistance available through WorkSource. It's worth looking into before your benefits run out.
That's good to know. Are those programs free or do you have to pay for training?
Many of the WorkSource programs are free or low-cost, especially if they're funded by federal workforce development grants. Worth checking out their website or visiting a local office.
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Welcome to the club nobody wants to be in! But seriously, unemployment benefits are there for exactly this situation. Use them while you find something better.
Sofia Torres
•Ha! Yeah, not exactly where I planned to be at this point, but you're right - that's what the system is for.
Exactly! You paid into the system while you were working, so don't feel bad about using it now.
Just remember - file your weekly claims every week, keep looking for work, and document everything. You'll get through this!
Sofia Torres
•Will do! This thread has been incredibly helpful. I feel ready to tackle the application now.
That's what this community is for. Good luck and feel free to ask if you have more questions!
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ThunderBolt7
One more tip - if you end up owing taxes and can't pay the full amount right away, don't ignore it. Contact the IRS to set up a payment plan. They're usually pretty reasonable about working with people.
That's reassuring to know. I was worried they'd want everything immediately.
ThunderBolt7
•Nope, they have several payment plan options available. Just don't wait until the last minute to contact them.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I feel much better about the tax situation now. Going to set up withholding on my remaining benefits and start putting aside some money just in case.
Leila Haddad
•Sounds like a solid plan! You're handling this the right way.
Good luck with everything! You've got this.
Amara Chukwu
One more tip - if you worked in multiple states recently, you might need to file in a different state depending on where you earned the most wages. Washington ESD can help you figure out which state you should file in, but it's worth checking before you start the application.
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Omar Zaki
•I've only worked in Washington, so I should be good there.
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Amara Chukwu
•Perfect, then Washington ESD is definitely the right place to file.
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Giovanni Conti
The whole process took me about 30 minutes to complete the initial application online. Just make sure you have all your employment info ready beforehand so you don't have to stop and look things up. The system times out if you take too long on one page.
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Omar Zaki
•Good to know about the timeout. I'll gather everything first before starting.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
•Yeah, I learned that the hard way. Had to start over because I was trying to find old W-2s while filling it out.
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