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 stuck on old week after international travel - can't restart despite notifying them
Has anyone dealt with ESD's system after international travel? I'm completely stuck and frustrated. I properly notified ESD about emergency travel abroad (have it in writing). Instead of simply pausing my claim as they've done before, they created an 'Able and Available' issue and told me to call 1-800-318-6022 to resolve it. They also made me fill out a questionnaire asking why I didn't notify them beforehand (which I absolutely did). I haven't filed any claims while traveling, so there's nothing to dispute. My problems are: 1) The claims center number is CONSTANTLY busy during business hours (8am-4pm M-F), and after-hours just says they're closed. 2) I can't file for current weeks - the system is stuck on a week from September 22-28 that I don't even want to claim! Previously when traveling, they'd put my claim in a 'paused' state and I could restart when I returned. That option seems gone now. My claim shows as active but is stuck. Any advice on how to actually reach someone or fix this system glitch?
Join the conversation
ESD overpayment hearing delayed for 12+ months - can they garnish my tax refund?
I'm seriously freaking out about my ESD overpayment situation. Back in January 2024, I received a notice claiming I was overpaid around $6,800 in unemployment benefits. I immediately filed an appeal and requested a hearing with OAH, but it's been over 12 months now and I STILL haven't received a court date! Is this normal?? My biggest worry is that they'll just start taking money from my tax refund without giving me a chance to present my case. Has anyone else experienced these ridiculous delays with overpayment hearings? I've called ESD like 20 times but either get disconnected or told 'it's in process' - whatever that means. I'm starting to think they're deliberately stalling.
Join the conversation
btw when you finally get ur hearing make sure u have ALL ur documents ready. the judge only gave me like 15 min to explain my situation and I almost messed up by not having my work search records printed out. have everything organized by dates and bring extra copies
Great advice. When preparing for your hearing, organize your documents chronologically and create an index. For my hearing, I prepared a timeline summary showing when I filed claims, when I reported work, and all communications with ESD. The judge appreciated having this overview, and it helped keep my testimony organized.
Just to give you some hope - my overpayment was completely dismissed after my hearing. The ESD representative couldn't prove I had been properly notified about reporting requirements. Make sure you review all notifications they sent you during your claim period. If they failed to properly inform you about any requirements they're using as basis for the overpayment, that's a strong defense. About 70% of the overpayment appeals I've heard about were either reduced or dismissed entirely.
That's really encouraging to hear! I've kept all the emails and letters from them so I'll go through everything again. My situation was that I reported all my part-time hours but they're claiming I calculated the hours wrong. Thanks for giving me some hope!
ESD keeps hanging up! Does anyone have a working phone number to actually reach a human?
I've been trying to call ESD for 2 days straight about my disqualification notice. Every time I call the main unemployment number (the 8297 one), it just plays a message about high call volume and disconnects me! I've tried calling at 8am, noon, and 4pm - always the same result. I need to talk to an actual person ASAP because my rent is due next week and I'm freaking out! Does anyone have a different number or some trick to get through? The message in my eServices account just says to call, but they won't let me!!
Join the conversation
One more thing to try - if you're dealing with a disqualification specifically, you might want to contact the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) directly. Once you've filed an appeal, they handle the hearings process, not ESD. Their number is 800-366-0955 and they tend to be much easier to reach than the main ESD line. If you've already submitted your appeal online, you should receive information about your hearing date within 2-3 weeks. The OAH can tell you exactly what evidence you need to prepare for your specific type of disqualification.
Thank you so much! I had no idea I could contact OAH directly. I'm going to try calling them tomorrow morning!
Just a quick update on current ESD procedures - as of January 2025, they've implemented a new queue system where calls are prioritized based on the issue type and how long your claim has been pending. Make sure when you do get through that you clearly explain your disqualification is affecting your ability to pay essential bills (like rent). This can sometimes get your case flagged for expedited review. Also, if you're within 7 days of a deadline for responding to a disqualification, mention that immediately to the agent. Time-sensitive issues are supposed to be prioritized.
