


Ask the community...
I work in employment law (not for ESD) and can add some context here. When ESD determines you're "not at fault" for an overpayment, it means they've concluded you didn't misrepresent anything or try to collect benefits you knew you weren't entitled to. By law, they must refund any money you've already repaid on a non-fault overpayment. However, their internal processes weren't designed well for this scenario. Their collection system and refund system are separate, which causes delays. As others have suggested, call and specifically request to speak with the overpayment department. Be very clear that you've already paid the full amount and now have a determination letter saying you're not at fault. Use those exact terms. They may tell you to wait for automatic processing, but in my experience, these refunds rarely happen without direct follow-up from the claimant. Be politely persistent.
Thank you so much for this information! Do you know if there's a time limit for how long I have to request the refund? I'm worried since it's already been 8 months since I paid it back.
my cousin had this EXACT situation in 2023 and she neve rgot her money back because she waited too long to call them!! dont wait!!! ESD is terrible about this stuff u have to be super aggresive or they will just keep ur money
NOT THE GOVERNORS OFFICE!!!! Call your state rep instead!!! I waited 2 weeks for gov office to do nothing, then called my state rep and had help in 3 days!!!!!
This is good advice. Both can help, but in my experience, state representatives often have dedicated staff who work specifically on unemployment issues and may have established relationships with ESD contacts. The governor's office tends to handle a much broader range of issues and may not be as specialized with ESD problems.
Just an update since I replied earlier - when I called the governor's office, I made sure to emphasize that I had already tried all normal channels and was facing financial hardship due to the wait. That seemed to help get their attention. Also, follow up with an email summarizing your situation after the call. Documentation of your attempts to resolve this will help your case.
To directly answer your question about holidays: ESD itself operates on business days, but the bank holiday does affect when funds are released to your account. Here's how the timing typically works: 1. Claim filed (online or phone) - Day 0 2. ESD processes claim - 1-2 business days 3. Bank transfer initiated - Day 2-3 4. Funds available in your account - Day 3-4 With Monday being a bank holiday, the entire schedule shifts by one day. If you filed today (Tuesday), you'll likely see funds by Friday or Monday. One tip: If you're continuing to have issues with the online system, request a SAW account reset. Sometimes the issues are related to cached credentials rather than the ESD system itself.
is anyone else having problems with job search requirements? i cant log into worksource and esd says i need 3 job searches but the worksource site is down!!! so stressed
StarStrider
something also to watch for - make sure your next weekly claim is filed on time even while waiting for the first one to get sorted out. i messed up and thought i had to wait for the first week to process before filing the next one and it caused a whole new issue
0 coins
Isabella Santos
•That's a good reminder! I've been filing each week on Sunday even though the first week is still pending. Hoping that's the right approach.
0 coins
Chloe Anderson
Just a quick update based on what I've heard from former colleagues: ESD is experiencing higher than normal processing times for these types of issues right now due to some staffing changes in early 2025. Be prepared for 3-4 weeks for resolution. And yes, continue filing weekly claims even while waiting for the first one to be processed.
0 coins