Pay nothing until a live ESD agent is on the phone with you.
Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
$0 upfront. We only hold your card.
No live agent, no charge.
$19.99 is charged only once a live ESD agent is on the phone with you.
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
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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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.
I see your point but we've been saving for years and rent keeps going up. Feels like we're throwing money away.
I understand that feeling but a mortgage payment plus maintenance costs might be more than you think. Just be careful.
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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.
I've been poking around the website. It's not the most user-friendly but I'm figuring it out.
Yeah it's not great but it works. Just be patient with it especially on Sundays when everyone is filing their weekly claims.
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.
Yeah you can do that just make sure to report everything honestly. Getting caught not reporting work is serious trouble.
The earnings deduction formula is kind of complicated but basically they subtract your earnings minus $5 from your weekly benefit amount.
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One more tip - when you file your weekly claim, make sure you report any work you did that week, even if it was just a few hours. They have ways of finding out and you don't want to get hit with an overpayment situation.
Yeah, overpayment notices are no joke. I got one last year and had to pay back $1,200 because I didn't report some freelance work properly.
The key is to report everything accurately. Washington ESD would rather you report too much information than too little.
This thread has been super helpful! I'm in a similar situation and was completely lost about how unemployment benefits work. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and knowledge.
Glad it helped! I feel much more confident about filing my claim now too.
Same here. The Washington ESD website makes it seem so complicated but this explanation makes it much clearer.
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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.
That's reassuring to know there are options if needed. Hopefully the withholding will cover most of it.
Yeah, they're usually pretty reasonable about setting up payment plans as long as you don't just ignore the bill.
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.
Awesome! I'm definitely going to check that out if I need to call Washington ESD again.
It's nice to know there are solutions when the regular phone system doesn't work.
Omar Fawzi
Honestly the most stressful part of being unemployed is making sure I don't mess up the weekly claims. At least now I know I have flexibility with the timing.
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Chloe Wilson
•I totally get that anxiety. Once you get into a routine it becomes second nature though.
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Omar Fawzi
•Yeah, I'm feeling better about it after reading everyone's responses here.
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Diego Mendoza
For anyone still confused: Washington ESD opens weekly claims every Sunday at 6 AM. You have until the following Saturday at 11:59 PM to certify. Pick any day that works for you and stick with it!
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Ava Johnson
•Thank you everyone! This thread has been super helpful. I'll start certifying on Sunday evenings.
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Anastasia Romanov
•Glad this got cleared up. The certification timing is definitely one of the most common questions about unemployment benefits.
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