UPDATE: Finally got through to ESD today using the Claimyr service that someone recommended here. The agent confirmed my weekly claim DID process correctly despite what the website shows. She said they're having a system issue where phone claims aren't updating the online status, but the payments are still being processed correctly. My payment should arrive tomorrow as scheduled. She noted in my account that I called to check on this so there's a record of it. Such a relief! Thanks for all the advice everyone.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm bookmarking this because I use the phone system sometimes too and had no idea about this sync issue. Really glad to see everyone helping each other out here instead of just complaining. The tip about checking spam folders is genius - I bet that catches a lot of people off guard. Thanks for sharing the update about getting it resolved too!

Bottom line: Washington employees don't pay unemployment taxes but are fully covered by the system through employer contributions. Your work history earns you benefit rights, and you can file claims when eligible without worrying about whether you personally contributed to the fund.

One thing that might help clarify this - if you look at your paystub, you'll see FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) that you DO pay into, but unemployment insurance won't be listed because that's entirely on the employer side. It's kind of like how your employer also pays the employer portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes that don't show up on your paystub. The unemployment system is just 100% employer-funded rather than split like FICA.

This is such a common and infuriating issue with ESD! I went through the exact same thing last fall when I switched from Chase to a local credit union. One day I'm getting my payments normally, the next day I'm in "adjudication" for completely unrelated reasons. What really gets me is that they don't send you any notification explaining WHY you're suddenly flagged - you just have to figure it out yourself when your payment doesn't show up. The system definitely needs an overhaul to distinguish between legitimate account updates and actual fraud attempts. At minimum they should send an email saying "we've temporarily paused your payments to verify your recent bank change" instead of leaving people in the dark wondering if they did something wrong. So glad the Claimyr service worked for you - I ended up waiting 3 hours on hold but it sounds like that's a much better option!

This is exactly why I always screenshot everything before making ANY changes to my ESD account! I learned this lesson the hard way when I updated my phone number last year and got flagged for "identity verification" issues that took 10 days to resolve. Now I document my entire profile before and after any updates so I have proof that I only changed what I intended to change. It's ridiculous that we have to treat their own system like it's going to sabotage us, but here we are! For anyone reading this - definitely take screenshots of your current direct deposit info before updating it, and maybe even print out your payment history. Having that documentation can help speed up the resolution process when (not if) their system glitches out on you.

Just want to say this thread has been super helpful. I had no idea 1099 workers could potentially get benefits if they were misclassified. Definitely going to apply now.

I'm in a similar boat and this thread is giving me so much hope! I was working as a 1099 "marketing specialist" but honestly it felt more like being an employee. They gave me a company laptop, required me to work specific hours (9-5), attend daily team meetings, and follow their exact marketing guidelines. I couldn't even work for other clients because of an exclusivity clause. When they let me go last month, I assumed I was out of luck for unemployment benefits. But reading everyone's experiences here, especially @Liam Fitzgerald and @Zainab Ismail, it sounds like I should definitely apply. Thanks for sharing your stories - it's exactly what I needed to hear!

Final thought - document everything from now on. If you do decide to pursue this, Washington ESD will want detailed records of your work relationship. Save emails, contracts, work schedules, anything that shows how much control your client had over your work.

I'm in a very similar situation as a 1099 marketing consultant. From reading through all these responses, it sounds like the key is really documenting the level of control your client had over your work. The ABC test mentioned by @Zoe Papanikolaou seems crucial - if they controlled when and how you worked, provided templates, and set your schedule, those are strong indicators of misclassification. I'd recommend gathering all your email correspondence and any contracts that show this control before filing that form F224-032-000. The fact that you still have your email trail puts you in a good position. It might be worth the effort to pursue this, especially since @Amara Nnamani got 6 months of back benefits in a similar situation.