forgot to mention make sure ur answering all the questions right on ur weekly claim. like if they ask if u looked for work say YES and if they ask if u turned down any work say NO. sometimes people get disqualified for answering those wrong

My husband went through 3 months of nightmares with ESD last year because of a simple mistake on his first claim. His first week was disqualified (waiting week), but then his second week also got disqualified because he accidentally put down the wrong separation date from his job. Took forever to fix it! Double-check all your dates and info.

This system is BEYOND BROKEN. They make you wait 7 weeks, then hide the important messages in random places, then expect immediate responses or they'll deny your claim?? The people designing these systems have clearly NEVER been unemployed or they wouldn't make it so impossibly complicated. I've been dealing with ESD for 3 months and it's been nothing but problems. Call the governor's office again if they don't respond soon.

Just wondering - did they ask you for information about your previous employer? I'm curious what kind of questions the adjudicator sent because I'm still waiting for mine to contact me (5 weeks and counting).

i think your still suposed to do job search stuff until u actually start working. ESD is really strict about that from what i heard. my friend got in trouble for not doing it the week before she started her new job last year

Just to follow up - I looked up the exact ESD guidelines on this. When you file your weekly claim, you'll be asked: "Did you accept an offer of work from a new employer that has not yet started?" Answer YES to this, and provide the date you'll start working. You'll still get benefits for this week (assuming you meet all other requirements), but ESD will know you have work lined up. Regarding job search activities - technically you still need to do them UNLESS ESD specifically places you on standby for this final week (which sometimes happens automatically when you report accepting a job). So to be safe, I'd recommend doing your 3 activities just in case, unless you log into your eServices account and see you've been placed on standby status.

EVERYONE LISTEN UP! ESD is under pressure from the state auditor to clear up these overpayment issues by the end of the fiscal year (June 30th). That's why they're suddenly approving waivers left and right. If you're going to call about your overpayment, DO IT BEFORE JUNE 30!! After that the new budget cycle starts and they won't be as motivated to clear cases. Speaking from experience working with state agencies!!!

my sister got her overpayment credit about a month after they told her it was approved. it was exactly the same amount as what they originally said she owed. but she said it just appeared in her bank account with no warning or explanation lol. typical esd

Have you claimed every week even though you're pending? YOU MUST CLAIM EVERY WEEK or they'll close your whole claim and you'll have to start over!!! This happened to my brother and he lost 6 weeks of backpay because he stopped claiming while waiting for them to fix his pending status.

Just wanted to follow up - what ended up working for you? I'm helping several people with similar issues and would love to know which approach finally got your claim moving.

not to go off topic but anyone know if we can deduct job search expenses when on unemployment? i spent a ton on gas driving to interviews last year

Just to clarify for everyone in this thread: the unemployment tax withholding system is pretty simple but often misunderstood. ESD only offers a flat 10% federal withholding option - nothing more nuanced. This is often more than people actually owe on their unemployment benefits when all factors are considered in their tax return. Reason: The U.S. tax system has built-in provisions like the standard deduction ($14,600 for single filers in 2024) and lower tax brackets on initial income. So while 10% is withheld on ALL your unemployment benefits, your effective tax rate might actually be lower when filing. This is why many people receive refunds after filing taxes that include unemployment benefits. It's completely normal and part of how our tax system works.

My sister-in-law works for the state (not ESD though) and she mentioned something about a new payment processing system being implemented this week. Maybe that's related? She said several departments were having to adjust to new software rollouts. Probably just growing pains with the new system.

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know my payment finally came through this morning at 6:30am. Looks like it was just delayed by about 18 hours. Hope everyone else has received theirs too!

One other thing to check: look at your payment history section. If your recent weeks show a status of "pending" or "processing" instead of "paid," that might give you a clue. Sometimes there's a pending issue that doesn't trigger an alert. Also, make sure you've completed all work search requirements - ESD is being much stricter about the 3 job search activities per week in 2025.

"Pending" status for three weeks without any alerts is almost always an adjudication issue that hasn't been properly flagged in the system. There's likely a question about your eligibility that an ESD adjudicator needs to review, but for some reason, it's not showing up in your dashboard. This happens quite often with ESD's system. Unfortunately, the only solution is speaking directly with an agent who can look at the notes on your claim that aren't visible to you through eServices.

@profile5 They scheduled a phone interview with me about a week after I submitted all my documents. The interview only lasted about 15 minutes - they just verified a few details about when I worked vs when I was paid. Have all your documentation ready when they call!

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD today! The agent confirmed I was right - they were looking at my payment dates instead of when I actually performed the work. They're going to correct those weeks and release the payments. For anyone with similar issues - definitely keep detailed records of when you actually do the work vs when you get paid, especially if you're a contractor or have irregular payment schedules!

Just to add some additional clarification since there's some confusion here: 1. WorkSource appointments (phone or in-person) count as job search activities 2. You must record the specific name of the WorkSource staff member you spoke with 3. The system classifies these as "In-person WorkSource workshop or appointment" even for phone calls 4. If the specialist assigns you follow-up activities, those can count separately if they take more than an hour and are properly documented 5. Always keep documentation of all WorkSource interactions for at least 6 months in case of a job search review Source: I work with ESD programs and help people navigate the unemployment system.

my specialist never evn called me last month and i still got in trouble for missing the apointment smh