Holiday delay for ESD payments this week? Still 'processing' on Wednesday
Is anyone else's payment taking longer than usual this week? I filed my weekly claim on Sunday night like I always do, but it's still showing as 'processing' today (Wednesday). Normally the money hits my account by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning at the latest. Could the President's Day holiday on Monday be causing delays at ESD? Starting to get nervous since I've got rent due on the 1st and I'm cutting it close this month. Anyone else experiencing this?
Join the conversation
Update: My payment just came through this morning (Thursday)! Looks like everyone was right about the holiday delay. Thanks for helping me not panic!
👍 glad it worked out
FYI for anyone who finds this thread in the future - I've been on UI for about 5 months now, and I've noticed this pattern: If there's a Monday holiday: Payment usually arrives Thursday If there's a Friday holiday: Usually no delay Multi-day holiday periods (like Christmas/New Year): Can delay payments by 2-3 days Just sharing so others can plan ahead better than I did initially!
This is super helpful! I'm going to make a note of this for future reference. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
ESD claim shows 'active' status but no payments for a month - what's wrong?
I'm so confused and frustrated with the ESD system right now. My unemployment claim has been showing a status of 'active' for over a month, and I've been faithfully filing my weekly claims every Sunday without fail. But I haven't received a single payment or any communication from ESD explaining what's happening. The eServices account just shows 'active' with no other information or alerts. No pending issues, no adjudication notices, nothing. I've tried calling at least 15 times but can't get through to anyone. How can my claim be 'active' if they're not actually paying me? Is there something else I need to do that I'm missing? This is seriously stressing me out as my savings are almost gone.
Join the conversation
I had this same problem for 5 weeks back in January. Turned out there was a flag on my account because my previous employer contested my claim but ESD never sent me any notification. The only way I found out was by finally getting through to someone on the phone. Once I talked to them, they moved my case to adjudication and I eventually got backpay for all the weeks, but it took almost 2 months total. Did you check your spam folder? Sometimes their emails end up there. Also, did you verify your identity through ID.me? That's another common holdup.
I did check spam and nothing there. And yes, I did the ID.me verification right when I first applied. This is so frustrating! I wish they would at least tell us what's going on instead of leaving us in limbo. I'm going to try calling again tomorrow morning first thing.
UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! Used the Claimyr service that someone recommended above and it worked great. Turns out there was an employer response issue that never showed up in my online account. They've now moved my claim to adjudication and said I should see some movement within 1-2 weeks. The agent also approved provisional payments while they review my case, so I should get some money by next week. Thank you to everyone who helped!
That's great news! Glad you got it sorted out. Make sure you keep an eye on your account for any additional questionnaires they might send during adjudication. Those have strict deadlines.
Eduardo Silva
just wait it out. my claim fixed itself after like 3 weeks of being stuck lol. esd eventually processes the backlog even if you cant reach anyone
0 coins
Isabella Costa
That is TERRIBLE advice. Waiting 3 weeks without benefits when you need them to pay bills is not an option for most people. Plus the system doesn't just magically fix itself - someone at ESD eventually processed your claim.
0 coins
Connor O'Brien
UPDATE: I did not manage to reach a live representative on the number in my post, however based on the advice in the comments I was able to find an option that asked me if I want to restart my claim and I pressed "yes". It asked me to create a PIN, and voila, my claim is now automatically restarted. I no longer have the old weeks blocking my current claims. It did ask me if I was available for work for the first week during which I was travelling and I replied no. That was all. I could swear that option was NOT available previously in the automated system. It somehow appeared the 10th or 15th time I called...
0 coins
Hiroshi Nakamura
Great news! Yes, the restart claim option can be elusive - it sometimes only appears after certain inputs or at specific times. This is actually a known quirk in their system. For anyone else reading this in the future: persistence with the automated system can sometimes solve these issues without needing to reach a human representative. Glad it worked out for you!
0 coins