Washington Unemployment
CommunityGovernment Services
Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
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 :)
ESD claim showing 'disqualified' but documents say 'adjudication' - confused about my son's status
I've been helping my 23-year-old son with his unemployment claim, and I'm completely baffled. For the last 6 weeks, his claim status has been showing 'disqualified' when we check the main dashboard. However, when I clicked on 'load document' in his account, it says 'adjudication in progress'. This is so confusing! Is he disqualified or is his claim still being reviewed? We haven't received any letters explaining why he might be disqualified. He was laid off from construction work when the project ended, had enough hours, and has been doing all his job search activities. Does anyone know what this means or what we should do next? Should we keep filing weekly claims while this is happening?
Join the conversation
ESD needs final paystubs but employer won't send them - is this illegal?
I've been trying to get my final paystubs from my previous employer for almost 3 months now. I need them for my unemployment claim with ESD since they're asking for wage verification docs. I've emailed HR three times and called twice, but they keep saying 'we'll get to it' and nothing happens. It's holding up my entire UI claim! Does anyone know if employers are legally required to provide paystubs in Washington? And what can I do if they continue to ignore me? My ESD adjudicator is getting impatient and I'm worried my claim will be denied because of this.
Join the conversation
After reading through this thread, I'd recommend a combined approach: 1. Send the certified letter to your employer citing RCW 50.12.070 2. Contact your adjudicator immediately (don't wait) to explain the situation 3. Submit bank statements and any pay documents you do have as temporary proof 4. Use the Claimyr service mentioned above if you're struggling to reach ESD by phone 5. File a wage complaint with L&I if your employer doesn't respond within 10 days The key with ESD is documenting everything. Keep a log of every attempt to contact your employer with dates, times, and who you spoke with. This will strengthen your case.
UPDATE: I took everyone's advice and sent a certified letter yesterday citing the RCW. I also managed to get through to my adjudicator (after a 2 hour wait on hold!) and she was actually really understanding. She put a note in my file and said they can work with bank statements for now while I'm trying to get the official documents. She also mentioned they can request the wage info directly from the employer if necessary. Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! Will update again once I know more.
Waiting for ESD hearing decision - How many days until I know the result?
I just finished my unemployment appeal hearing with the OAH yesterday morning. The judge said they'd mail their decision, but I'm freaking out about how long this is going to take. My bills are piling up, and I need to know whether I'll be getting backpay or if I need to figure out another plan. The hearing itself was super stressful - I got laid off from my restaurant job after a disagreement with the new manager, but ESD denied my initial claim saying I quit voluntarily. Has anyone gone through an appeal hearing recently? How many days did it take to get your decision? The suspense is killing me!
Join the conversation
Just wanted to check in - have you received your decision yet? Mine came exactly on day 14 like I mentioned, but I know others who got theirs sooner.
No decision in the mail yet, but I got an update on my SAW account this morning!! It says "Decision: ALLOWED" and shows my benefit amount! I'm literally crying with relief right now. Thank you everyone for helping me through the wait. Now I just need to figure out how long until the backpay actually hits my account.
Congratulations on your successful appeal! Once the decision shows as "ALLOWED" in your account, ESD typically processes backpay within 3-5 business days. You might receive separate deposits for each week claimed, or a single lump sum payment. Make sure your payment method (direct deposit or debit card) is properly set up in your ESD account to avoid further delays. Also, don't forget to continue filing your weekly claims according to the regular schedule.
Thank you! Yes, I have direct deposit set up and I've been filing claims every week even when they were getting denied. I'm so relieved this nightmare is almost over. Really appreciate everyone's help and advice!
ESD first payment missing previous unpaid weeks - will they be included?
Just got my first unemployment payment from ESD after 6 weeks of waiting, but I'm confused about what it covers. I filed my initial claim on March 2nd, 2025, but only received payment for the most recent week. There are 5 other weeks that show as 'processed - paid' on my account but no money for them yet. Will these previous weeks be included in a separate payment? My first deposit was only $867 which seems like just one week of benefits. Anyone know if ESD automatically sends the back payments later or do I need to call them? I'm worried because I've got $4,750 in bills piling up while waiting for these payments.
Join the conversation
Quick update for you - I just checked the ESD website and they posted a notice about payment delays for claims processed between March 1-15, 2025. They're experiencing issues with their payment processing system and some payments are taking longer than usual. They state all back payments should be issued by March 25th. This likely explains your situation.
Thank you so much for checking! That's really helpful information. At least now I know it's a system-wide issue and not just my claim.
Of COURSE they have another 'system issue' - seems like they have one EVERY MONTH! But do they ever communicate this to people who are desperately waiting for money to pay bills? NOPE!!
7 weeks after favorable appeal - ESD still showing adjudication in progress with no payment
I'm at my wits end with ESD. My claim was initially denied, I appealed, and on 11/4 the appeal was decided IN MY FAVOR. It's now been 7 weeks since then and I haven't received a penny. My weekly claims all show as 'pending' and my overall status says 'adjudication in progress.' Every time I call ESD (when I actually get through), they just ask me to upload more documents! I've already sent them my ID, paystubs, separation letter, and the appeal decision. I'm behind on rent and utilities now. Has anyone been in this situation before? Should I contact the Attorney General or Governor's office? I've heard some people do that when ESD isn't responding. Any advice would be greatly appreciated because I'm desperate at this point.
Join the conversation
My cousin works for ESD (not saying that publicly lol) and she says they're SUPER backed up right now because of system updates and staff shortages. Like worse than usual. Not helpful for your immediate problem but might explain why even after winning your appeal it's taking forever. The system is basically held together with duct tape at this point.
This is 100% accurate. I have a contact there too, and they told me they're still dealing with the aftermath of those pandemic-era claims plus they had a major software update that caused huge backlogs. It's especially bad for claims that had appeals because those have to be manually processed.
Update for everyone: I just checked the ESD website and they've posted a notice about implementation delays for appeal decisions. They're currently processing implementations from early October, so that explains the 7+ week wait for more recent decisions. Still worth contacting your representatives though!
Thank you for this update! At least that confirms it's a system-wide issue and not just my claim being overlooked. I'm still going to try contacting my rep and senator though - can't afford to wait much longer.
Lauren Zeb
the esd system is GARBAGE!!!!! i spent 9 weeks with my claim saying disqualified when it was really in adjudication and nobody bothered to explain the difference. they expect us to somehow know their internal processes and terminology. such a broken system that makes people suffer while they take their sweet time reviewing basic claims!!! makes me SO ANGRY how they treat people who just need their benefits.
0 coins
Evan Kalinowski
I understand your frustration, but there is actually a logical reason behind this (though it's still confusing). Claims are technically in a disqualified status until they complete adjudication and make a determination. The system was designed with this default position. I agree they should make this clearer to claimants though.
0 coins
The Boss
Update: I took everyone's advice and we kept filing weekly claims. We also managed to reach an ESD agent this morning (after many attempts). They explained that my son's claim is in adjudication because his employer reported the separation as "quit" instead of "laid off" when the project ended. The agent sent a message to the adjudicator to prioritize the case and said we should receive a fact-finding questionnaire within 3-5 business days. Thank you all for your help - at least now we know what's happening!
0 coins
Jasmine Quinn
That explains everything! This is exactly why it's important to contact them. Employer reported separation reason discrepancies are one of the most common causes of adjudication. Make sure your son responds to that questionnaire IMMEDIATELY when it arrives and includes any documentation that proves it was a layoff (text messages, emails, etc). Glad you were able to get through and get some answers!
0 coins