Bottom line - pretty much all your regular compensation is subject to unemployment tax up to the wage base limit. If your employer is being sketchy about explaining it, that's concerning and you should probably look into it further.

Just wanted to add that if you're having ongoing issues with your employer not properly explaining wage deductions, you might want to check if they're also correctly handling the employer portion of unemployment taxes. Employees pay into the system, but employers pay a much larger share - and if they're not handling your portion correctly, they might not be handling theirs either. This could affect your benefit eligibility later on. You can actually request wage and tax records from Washington ESD to verify what your employer has been reporting on your behalf.

I'm in Washington state too and dealt with this exact situation about 6 months ago. The advice everyone's giving here is spot on - you absolutely must keep filing your weekly claims even while working the temp job. I made the mistake of skipping one week early on because I thought "well I'm working full time this week so why bother filing" and it created a gap that took 3 phone calls to fix. The Washington ESD rep told me that as long as you file consistently and report all your work honestly, your claim stays in "active" status even during $0 payment weeks. When my temp contract ended after 8 weeks, I just went back to filing normally and started receiving payments again with zero issues. The key is treating those work weeks like any other week - file on time, report everything accurately, and don't overthink it.

I just want to echo what everyone else has said and add that I went through this exact situation twice - once with a 6-week temp job and again with a 3-month contract position. Both times I kept filing my weekly claims religiously, reported every hour and dollar earned, and had zero problems transitioning back to regular unemployment payments when the work ended. The Washington ESD system actually handles this really well once you understand that working doesn't end your claim - it just temporarily reduces your benefits to $0 while keeping everything active in the background. The biggest mistake you can make is overthinking it or trying to "game" the system by not reporting work or skipping filings. Just be completely transparent about your temporary work situation and file every single week like clockwork. Your future self will thank you when you seamlessly resume benefits instead of having to navigate the nightmare of reapplying from scratch.

One more important point that hasn't been mentioned: When you report freelance/self-employment income, you should report it for the week you PERFORM the work, not when you get paid (which is different from W-2 work where you report when paid). Also, regarding job search requirements: Yes, you must continue performing and documenting 3 job search activities each week, even during weeks you do freelance work, UNLESS you've been approved for standby status or commissioner-approved training. Freelance work by itself doesn't exempt you from job search requirements. And a final tip: If your freelance work becomes regular and ongoing, you might want to look into partial unemployment benefits. You can potentially receive partial benefits for a longer period rather than using up full weeks of benefits during periods of no work.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who did exactly this! I had a 3-week freelance project while collecting unemployment and it went smoothly. The key things that worked for me: 1) I kept filing weekly claims without interruption, 2) reported my gross freelance income for the exact weeks I worked (not when I got paid), 3) continued doing my 3 job searches each week even during work weeks, and 4) kept every email, invoice, and payment record. After the project ended, my regular benefits resumed automatically. Don't overthink it - just be thorough with reporting and documentation!

Just want to add - if you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD about waiting week questions or any other issues, that Claimyr service mentioned earlier really works. I was skeptical at first but it got me through to an agent when I'd been trying for days on my own.

Thanks everyone for all the detailed explanations about the waiting week! This thread has been incredibly helpful. I was really stressed about not getting paid right away, but now I understand it's just part of the process. Going to make sure I file everything correctly and use this week to get my job search organized like some of you suggested. At least knowing what to expect makes it easier to deal with financially and mentally.

I'm new to unemployment benefits and just opened a Gesa account specifically because I heard they were good for direct deposits. This thread is so reassuring! I was worried about timing since I'm also dealing with rent deadlines. Quick question for the Gesa veterans here - does the deposit timing change at all if you're brand new to unemployment? Like, do they hold first-time deposits longer or anything like that? I just filed my first weekly claim on Sunday and ESD shows it as processed, but I want to make sure I have realistic expectations for when it might hit my account. Also, is there any difference between using Gesa's mobile app vs online banking for checking deposits? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything!

I've been on unemployment with Gesa for about 6 months and can confirm what everyone else is saying - Wednesday nights between 10pm-midnight is the norm! I file Sunday evenings and it's been incredibly consistent. One thing I'll add that might help with your rent situation: I started using Gesa's "account alerts" feature where they text me the instant any deposit over $100 hits my account. That way I know immediately when my benefits arrive instead of checking obsessively. You can set this up in their mobile app under notifications. Also, for what it's worth, I've found that if I file my weekly claim before noon on Sunday, it seems to process slightly faster than when I file Sunday night. Might just be coincidence, but the earlier filing seems to keep everything on the most predictable schedule. For your landlord, I'd definitely say Thursday morning to be safe, but realistically you should have the funds Wednesday night. The consistency has been one of the few reliable things about this whole unemployment process!