My sister works for DOR (not in the tax credit department tho). She says they got WAY more applications than they expected for the Working Family Tax Credit this year and are super backlogged. If it's been less than 90 days, they probably won't have any updates for you yet. Just FYI.

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'll stop worrying about these programs being connected and focus on following up with each department separately. Going to call the DOR hotline tomorrow about the tax credit and keep working with ESD on my unemployment claim. Really appreciate all the advice!

My neighbor had the same problem when she moved to Japan with her husband (navy). She said the key is to keep filing every week even with no money coming. When she finally got through after 2 months they paid everything at once. But she had to use her parent's address in Washington because technically you have to be available for work in WA state. Are you using a WA address on your claim? That might be causing problems if not.

Update: I managed to get through to ESD! I used a combination of a VPN, Google Voice, and had my claim escalated to a specialist who understood the military spouse rules. They said my claim was held up because the 401k withdrawal triggered an automated review, plus they needed verification of my military spouse status. The agent cleared both issues and said I should see all backpay within 48 hours. THANK YOU everyone for your help!! For others in my situation - definitely keep filing weekly claims even with no payment. And definitely be persistent about reaching someone who understands military spouse provisions.

The ESD system is so annoying. I'm still fighting with them over an overpayment notice from a job I had 6 months ago! They claim I didn't report income correctly but I absolutely did. Now they want $2,400 back! I've been trying to appeal but good luck getting anyone on the phone. The whole system is designed to be frustrating.

To summarize what everyone's said: 1. Wait until your last day of work to file 2. File immediately after your last day (don't wait for final paycheck) 3. Report your final paycheck during weekly claims for the week you receive it 4. Prepare to do and document 3 job search activities every week 5. File weekly claims consistently, even during adjudication 6. Keep records of everything Good luck with your claim and job search!

dont they have a phone number specifically for overpayments? might be easier to get through on that line than the main number

i honestly gave up on ever getting through to esd and just went to my local worksource office in person. took about an hour waiting but they were able to check on my claim status and confirm they received my payment. didn't speed anything up but at least i knew they had the money and it was being processed. my benefits started again about 2 weeks after payment.

my friend waited too long to file her last week and lost it completely so def do it right away on sunday!

One additional note: if you're starting a new job soon after your benefit year ends, remember to report any earnings properly for that final week if applicable. If your new job starts during that Nov 3-9 week, you need to report those earnings when you file, even if you haven't been paid yet. Earnings are reported for the week the work was performed, not when you get paid.