One more important thing to be aware of - if this is your first time on unemployment, remember that you'll need to pay federal taxes on these benefits next year. ESD gives you the option to withhold 10% for federal taxes, but it's not automatic. Might be worth logging in and setting that up now before your first payment if you haven't already.

update us when u get ur $$ so ppl know how long its taking right now

Interesting data point! I've been tracking my UI payment processing times for the past 13 weeks (yes, I'm that person with a spreadsheet 😂). Here's what I've found: - Average processing time: 2.3 days - Filing before 8am Sunday: 1.7 days average - Filing after 6pm Sunday: 3.1 days average - Monday filings: 3.8 days average So your timing of 12:01am Sunday likely made a significant difference! The system was probably just booting up the weekly processing cycle and you got in first. The phone vs. online probably didn't matter as much as the exact timing.

my neighbor said she heard from someone at worksource that ESD is switching to a new payment system next month and everything will be faster for everyone... anyone else hear about this??

This EXACT thing happened to my nephew last month!!! ESD is SO BROKEN!!!! He did everything right for 6 months then suddenly $0 payments with NO EXPLANATION!!! Called for WEEKS with no answer!!! By the time he got through they said it was a "system error" and fixed it but he almost got EVICTED waiting!!!! THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST WORKING PEOPLE!!!

did u change anything in ur last claim? sometimes even tiny things trigger their system. my friend put she was "not available" for ONE day (for a doctor appointment) and that messed up her whole payment

To clarify the partial unemployment situation further - when you file weekly claims with reduced hours, make sure you're answering the question about whether you worked during that week correctly. You'll need to report the exact hours worked and gross earnings (before deductions) for each week. The system will then calculate your partial benefit amount. Just be consistent and accurate to avoid issues down the road.

Exactly! Report exactly what you worked each specific week, even if it varies. ESD understands that hours can fluctuate, especially in restaurant work. Just be accurate and report your hours and earnings for the specific week you're claiming for.

To directly answer your follow-up question: The fact that you accepted a part-time position before your full-time one ends will NOT disqualify you. Your claim is based on the qualifying job loss (outsourcing = layoff, which is a valid reason). Taking a part-time job just shows you're being proactive about mitigating your unemployment. The key factors that will make this work: 1. Your full-time job loss was not your fault 2. You're still seeking full-time work (and completing those 3 job searches weekly) 3. You accurately report your part-time earnings each week One thing I should have mentioned: Your weekly benefit amount will be calculated based on your highest-earning quarters in your base year, which is likely from your full-time job. So that's good news for you.

Just wanted to mention one more important thing - when you start filing your weekly claims, you'll see a question about whether you were "able and available" for full-time work each day of the week. Say YES to this question even though you're working part-time. What it's really asking is if you're physically able to work and available to accept full-time work if offered (not whether you're currently working). Saying NO to this will stop your benefits. I know multiple people who answered this wrong and created huge headaches for themselves.