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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Update: I talked to my HR contact and confirmed I'm classified as a W-2 employee, so I should be all set to file when my contract ends. Thanks everyone for the advice and reassurance! This community is awesome.
Great to hear! You'll be fine with the W-2 status. Good luck with the job search once you start collecting benefits.
Perfect. You're in good shape then. Remember to file that first week after your contract ends and you should have benefits flowing within a couple weeks.
Just wanted to add that if you're filing for the first time as a contract worker, don't be surprised if they ask for additional verification of your employment status. I had to submit my contract agreement and a few recent paystubs to prove I was a legitimate W-2 employee. The extra step delayed my approval by about a week, but once they verified everything, my benefits started without any issues. Keep digital copies of all your contract paperwork handy when you file!
That's really helpful advice about keeping digital copies! I've been pretty disorganized with my contract paperwork, so I'll make sure to scan everything before I file. Did they ask for anything else besides the contract and paystubs?
They also asked me for a letter from my employer confirming the end date of my contract and stating that the non-renewal was due to business reasons, not performance issues. It wasn't hard to get - just had to email HR and they sent it over within a day. The whole verification process was pretty straightforward once I had all the documents together.
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Thanks everyone for the responses! Sounds like I should definitely plan for at least a 1-2 day delay. I'll talk to my landlord ahead of time to avoid any late fees. Really appreciate all the detailed info about how the holidays affect both ESD and bank processing.
I've been dealing with ESD payments for about a year now and can confirm that holiday delays are pretty standard. One thing that's helped me is setting up text alerts through my bank so I know exactly when the deposit hits. Also, if you're really concerned about timing, you might want to consider filing your claim a day earlier than usual during holiday weeks - some people say this helps, though I'm not sure if it actually makes a difference in processing time. The automated phone system (1-800-318-6022) can sometimes give you payment status updates without having to wait for a human agent, which might help you track if your payment is just delayed vs. stuck in the system.
That's a great tip about the text alerts! I never thought of that. Quick question - when you say file a day earlier during holiday weeks, do you mean filing on Saturday instead of Sunday? I'm worried that might mess up my weekly claim schedule or cause issues with ESD since they expect claims on specific days. Has anyone actually tried this successfully?
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Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice. I'm going to try calling Washington ESD first thing Monday morning to set up withholding, and if that doesn't work I'll check out that Claimyr service. In the meantime I'll start setting aside 20% of my remaining payments.
That sounds like a solid plan. Good luck getting through to them!
Hope you get it sorted out soon. Feel free to update us on how the Claimyr service works if you end up trying it.
I'm in the exact same situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been collecting benefits for about 4 months and completely forgot about the tax implications. Reading about everyone's experiences with owing thousands of dollars is definitely a wake-up call. I'm going to start calling Washington ESD tomorrow morning at 8 AM sharp to set up withholding, and if I can't get through after a few days I'll definitely look into that Claimyr service that Maya mentioned. In the meantime, I'm going to immediately start putting aside 20% of each payment into a separate savings account so I don't accidentally spend it. Thanks for sharing your stories - sometimes it takes hearing other people's mistakes to realize you're about to make the same one!
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For future reference, Washington ESD usually distributes payments on the same day each week. Mine always shows distributed on Tuesdays and hits my account by Thursday. Once you figure out the pattern, it's less stressful.
That's helpful! I'll start tracking when mine usually get distributed so I know what to expect.
Mine is different - distributed on Wednesdays, in my account by Friday. Depends on when you file your weekly claim I think.
I'm new to unemployment and just filed my first weekly claim yesterday. This thread is really helpful because I was wondering what all the different payment statuses mean. It sounds like I should expect to see "distributed" first and then wait a few days for the money to actually show up in my account. Good to know about setting up bank alerts too - I'll definitely do that so I'm not constantly checking my balance!
Welcome to the unemployment world! Yeah, the payment statuses can be confusing at first but you'll get used to the pattern. One thing I learned is to also keep screenshots of your payment history just in case there are ever any discrepancies. And definitely set up those bank alerts - it saves so much anxiety from constantly refreshing your account balance!
@Madison Tipne Yes, definitely screenshot everything! I wish someone had told me that when I started. Also, don t'worry if your first payment takes a little longer than usual - sometimes there s'extra verification for new claims. The waiting gets easier once you know the routine, but those first few payments can be nerve-wracking when you re'not sure what to expect.
Sofia Hernandez
This is good info for everyone to know - ESD can request identity verification at ANY point during your claim year, not just at the beginning. Pro tip: keep digital copies of your ID documents in a secure location so you can quickly upload them if asked. This helps avoid payment delays. Also, make sure your phone number is up-to-date in your ESD account because sometimes they'll text verification codes if they need additional verification.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
•i wish theyd just use that id.me thing that the irs uses. did that once and it was way easier than all this uploading stuff
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Romeo Barrett
Just wanted to add that if anyone gets flagged for ID verification, don't panic if your documents get rejected the first time. Sometimes the photos aren't clear enough or there's glare on your ID. I had to resubmit my driver's license twice because the first photo was too blurry. Make sure you're in good lighting and the entire document is visible in the frame. Also, if you have an out-of-state ID but live in Washington now, that's totally fine - they just want to verify you're a real person, not necessarily that you're a Washington resident.
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