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One last thing - if you do end up owing taxes on unemployment and can't pay it all at once, the IRS has payment plans available. Don't just ignore it if you can't afford the full amount.
Thanks to whoever mentioned Claimyr earlier - just used it to call Washington ESD and got my tax withholding set up. Took maybe 15 minutes total instead of the hours I've wasted trying to call before.
The online system at esd.wa.gov is where you'll do everything - file weekly claims, check your benefit amount, upload documents if needed. Get familiar with it because you'll be using it every week.
One last thing - if you do any part-time or temporary work while collecting unemployment, you have to report it on your weekly claim. They'll reduce your benefit amount based on how much you earned, but you might still get some partial benefits.
Last thing - make sure you understand the difference between being laid off, fired for cause, and quitting. Only layoffs (and some specific firing situations) qualify for unemployment. If you quit voluntarily you probably won't get benefits unless it was for good cause.
Actually just wanted to circle back on the Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier. I was skeptical but tried it last month when I couldn't get through to Washington ESD about an adjudication issue. Worked exactly like they said - got connected to an agent super fast. Really saved me a lot of frustration.
Just my 2 cents but maybe this is a sign you should wait. Buying a house while unemployed seems risky even if you could get approved somehow.
Yuki Tanaka
Just wanted to add that if you have issues reaching Washington ESD customer service, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier really does work. I was skeptical at first but it saved me hours of calling.
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Ravi Sharma
•I'll definitely keep that in mind if I run into problems. Hopefully I won't need it!
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Carmen Diaz
The whole process took me about 30 minutes to complete the initial application once I had all my information gathered. The hardest part was just getting started and knowing what I needed.
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Ravi Sharma
•That doesn't sound too bad! I was expecting it to take hours.
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