Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I've talked to my HR department and confirmed they submitted the standby request yesterday. I've set up my ESD account to get text alerts and checked that my contact info is all correct. Now I guess I just wait and keep filing those weekly claims. Fingers crossed it moves on the faster end of the timeline!

I'm also waiting on a standby claim approval right now (filed last week) and this thread has been super helpful! One thing I wanted to add - if you're worried about the financial gap, some credit unions and banks offer short-term hardship loans specifically for people waiting on unemployment benefits. My credit union has a "bridge loan" program that covers up to $2000 for 60 days at low interest rates if you can show proof of a pending UI claim. Might be worth checking if your bank has something similar while you wait for ESD to process everything.

To directly answer your question - yes, standby weeks are calendar weeks from when they're approved, not weeks of benefits used. That's why all 8 weeks are now used up, even though you worked during 4 of them. For future reference for anyone reading this thread: If you're put on standby status, use that time to prepare for possibly needing to do job searches later. The maximum standby period is typically 8 weeks (though there have been extensions during special circumstances), and the clock starts ticking immediately regardless of whether you're claiming benefits or working during that period. Also, remember that if you're working part-time during standby, you still need to report all earnings accurately on your weekly claims, even though you don't have to do job searches.

This exact same thing happened to me last month! I was so confused because I thought working weeks wouldn't count against my standby total. The way they explained it to me when I finally got through to someone at ESD is that standby is basically just a "job search waiver" for a specific calendar period - it doesn't pause or extend based on whether you're actually collecting benefits those weeks. So frustrating that this isn't made clearer upfront. At least you reported your earnings correctly though - that's the most important part. Now you just need to make sure you start those 3 weekly job searches right away to stay eligible.

It helps me be more strategic about when I apply and makes sure I'm not scrambling at the end of the week to meet my requirements.

Just wanted to add that I've been using Indeed successfully for my Washington ESD job search requirements for about 6 months now. One thing I learned is to apply to a mix of jobs - some that are perfect matches and some that are a bit of a stretch. This shows you're actively exploring opportunities and not being too picky. Also, if you use Indeed's "Easy Apply" feature, make sure to still customize your application when possible rather than just sending the same generic application to everyone. It makes your job search more genuine and effective.

UPDATE: I want to thank everyone for the great advice! I followed the suggestions here and have some progress to report. I tried calling during the recommended off-peak hours but still couldn't get through. However, I sent a detailed email to my state representative yesterday afternoon with all the information suggested, and this morning I received a response saying they've contacted ESD on my behalf! They said to expect an update within 5-7 business days. I'll post again when I hear more, but wanted to thank you all for the guidance. This community has been more helpful than any official ESD resource.

That's fantastic progress! Your state rep responding that quickly is a really good sign. I went through something similar last year and once my representative got involved, things moved much faster than the usual ESD timeline. The fact that they gave you a specific 5-7 day window means your case is now being actively tracked rather than sitting in the general adjudication queue. While you're waiting, make sure to keep checking your eServices account daily - sometimes updates appear there before you get any other notification. And definitely keep filing your weekly claims even though you're still in adjudication. Fingers crossed you get good news soon! This community really does know what works better than the official channels sometimes.

Also make sure your looking at the right page on eServices! My friend thought she wasnt getting benefits for like a month because she was only looking at the main page summary thing. You gotta click through to see the detailed payment history sometimes to see if money is pending or has been sent to your card/bank.

I went through something very similar when I was laid off in 2023! My employer provided 8 weeks of severance that was paid through their regular payroll system, and I got those same "excess earnings" messages every single week. It was so stressful because I thought I was doing something wrong with my claims. The key thing is that you kept filing every week during the severance period - that's exactly what you're supposed to do. Those weeks still count toward your benefit year even though you didn't receive payments. Once my severance ended, my benefits started automatically within about 3-4 days of filing my first claim with no earnings. One tip: double-check your payment method in eServices to make sure your direct deposit info is correct, since it's been a while since you've received payments. I almost missed my first payment because my bank account info had changed and I forgot to update it! Also, keep doing your job search activities as required - they'll still audit those even during the severance period. You're definitely not being impatient, and the governor's office would just refer you back to ESD anyway. Give it until the end of this week and if you don't see anything, then maybe try calling ESD directly.