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
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 :)
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Hope everything works out with your recovery and that you find some financial assistance during your leave. Keep us posted!
Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice. I'll start by looking into the paid family leave program and then contact Washington ESD if I need more specific guidance.
I went through something similar when I had to take FMLA for a knee replacement. You're right that regular unemployment won't work since you're not available for work, but definitely look into Washington's Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. You have to have worked and paid into it for at least 820 hours in the past year, and there's a one-week waiting period. The benefits are partial wage replacement (usually around 90% of your average weekly wage up to a cap). I applied online at paidleave.wa.gov and it was way easier than dealing with ESD phone lines. Also check if you have any accrued sick time or vacation pay you can use to bridge gaps. Good luck with your recovery!
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One last thing - if you end up having to pay it back, ask about setting up a payment plan instead of them taking the whole refund at once. They usually work with you on that.
That's definitely better than losing it all at once. I'll keep that in mind as a backup option.
I went through something similar last year with a $1,900 overpayment. The key is to act fast and don't let them steamroll you. First thing - call them ASAP and ask for a payment plan instead of the tax intercept. Even if you plan to appeal or request a waiver, having a payment plan in place can sometimes stop the intercept process while you work things out. Also, if you had any job changes or confusing income situations during your claim period, that might be where the error happened. Washington ESD makes mistakes all the time with how they calculate these things.
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If anyone else needs to reach Washington ESD about tax withholding or other claim questions, I can't recommend Claimyr enough. Finally got my issues resolved after weeks of trying to call on my own.
I'm convinced. Going to try them this week.
Same here. The regular phone system is completely useless.
One last tip - keep good records of your unemployment payments throughout the year. Don't wait until tax time to figure out how much you received. Makes filing much easier.
The Washington ESD website shows your payment history too if you log into your account.
That's really helpful to know! I didn't realize Washington ESD kept a payment history online. That will make tax prep so much easier than trying to track everything manually.
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When I got laid off last year I chose NO withholding for the first two months then switched to YES for the rest of my unemployment period. It was kind of a compromise - I needed the full amount at first while I was adjusting my budget, then switched to withholding once I had my expenses under control. Just sharing another approach!
That's actually a really smart approach. I might consider doing exactly that - no withholding for a month until I get caught up on some bills, then switch to having taxes taken out. Thanks for sharing!
I went through the same decision last year when I was laid off from my retail job. I chose to have taxes withheld from day one, and honestly it was the right call for me. Yes, my weekly benefit was smaller (around $680 instead of $750), but when tax season came around I actually got a small refund instead of owing money. The peace of mind was worth it - I was already stressed about finding work and didn't need the extra worry of a looming tax bill. Plus, once you adjust your budget to the smaller amount, you don't really miss that extra money. Just my 2 cents as someone who's been there!
Joshua Wood
Waiting week is required for all new PFML claims in 2025. Glad to hear your second week is approved! My experience with PFML last summer was that I got my ReliaCard about 10 days after filing my first claim, but they didn't tell me they'd mailed it so it just showed up randomly. The payment hit the card about 3 days after approved status. Oh and dont forget u still gotta file weekly even on PFML!
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Michael Adams
•Thank you! Yes, I've been making sure to file each week. I wasn't sure if I needed to since this is medical leave with a set return date, but didn't want to risk missing payments. I'll keep watching my mail for the card!
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Nia Thompson
Just wanted to add my recent experience - I started PFML in February and had a similar timeline. My ReliaCard arrived exactly 8 business days after my first approved week, and the funds were already loaded on it when I activated it. One thing I didn't realize at first is that you can check your card balance online at reliacard.com even before the physical card arrives, as long as you have your SSN and the card gets issued. That helped me know the money was there while I was waiting for it in the mail. Also, if you're planning to transfer money to your bank account regularly, consider setting up the free transfer option through the ReliaCard website rather than using ATMs - it takes 1-2 business days but saves on fees.
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