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Washington Unemployment

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Lena Schultz

Weekly ESD claim stuck in 'web, processing' status - normal payment delay?

I submitted my weekly unemployment claim online Sunday night like usual, but it's Tuesday and my status is still showing 'web, processing' in my eServices account. Normally by Tuesday afternoon my deposit is pending in my bank account, but nothing yet. My bills are due Friday and I'm starting to get nervous. Anyone else file their weekly claim online and actually get paid yet? Or is everyone else also stuck on 'web, processing'? Will the money probably show up tomorrow or should I be worried something's wrong with my claim this week?

yeah i had to call like 50 times before getting through. took another week to fix after that. but dont panic yet, sounds like lots of people are delayed this week so probably just the system being slow

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Thanks. I'm going to give it until tomorrow afternoon. If nothing by then, I'll try calling or maybe try that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. I'll update here either way in case anyone else is in the same boat.

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UPDATE: Payment finally hit my account this morning! Looks like it was just delayed by a day. Relief! Thanks everyone for the reassurance.

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Got mine too! Just a system delay after all. Glad it worked out for everyone.

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Dylan Mitchell

Will WA state take my tax refund to pay for ESD overpayment debt?

So I just got a notice last week that I was overpaid about $3,850 in unemployment benefits from when I was on UI last winter. I thought I reported everything correctly, but apparently there was some mix-up with my work hours in February. I'm stressed because I can't afford to pay this back all at once! My biggest worry right now is that tax season is coming up, and I'm expecting a decent refund that I REALLY need for some car repairs. Can WA Employment Security Department intercept or take my tax refund to pay for this overpayment? Has anyone dealt with this before? Do they automatically garnish tax refunds or do they have to warn you first? Also, if anyone knows what my options are besides paying the full amount immediately, I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Just a quick update - I saw your question about whether they asked for proof of income for the payment plan. In my case, they didn't require documentation upfront, but they did ask about my current income and expenses during the phone call to determine what monthly payment would be reasonable. If you're struggling to get through on the phone, I really do recommend trying Claimyr. It saved me literally days of frustration trying to reach someone at ESD.

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Thanks for following up! I'm going to try Claimyr tomorrow. At this point, I just want to get this resolved before tax season and stop worrying about whether they'll take my refund.

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One more thing to consider: if you believe the overpayment was due to an ESD error rather than anything you did wrong, you can request a waiver. According to WAC 192-220-030, ESD may waive an overpayment if it would be against "equity and good conscience" to require repayment. This is separate from an appeal (which challenges whether the overpayment exists at all) and is worth looking into if you truly couldn't have prevented the overpayment situation.

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Isabella Ferreira

ESD weekly claim shows 'needed' online after using phone system - stuck in limbo?

I'm totally confused about my weekly claim status right now. Last week I filed my unemployment claim through the automated phone system (like I've been doing for the past month) but when I logged into my eServices account today, it's showing that I still need to submit my weekly report! Has the system not processed my phone claim? Am I supposed to file again online now or would that mess things up even more? The last thing I want is to get flagged for trying to claim twice. Anyone else had this happen? How long does it usually take for the phone system to update the online status? Getting seriously stressed about this because I can't afford to miss a payment right now.

Quick update - I talked to the ESD agent who helped me with this same issue and she explained that the phone system sometimes fails to record your job search activities properly. When that happens, your claim gets stuck in a weird limbo where it's partially processed but not fully submitted. The only solution is having an agent manually fix it. And yes, definitely use the eServices website from now on!

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figures!! they should just get rid of the phone option if it doesnt work half the time!!!

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UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD after a 2-hour wait! The agent confirmed my weekly claim WAS received through the phone system but got stuck in processing because of a "system flag" related to my job search activities. She manually reviewed and processed my claim while I was on the phone. She said my payment should arrive in 2-3 business days. Also confirmed I should definitely use the website for future claims to avoid this issue. Thanks everyone for your help!

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That's great news! Glad you got it resolved. This is a common issue that many claimants encounter. The phone system works well for basic claims but struggles with any complexity. For anyone reading this in the future - the eServices website is almost always the better option for filing weekly claims.

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Ethan Davis

ESD says I'm 'at fault' for COVID-related overpayment - anyone fought this?

Dealing with a frustrating situation with ESD right now. I caught COVID in early January and was sick for about 2 weeks. I did everything by the book - got tested, uploaded my positive results to my ESD account, and marked myself as 'unavailable' on my weekly claims since I was literally too sick to work. ESD paid me for those two weeks, which I thought was correct. Fast forward to now, and suddenly there's an overpayment notice saying I owe $1,750 and that I'm "AT FAULT" for the overpayment! How am I at fault when I provided all documentation and truthfully reported my situation? I filed an appeal because I genuinely don't believe I did anything wrong, though I stated I would pay if ultimately required. Has anyone successfully fought an 'at fault' determination for a legitimate COVID absence? What was your experience? I'm stressed about possibly having to pay this back when I thought I was following all the rules correctly.

bro they just want their money back no matter what. system is broken af

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Update on what I shared earlier - if you can provide financial hardship documentation, you might qualify for a waiver of the overpayment entirely, even if they don't remove the "at fault" finding. Form ESD 640-001 is what you need - "Application for Overpayment Waiver." Most important though: whatever you do, keep filing your weekly claims while this gets sorted out if you're still on unemployment. An appeal doesn't stop your current claim requirements.

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Thank you for this update! I'll look into that form. And yes, I'm still filing my weekly claims - thankfully I saw that advice elsewhere or I would have stopped during the appeal process.

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Aiden Rodríguez

ESD waiting week payment confusion - does anyone actually get paid?

So I'm on my 4th week of unemployment and just realized I never got paid for my first week (the waiting week). My coworker who got laid off the same time as me swears she got paid for her waiting week, but when I called ESD the rep was super vague saying 'waiting weeks are typically unpaid but there are exceptions.' I checked my payment history and definitely see nothing for that first week. Has anyone actually received payment for their waiting week recently? Or is my coworker mistaken? I'm missing about $782 if they're supposed to pay it, which would really help with rent next month.

actually my brother works at esd and he told me they sometimes pay the waiting week if your claim has special circumstances but you have to specifically request it by calling and mentioning the "waiting week hardship provision" not many people know about this...

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I've reviewed all the current ESD policies and regulations, and there is no such thing as a "waiting week hardship provision" that allows for payment of the waiting week outside of the exceptions I mentioned above. Please be careful about spreading misinformation that could cause people to waste time pursuing something that doesn't exist.

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OK so waiting weeks aren't paid, but what about the last week when your benefits end? Do they pay that one in full? I'm about to exhaust my benefits next month and trying to budget.

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Yes, your final week is paid normally as long as you're eligible and file your weekly claim. The waiting week only applies to the first week of your claim - all subsequent weeks are paid normally until you exhaust your benefits or return to work.

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