Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live ESD agent in minutes.
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
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!
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
This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in the exact same situation and was worried about the same thing. Now I know I don't need to worry about FICA taxes on my unemployment benefits.
Glad this helped you too! It's amazing how many people have the same questions about unemployment taxes.
That's the beauty of forums - one person asks a question and it helps tons of other people with the same issue.
This thread has been a lifesaver! I was just about to file my taxes and was completely confused about the FICA situation with my unemployment benefits. I've been unemployed for most of 2024 after my retail job got cut, and I received around $12,000 in benefits from Washington ESD. My tax software kept asking about FICA and I had no idea what to tell it. Reading through all these responses has made it crystal clear - unemployment benefits are subject to regular federal income tax but NOT FICA taxes. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain this so thoroughly, especially the tax preparer who confirmed it. Now I can finish my taxes with confidence!
So glad this thread helped you too, Tony! It's really reassuring to know that so many of us were dealing with the exact same confusion. The clarity everyone provided here definitely beats trying to figure it out from confusing government websites. Good luck with finishing your taxes - at least now you know you don't have that extra FICA burden to worry about!
Join the conversation
One more thing - if you do get your online access disabled, make sure you keep records of your unemployment history somewhere else. You might need it for mortgage applications or other financial stuff later.
Good point! I should download my payment history and claim details before I disable anything.
Yes definitely do that. You can get copies later but it's easier while you still have online access.
Final thought - you could also contact the Washington State Privacy Office if you want more information about your rights regarding personal data held by state agencies. They might have more detailed info about data retention and deletion policies.
Thanks for mentioning the Privacy Office! I'll definitely reach out to them too. It would be good to know if there's any difference between what ESD is legally required to keep versus what they're just choosing to keep. Maybe they can also clarify if there are any situations where full deletion might be possible.
This is really valuable advice! I never thought to approach it from a privacy rights angle. Between contacting the Privacy Office and using Claimyr to get through to ESD directly, I should be able to get some definitive answers about what's actually possible versus what they just tell people by default.
Join the conversation
I went through this exact same confusion a few months ago! The key thing to remember is that PFMLA is handled through a completely separate portal from regular unemployment. Once you log into your SAW account, look for "Paid Family and Medical Leave" (not unemployment services). The weekly certifications are much simpler - they mainly just ask if you were still on leave and if you received any other income. No job search requirements at all! I'd recommend setting a weekly reminder on your phone to file since it's easy to forget when you're recovering from surgery. Hope your recovery goes smoothly!
Thank you so much for the encouragement and the reminder tip! I really appreciate everyone's help in this thread. It's such a relief to know that the PFMLA weekly certifications are simpler than unemployment claims. Setting a weekly reminder is a great idea - I'll do that right after I get caught up on my missed weeks. Thanks again for the well wishes on my recovery!
Just wanted to add my experience - I also got confused about this when I first started my PFMLA claim after knee surgery. The key thing that helped me was realizing that when you log into SAW, you'll actually see TWO different account options if you've used both systems: one for "Unemployment Services" and another for "Paid Family and Medical Leave." Make sure you click on the PFMLA one! Also, unlike unemployment where you have to file by a certain day of the week, PFMLA gives you more flexibility on when during the week you submit your certification. The whole process is definitely more user-friendly once you find the right place. Good luck with your recovery!
This is really helpful! I think the confusion about having two separate account options in SAW is what threw me off initially. I was probably clicking on the unemployment services out of habit since that's what I used last year. Thanks for clarifying that PFMLA gives more flexibility on filing timing too - that takes some pressure off. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here, it's made this whole process so much less stressful!
Join the conversation
Bottom line: yes you pay federal taxes on unemployment, no you don't pay Washington state taxes on it, and yes you should have received a 1099-G showing the amount. File your taxes on time even if you can't pay immediately.
Perfect summary! Thanks everyone for all the helpful information. I feel much more prepared to tackle my taxes now.
I went through this exact same situation two years ago. One thing that really helped me was setting aside about 20% of each unemployment payment for taxes - I know it's hard when money is tight, but it saved me from a huge shock at tax time. Also, if you're doing your own taxes, make sure to double-check that the 1099-G amount matches what you actually received. I had a discrepancy where they included a week that was later denied, and it took forever to get corrected. The tax software like TurboTax or FreeTaxUSA handles unemployment income pretty well and will walk you through it step by step.
That's really solid advice about setting aside 20%! I wish I had thought of that when I was receiving benefits. It's so much easier to save a little from each payment than to scramble to find the money all at once during tax season. And thanks for mentioning the potential discrepancies on the 1099-G - I'll definitely cross-reference mine with my payment records before filing.
Owen Jenkins
I've been using handwritten logs for about 6 months now and haven't had any issues! One tip that's helped me a lot is to use a black pen (not blue) when filling out the forms - it scans and photographs much better if you ever need to submit digital copies. Also, I keep mine in a dedicated folder and number each page in case they get mixed up. The ESD website actually has a downloadable PDF version of their job search log that's designed to be printed and filled out by hand, so you're definitely good to go with that approach!
0 coins
Fatima Al-Mazrouei
•Thanks for the tip about using black pen! I never thought about how that would affect photo quality. I'll definitely look for that PDF version on the ESD website too - having an official form designed for handwriting sounds perfect. The numbering pages idea is really smart in case they ever get out of order.
0 coins
Ayla Kumar
Just want to add that I've been doing a combination approach for the past few months - I keep a handwritten backup log in addition to using the online system when it's working. This way if the website crashes or times out (which happens way too often), I already have everything written down and don't have to scramble to remember what I applied for. I use one of those composition notebooks so the pages can't fall out and get lost. It's a bit of extra work but gives me peace of mind knowing I'm covered either way!
0 coins