Update for the OP: You might want to check if your appeal was properly transmitted from ESD to OAH (Office of Administrative Hearings). They're actually separate agencies. Sometimes ESD receives the appeal but fails to forward it to OAH, which is who actually schedules and conducts the hearings. If you contact OAH directly and they have no record of your appeal, that's your smoking gun that ESD failed to process it correctly. At that point, you can request that ESD immediately transmit your appeal to OAH with documentation showing when you originally filed it. This would establish that any delays were administrative errors, not your fault.

This is a HUGE problem with Washington's unemployment system! They deliberately make the appeal process confusing and difficult to navigate. I had to appeal a disqualification last year and the ONLY reason I got a hearing was because I sent a certified letter to the Commissioner's Office stating I would be contacting my state representative and filing a formal complaint. Magically, my "lost" appeal was found and I had a hearing scheduled within two weeks. DON'T GIVE UP! The system is designed to make you quit fighting for what you're entitled to. Get everything in writing and escalate as high as you need to go.

One thing to remember is that the rules were different for 2021 because of COVID relief programs. Depending on WHEN in 2021 you received unemployment and how much income you had overall, some unemployment benefits might have been tax-exempt under the American Rescue Plan. So even if you did forget to report it, you might not actually owe anything additional.

Update us after you figure it out! I'm curious what happens. I've been paranoid about my taxes too lol

wait did u answer all the questions right on the phone? sometimes i accidentally press the wrong button and it seems like it went thru but it didnt actually file. make sure when u call that u stay on until it says "thank you your claim has been filed" or someting like that at the very end

Just checking back - did your claim update in the system yet? It should show as filed by now if you did it yesterday morning.

its criminal how they can just demand thousands back with no warning and then take forever to process waivers!!! my friend had his tax refund seized while waiting for a waiver decision and esd said 'oops sorry' but never gave it back

Update: I finally got through to ESD this morning after calling right when they opened. They confirmed my waiver was received but said there's a 14-16 week processing time currently! The agent was able to put a temporary hold on collections for 30 days, which helps a little. She suggested I send in additional documentation about my financial hardship to strengthen my case. Going to gather more paperwork now.

To answer your notification question from earlier - ESD doesn't send payment notifications. You'll need to check your bank account or eServices portal to see when payments arrive. I recommend setting up text alerts with your bank for deposits. Also, definitely file your weekly claims on Sunday or Monday. While the initial application timing doesn't matter much, weekly claims are processed in batches, and earlier submissions tend to be in earlier payment batches. I've been tracking mine for months, and Sunday submissions always pay out faster than when I've waited until Tuesday or Wednesday.

One important thing nobody mentioned - if you're applying now in 2025, know that the job search requirements are stricter than they used to be. You'll need to document at least 3 job search activities EVERY week once approved. Missing these or not properly documenting them can delay or stop your payments regardless of what day you filed initially.