Washington Unemployment

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  • Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
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  • 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

If I could give 10 stars I would

If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!

Really made a difference

Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.

Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.

Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.

An incredibly helpful service

An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!

Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.

Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.

IT WORKS!! Not a scam!

I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!

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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 :)

Michael Green

How can I qualify for unemployment benefits in Washington state?

I just lost my job last week and I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for unemployment benefits through Washington ESD. I worked at a restaurant for about 8 months before they laid me off due to slow business. I'm not sure what the requirements are or how to even start the process. Can someone explain what I need to qualify and how to apply? I've never filed for unemployment before and I'm pretty confused about the whole thing.

Remember that unemployment benefits are taxable income, so you might want to have taxes withheld or set money aside for tax season.

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Oh, I didn't think about that. Thanks for the reminder!

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You can elect to have 10% withheld for federal taxes when you file your weekly claims. It's optional but can help avoid a big tax bill later.

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Best advice is just to apply and see what happens. You won't know if you qualify until you try, and there's no penalty for applying if you don't end up qualifying.

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You're right. I'm going to apply this weekend when I have time to gather all my documents.

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Good plan! Having everything organized before you start will make the process much smoother.

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Aisha Rahman

How many weeks do I have to work to get unemployment benefits in Washington?

I've been working at my current job for about 5 months now and I'm worried I might get laid off soon due to company downsizing. I keep hearing different things about how long you need to work before you can qualify for unemployment benefits in Washington. Some people say 6 months, others say a year. Can someone clarify exactly how many weeks I need to have worked to be eligible for Washington ESD unemployment? I want to make sure I understand the requirements before anything happens.

Just want to add that if you're worried about qualifying, you can always call Washington ESD ahead of time to ask about your potential eligibility. Though good luck getting through...

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I might try that, or use one of those services people mentioned to get through.

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Claimyr worked great for me when I needed to check on my claim status. Saved me hours of calling.

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Bottom line: 5 months of full-time work should definitely be enough to qualify as long as you were earning decent wages. The quarters thing is confusing but Washington ESD will figure it out when you apply. Focus on documenting everything about your potential layoff so you can prove it wasn't your fault.

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Thanks everyone! This has been really helpful. I feel much more prepared now.

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Good luck! Hope you don't need to use this info but it's smart to be prepared.

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Zoe Kyriakidou

Can 1099 contractors file for Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

I've been working as a 1099 independent contractor for the past two years doing freelance web design. My main client just cut my contract and I'm scrambling to find new work. A friend told me I might be able to get unemployment benefits but I thought that was only for W-2 employees? Can 1099 workers actually file for Washington ESD unemployment? I've never paid into the system as far as I know.

I had a similar situation and Washington ESD actually reclassified me as an employee after investigating. It took a few months but I eventually got benefits. Don't give up if they initially deny you.

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That's encouraging to hear. Did you have to provide a lot of documentation during the investigation?

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Yeah, they wanted emails, contracts, anything showing how the company controlled my work. It was worth gathering everything though.

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The bottom line is that it's worth applying even as a 1099 worker. If there's any chance you were misclassified, Washington ESD will figure it out. You have nothing to lose by trying.

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You're right. I'm going to apply tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks everyone for all the advice.

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Good luck! And remember, if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your claim status, that Claimyr service people mentioned earlier can really help you get through.

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Ezra Bates

Washington ESD claim approved but payment amounts seem too low - unemployment rate affecting benefits?

Just got my first Washington ESD payment after waiting 5 weeks for adjudication and the amount is way lower than I expected. I was making $52K annually as a warehouse supervisor and my weekly benefit amount is only $681. I keep reading about high unemployment rates nationally and wondering if that's affecting individual benefit calculations? My friend in Oregon gets way more on his claim. Does Washington ESD adjust payments based on overall unemployment statistics or economic conditions? I'm trying to figure out if this is normal or if there's an error in my claim calculation.

i had a similar experience where i thought my benefits were too low but it turned out to be correct. washington esd is actually pretty accurate with their calculations once you understand the system

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Yeah seems like the system works as intended, just not always obvious how the numbers are reached.

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Thanks for this thread everyone. I learned more about Washington ESD benefit calculations here than I did from their website!

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Glad it was helpful! The community knowledge here is really valuable.

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Gabriel Graham

When should I file unemployment benefits with Washington ESD?

I got laid off yesterday from my job at a manufacturing company in Spokane. My manager said it was due to 'restructuring' and that my position was eliminated. I've never filed for unemployment before and I'm not sure when I should submit my claim. Should I file right away or wait a few days? I heard there might be a waiting period anyway. Also, do I need to have all my paperwork ready first or can I start the process and add documents later? Any advice would be helpful since I have no idea what I'm doing with this whole Washington ESD system.

File immediately and then start your job search right away even though you don't technically have to log activities yet. The job market is competitive and the sooner you start looking, the better. Plus it gives you something productive to do while waiting for your claim to process.

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That's good advice. I was planning to take a few days to decompress but you're probably right about starting the search early.

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Definitely start looking right away. I took a week off and regretted it because all the good jobs got snapped up while I was sitting around.

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One more vote for filing immediately. I work in HR and I always tell people who get laid off to file their claim before they even leave the building if possible. There's literally no downside to filing early and potentially missing out on benefits because you waited is just throwing away money.

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Wow, that's really helpful coming from someone in HR. I definitely won't wait any longer.

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That's exactly right. I'm also in HR and we actually give people the Washington ESD website info as part of their exit paperwork now because so many people used to wait too long.

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