Washington Unemployment
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Can ESD tell me if I filed my 1099 from 2021 unemployment income?
I'm kinda freaking out right now. I just realized I can't remember if I ever filed my 1099-G form from unemployment benefits I received back in 2021. I was going through some old tax stuff and can't find any record of including it in my taxes. Does anyone know if ESD can tell me whether I properly reported this income? Is there a way to check? I'm worried about getting hit with penalties or something if I didn't report it correctly. Also, is it too late to fix this if I missed it? Really don't want to deal with tax problems on top of everything else right now.
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ESD phone number for filing weekly claim when eServices is down?
Anyone know the phone number to file my weekly unemployment claim? The eServices website keeps saying "system unavailable" since this morning and I NEED to get my claim filed today or I'll miss my window. I've tried restarting my computer, different browsers, even my phone but nothing works. Getting desperate here since I can't afford to miss a payment. Is there a direct line for filing weekly claims when the website is down?? Help!!
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I had this exact problem two weeks ago! The website was down all Sunday and Monday, and I panicked because I thought we only had 48 hours to file. But the ESD rep told me we actually have the entire following week to submit a claim before it's considered late. So if your claim week ends Saturday, you have until the following Saturday to file. That info really reduced my stress level!
wait what??!? are u serious? ive been stressing every sunday thinking i HAD to file that day or lose my money. this changes everything for me
Just to provide the complete information for future reference: 1. Regular weekly claim phone line: 800-318-6022 2. TTY/TDD line for hearing impaired: 800-365-8969 3. ESD Technical Support (for eServices issues): 855-682-0785 And if you encounter website issues in the future, try these steps first: • Clear browser cache and cookies • Try a different browser (Edge sometimes works when Chrome fails) • Try a mobile device on cellular data instead of wifi • Try very early morning (5-6am) or late evening (10-11pm) when server load is lower
Will ESD ever raise weekly benefit amounts? $999 max isn't enough for Seattle families in 2025
Does anyone else think ESD's benefit amounts are ridiculously outdated? The current maximum of $999/week might sound decent until you try supporting a family of 4+ in Seattle or anywhere on the west side. And the minimum of $317? That barely covers groceries these days! I know they adjusted the minimum recently, but it's still practically nothing. I'm curious - does anyone know how long it's been since they actually raised the maximum benefit amount? The cost of living has skyrocketed, especially housing, but unemployment benefits seem frozen in time. Seems like ESD needs to wake up and adjust to the current economy. People who've worked and paid into the system deserve benefits that actually reflect today's costs.
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I'm in a similar situation - family of 5 in Kirkland. When I lost my tech job, going from $175k to maximum unemployment was a MASSIVE shock. We're burning through savings just to keep up with the mortgage. The thing is, I understand the system was designed decades ago when having a max benefit made sense - most people weren't earning what tech/healthcare/professional services pay now. The system hasn't evolved to match the modern economy. On the flip side, I spoke with a friend who lost a retail job in Spokane, and for her, the benefits are actually not bad compared to her previous income. Shows how much geographic disparity there is.
That geographic disparity is exactly the problem! Maybe they should consider a county-by-county approach instead of one-size-fits-all for the whole state. The cost of living in King County vs. eastern Washington is night and day.
Just as an update on the timeline - I looked it up and the maximum weekly benefit amount increases each July based on the previous year's average annual wage. So the $999 amount was set in July 2023 based on 2022 wages and will adjust again this July (2025) based on the state's average wage from 2024. As several people noted, the challenge is that it's a statewide average that doesn't account for regional differences. The benefit amount is intended to be approximately 63% of your average weekly wage, up to that maximum cap. For anyone wanting to advocate for change, the relevant laws are in RCW 50.20.120.
That's correct! And just to add some context - Washington actually has one of the more generous unemployment systems in the country. Some states have maximum benefits in the $300-400 range regardless of prior earnings. The challenge is that our housing costs, especially in the Seattle metro area, have outpaced wage growth by so much that even a relatively generous system struggles to provide adequate support.
ESD denied my appeal hearing without notice - Is this legal?
I'm at my wit's end with this appeal nightmare. Back in summer 2023, I filed an appeal for a regular UI disqualification. After waiting for MONTHS with no hearing date, I called ESD in January 2025 to check the status. The rep casually told me 'Oh, we think we lost your appeal paperwork, can you submit it again?' So I resubmitted everything right away. Fast forward to now - still NO hearing date. I finally got through to someone at ESD yesterday who informed me they had decided 'internally' that I wasn't going to get a hearing. No letter, no email, no official notification whatsoever! Just decided behind closed doors to deny my right to appeal. This feels completely unlawful. Aren't they required to notify me in writing if they're denying my appeal or refusing to grant me a hearing? Does anyone know the specific laws or regulations around this? I'm ready to contact my state rep but want to know exactly what rules ESD is breaking first.
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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 incredibly helpful information. I had no idea they were separate agencies! I've been focusing all my efforts on ESD, which might explain part of the problem. I'll call OAH first thing tomorrow to see if they have any record of my appeal. Thank you so much.
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.
That's really good to know - I think I'll draft a letter to the Commissioner today. Did you use any specific language or format that seemed to get their attention? I'm willing to escalate this as much as needed.
I made sure to: 1) Document the timeline of all my attempts to resolve the issue, 2) Cite the specific laws they were violating (like the ones mentioned above), 3) Clearly state what remedy I was seeking, and 4) Indicate that if I didn't receive a response within 10 business days, I would be contacting my state representative and filing a formal complaint with the Governor's office. Be professional but firm.
Weekly claim shows as unfiled on eServices after filing by phone at 4am - glitch?
I'm really confused and don't want to mess up my claim. I called in early this morning around 4am to file my weekly UI claim through the automated phone system (completed all the questions and got the confirmation). But when I checked eServices a few hours later, it's still showing that I need to file for the week! Has anyone else experienced this delay between phone filing and the system updating? I'm worried about filing again online and somehow creating a duplicate claim or getting flagged for fraud. Should I wait longer for it to update or go ahead and file online too? What's the usual lag time between phone filing and seeing it update online?
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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
Yeah, I definitely got to the end where it said my claim was successfully submitted. I answered all the questions about job search activities and being able/available to work. That's why I'm confused about why it's not showing up online yet.
Just checking back - did your claim update in the system yet? It should show as filed by now if you did it yesterday morning.
Yes! It finally updated this morning. Took about 30 hours to show up in the system. Thanks everyone for the help and reassurance! Next time I'll file online to avoid the stress.
Fatima Al-Suwaidi
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.
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Giovanni Mancini
AuthorThat's a really good point I hadn't considered! I think my unemployment was early 2021, so maybe some of it was covered under that exemption. I'll definitely look into this - maybe the situation isn't as bad as I feared.
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Dylan Cooper
Update us after you figure it out! I'm curious what happens. I've been paranoid about my taxes too lol
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Giovanni Mancini
AuthorWill do! I'm going to check eServices tonight and then compare to my tax return. Fingers crossed I actually did include it and just forgot!
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