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
My friend told me you can collect unemployment for up to 99 weeks but I thought it was only 26 weeks. Which is correct?
Regular unemployment is 26 weeks maximum. During the pandemic there were extended benefits that went much longer, but those ended in 2021. Your friend might be thinking of the old pandemic programs.
That makes sense. 26 weeks should be enough time to find something new hopefully.
I just want to say thanks to everyone who answered questions here. This thread helped me understand the unemployment system way better than the Washington ESD website did!
Same here! I feel much more confident about filing my claim now.
This community is great for getting real answers about unemployment. Way better than trying to navigate the bureaucracy alone.
Join the conversation
honestly just focus on meeting your weekly claim requirements and applying to jobs that interest you. overthinking the economics isn't going to help you find work faster
You're absolutely right. I need to put that energy into actually applying for jobs instead of worrying about macro-economic factors.
Final thought on this topic: Washington's unemployment system is actually designed to support job seekers through the WorkSourceWA platform and benefit structure. The minimum wage is just one factor in a complex economy, and your individual job search efforts will matter much more than wage policy debates.
Thank you everyone for the perspectives and advice. I'm going to stop overthinking this and focus on my job search activities. Really appreciate this community!
Best of luck with your search! And remember that Claimyr service is there if you need to talk to Washington ESD about any questions that come up.
Join the conversation
For anyone wondering about benefit calculations, your base period matters a lot. If you started a new job recently before getting laid off, those earnings might not count yet because they use completed quarters.
That's a good point. What if your recent job paid way more than your previous jobs? Are you stuck with the lower calculation?
You might be able to request alternate base period calculation if your recent earnings would result in higher benefits. But you have to specifically ask for it.
Last thing to remember about the $999 max - it's per week, not bi-weekly. Washington ESD only pays weekly, unlike some states that pay every two weeks. Just mentioning because I've seen people get confused about this.
Thanks for all the info everyone! This thread has been super helpful for understanding how the maximum benefits work.
Glad we could help. Good luck with your claim!
Join the conversation
IF YOU NEED TO REACH WASHINGTON ESD about benefit amounts or anything else, try calling right at 8am when they open or use that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I wasted so many hours calling before I figured out the timing.
8am calls work sometimes but even then you might get a busy signal. The system is just overwhelmed.
I'll try the early morning calling strategy first, but good to know about the backup option.
Another thing about the 2024 rates - they're tied to the state's average weekly wage, so they can change year to year. The $999 maximum is actually pretty generous compared to most states. Just make sure you file accurately and honestly about your work history.
Definitely planning to be completely honest on my application. Don't want any issues down the road.
Smart approach. Washington ESD does verify employment and wage information, so accuracy is important.
NightOwl42
The bright side is that if you're back to work now, next year's taxes should be more straightforward without the unemployment complications. Hang in there everyone!
0 coins
Zara Khan
•Thanks for the encouragement! Hopefully I won't need to deal with unemployment taxes again.
0 coins
Sofia Rodriguez
•Same here. Ready to have regular W-2 income again and leave all this unemployment stuff behind.
0 coins
Dmitry Ivanov
One last thing - if you can't afford to pay what you owe from unemployment taxes, the IRS has payment plan options. Don't just ignore it and hope it goes away.
0 coins
Zara Khan
•Good to know there are options if I end up owing more than expected. Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone!
0 coins