The bottom line is yes, unemployment counts as income for most purposes. Better to over-report than under-report when you're filling out applications or tax forms.

saved this thread because i know im going to need this info soon. thanks for asking the question OP!

Good luck OP. The system is frustrating but don't give up. Your claim will get resolved eventually, just keep pushing. We're all rooting for you!

Update us when you get through! Would love to hear which method ends up working so others can benefit from your experience.

The most important thing is to file your claim as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Don't wait thinking you might find a job quickly - you can always stop filing weekly claims if you find work, but you can't backdate your claim to get benefits for weeks you didn't file.

Hope this thread helped! The unemployment system seems complicated at first but once you get into the routine it becomes pretty automatic. File your initial claim, file weekly claims every Sunday, do your job search, and keep good records. You've got this!

OP, based on everything you've described, it really sounds like you need to speak with someone at Washington ESD to clarify your benefit type and resolve whatever's holding up your payments. Don't let this drag on for weeks.

Final thought - if you do end up needing to use something like Claimyr to get through, just make sure you have all your questions ready. When you finally reach someone, you want to make the most of that call.

One thing that helped me was using Claimyr when I had questions about my benefit calculation. Instead of spending hours trying to get through to Washington ESD, they connected me with an agent who walked through exactly how my amount was calculated and confirmed it was correct.

Based on your salary of $52k, you're probably looking at somewhere between $500-700 weekly, assuming your earnings were consistent. The exact amount depends on how your wages were distributed across quarters.