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.
Live agent or your money backRefund policy
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 :)
Will attending a 1-hour weekly class affect my ESD unemployment benefits?
I just started taking a class that meets once a week for only an hour. It's something to improve my skills while I'm job hunting. I'm worried this might somehow mess up my unemployment benefits though? The class started on January 25th and it's just the one day a week. Do I need to report this to ESD? Will they consider me not "able and available" for work just because of this one hour class? I'm still actively applying for jobs and doing all my job search activities. Just trying to avoid any issues or overpayments down the road. Thanks for any advice!
Join the conversation
Tax confusion: ESD back payments from 2025 showing on 2026 1099G - which year do I file them?
I'm completely lost on how to handle my taxes after winning my unemployment appeal. Here's what happened: I was laid off in April 2025 and immediately filed for ESD benefits. They initially denied me (something about 'lack of work search documentation' even though I submitted everything), so I filed an appeal in May 2025. The appeal hearing took FOREVER - didn't happen until January 2026! I won the appeal, and ESD finally deposited all my back payments ($6,800 covering April-July 2025) in February 2026. Here's my problem: I just received my 1099G from ESD, and it shows all that money as 2026 income! But that unemployment period was clearly from 2025. I was getting ready to amend my 2025 taxes to include this unemployment income, but now I'm confused. Should I still amend my 2025 return? Or does this money actually count for 2026 taxes since that's when I physically received it? The 1099G is definitely for tax year 2026. Has anyone dealt with this back-payment tax situation before?
Join the conversation
just wondering did anyone elses back unemployment payments get taxed at a weird rate? when i got mine last year it seemed like they withheld way more than 10% for taxes, more like 25% or something?? confused about that too
ESD often withholds at a flat 10% for federal taxes if you selected that option, but when they process back payments, sometimes they calculate it differently. You should be able to see the exact withholding amount on your 1099G. Remember that whatever was withheld is just an estimate - your actual tax obligation is calculated when you file your return, and you'll either get a refund or owe more depending on your total income, deductions, etc.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! Based on what I'm hearing, it sounds like I need to include this on my 2026 taxes rather than trying to amend 2025. I think I'll consult with a tax professional just to be safe, especially regarding potential impacts on credits and deductions. This unemployment appeal process has been so much more complicated than I expected!
good luck! tax stuff is always a nightmare especially with unemployment lol
Smart move consulting a professional. Just make sure they have experience with unemployment benefits and back payments specifically. Not all tax preparers understand the nuances of ESD payments and appeals.
Reopened existing ESD claim after layoff instead of starting new claim - did my husband mess up?
My husband got laid off this morning and went straight to apply for unemployment. When he logged in, he discovered he still had an open claim from last year that expires on November 4, 2025. Instead of filing a completely new claim, he just reopened the existing one and updated his employment information. Now I'm worried he did it wrong. Should he have filed an entirely new claim instead? Will this mess up his benefits or delay his payments? Has anyone dealt with this situation before?
Join the conversation
ya this happened 2 me 2 months ago & i reopened my claim just fine. got paid the next week no problems. just make sure he does his weekly claim this sunday
Update: We got through to ESD (after many busy signals) and they confirmed he did the right thing by reopening! They said his first payment should come about 7-10 days after filing his first weekly claim if there are no issues. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll update again if we run into problems.
Great news! Just a reminder - make sure he's documenting those 3 job search activities each week. ESD can audit job search logs for up to a year after claiming benefits. Good luck to your husband on his job search!
Training Benefits ended early before school completion - L&I injury case
I'm absolutely panicking right now. My husband was injured at his construction job in April 2022 and received L&I benefits. When those ran out, he qualified for Worker Retraining with unemployment benefits. His vocational program is supposed to last 1.5 years (he's learning medical coding), but this April 2025 (just 1 year in), ESD told him he's suddenly 'exhausted his benefits.' Before he started the program, his counselor SPECIFICALLY told him benefits would cover his ENTIRE training period! He's still filing weekly claims every Sunday but nothing is being paid out. He sent messages through eServices three weeks ago and nobody has responded. We're about to lose our apartment because we budgeted based on what ESD promised. Has anyone gone through Worker Retraining after an L&I claim and had their benefits suddenly stop? Did you get them reinstated? I'm desperate for advice!!!
Join the conversation
i had this exact thing happen in january and let me tell u what worked for me, go to ur local worksource office in PERSON and ask for a training specialist. dont mess with the regular ESD phone line theres a special department for training cases and the worksource peeps can connect u direct. got mine fixed in like 3 days after spending weeks trying to do it online.
