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I made decent money but it was all in the first half of last year. Then I had a lower paying job for a few months before getting laid off. Will they use my higher earnings or more recent ones?
Thanks everyone for all the info! This thread has been way more helpful than the Washington ESD website. I feel much better about filing my claim now.
One more tip - if you qualify for the maximum benefit amount, you also qualify for the maximum number of weeks (usually 26 weeks). The duration and amount are linked in Washington's system.
Overall Washington's unemployment system works pretty well once you get through the initial setup. The benefit calculation is transparent and the amounts are livable for most people.
Glad we could help! And remember if you need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD, Claimyr can save you hours of phone frustration.
For anyone else reading this thread, I'd recommend keeping track of your earnings and employment dates. Makes it easier to determine eligibility and complete the application if you ever need to file for benefits.
The bottom line is that Washington state's unemployment system is designed to help workers who lose their jobs, but you do need to have worked enough to contribute to the system. Sounds like 8 months of full-time work should easily meet the requirements.
Don't forget to file your weekly claims every week even if your initial claim is still being processed. Missing a week can cause delays in getting your benefits.
This thread has been super helpful. I was also confused about the eligibility requirements but now I understand the base period thing much better.
Dylan Mitchell
This has been super helpful for me too. I start filing next week and was dreading trying to figure out what all the different numbers mean.
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Zara Rashid
•Glad this thread helped you too! Good luck with your first filing.
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Luca Romano
•The first few times feel overwhelming but it gets much easier. Don't stress too much about it.
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Sofia Morales
Just to close the loop on this - I successfully filed my weekly claim using my SSN as the identification number. Everything went through without any issues. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Dmitry Popov
•Awesome! Thanks for following up to confirm it worked.
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CosmicCruiser
•Great news! And remember, if you ever need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD about your claim, Claimyr is there to help get you connected without the endless hold times.
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