That's a great tip about going in person! There's a WorkSource office about 20 minutes from us so we'll definitely try that if the forms his counselor is helping with don't work out quickly. Thank you!
one more thing to check - make sure ur husband is answering the able and available question right on his weekly claims. for training benefit people u have to say YES even tho ur in school full time. my friend got denied because she was answering no since she couldnt work while in school. its super confusing!!
Oh wow, I had no idea about that! I'll double check how he's been answering that question. The whole system seems designed to be confusing. Thanks for the tip!
ESD mysteriously increased my overpayment amount by $3,000 with no explanation - anyone else?
I'm at my wits' end with this ESD overpayment nightmare. Back in 2023, I received a notice saying I was overpaid benefits. I immediately filed an appeal through eServices and confirmed it was received. Heard absolutely NOTHING for 14 months despite calling repeatedly. Then last month, I got a collections notice out of nowhere. When I called, the agent told me 'your appeal was already decided' but I never received ANY notification of a hearing or decision. They refused to give me a court date. Here's the truly infuriating part - I just received a NEW statement showing they've randomly ADDED $4,500 to what I supposedly owe! Zero explanation provided. The original amount was around $7,200 and now it's jumped to $11,700! Has anyone else had their overpayment amount mysteriously INCREASE like this? How is this even legal when they never properly processed my appeal? I've documented everything but it feels like I'm shouting into the void. I'm considering contacting my state representative because this whole process has been traumatizing. Nearly two years of stress and now they're just arbitrarily adding thousands more dollars?!
Join the conversation
One important thing to note - when dealing with overpayment increases, you need to determine if they're adding what's called a "fraud penalty" (50% additional) or if they're recalculating the entire overpayment amount. In my experience, the key is getting written documentation. Every time you speak with ESD: 1. Get the agent's ID number 2. Take detailed notes with dates/times 3. Immediately follow up with an eServices message summarizing the call 4. Request all determinations in writing ESD is required to provide written explanation for all overpayment calculations. If they haven't, that's a procedural error you can use in your appeal. Also, there's a specific overpayment waiver form on the ESD website if financial hardship applies to your situation.
This is extremely helpful, thank you! I hadn't thought about following up each call with an eServices message to document it. I'll start doing that immediately. And I'll look for that waiver form too - this amount would definitely cause financial hardship.
Update on your options: If you truly never received notification of an appeal hearing or decision, you can file what's called a "Petition for Review" with the Commissioner's Review Office. This is different from a regular appeal. You'll need to explain that: 1. You filed an initial appeal 2. You never received notice of hearing 3. You never received a decision This can be done even after the normal appeal deadline has passed. The Commissioner has authority to determine if your procedural rights were violated. Regarding the increased amount - request an itemized statement showing exactly how the new amount was calculated. This is your right under Washington Administrative Code (WAC).
Thank you! Do you know how I file this Petition for Review? Is there a specific form or do I just write a letter? And where exactly do I send it? The ESD website is so confusing with all these different processes.
There's an actual form! Go to ESD website → Unemployment Benefits → Forms and Publications → search for "Petition for Review" (form number ESD 161). You can submit it by mail, fax, or through your eServices account under "Upload a Document." Make sure to include all relevant details and documentation showing your attempts to resolve this. The Commissioner's office is separate from the regular appeals process and can override previous decisions.
Liam O'Donnell
For what it's worth, I work in career services and have helped many clients navigate UI while taking classes. The one-hour class shouldn't be a problem, but I strongly recommend reporting it accurately. If your class is job-related training, you might also want to record it as one of your job search activities in your job search log. This creates a record showing that the class is actually helping, not hindering, your employment prospects. Remember that the underlying principle is always whether you remain able and available for full-time suitable work. As long as that's true, and you're honest about your activities, you should be fine.
0 coins
Zoe Alexopoulos
AuthorThat's a great idea about counting it as a job search activity! The class is definitely related to skills needed in my field. Would I just list it as "Education" type activity in my job search log?
0 coins
Liam O'Donnell
Yes, exactly. In your job search log, you can categorize it under education/training activities. Just be sure to note how it relates to your occupation and how it enhances your employability. This creates a consistent record that the class is part of your overall employment strategy.
0 coins
Zoe Alexopoulos
Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to make sure I report the class on my weekly claim and explain that it's just one hour per week and doesn't affect my availability for work. I'll also add it to my job search log since it's directly related to skills in my field. Really appreciate all the advice and experiences shared here!
0 coins