Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live ESD agent in minutes.
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
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
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!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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 :)
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Also remember that even if you don't qualify for regular unemployment, there might be other assistance programs you qualify for while you're job searching.
I'll look into those too. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice!
I went through the exact same situation last year! The insufficient wage credits issue is so common, especially for restaurant workers. Here's what helped me: First, request your detailed wage record from Washington ESD to see exactly what earnings they have on file. Then gather ALL your pay stubs and W-2s from the base period they're looking at. I discovered my employer had underreported some of my wages, and once I provided documentation, I qualified. Also definitely ask about the alternate base period option - it uses more recent quarters which might include more of your restaurant earnings. Don't give up, there are definitely options to explore!
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The benefit amount might seem low compared to your regular salary, but remember it's tax-free at the state level in Washington. Plus you'll save on commuting costs, work clothes, and other job-related expenses while you're looking for work.
Actually unemployment IS taxable for federal taxes. You'll get a 1099-G at the end of the year and need to report it on your tax return.
You're right, I misspoke. It's not subject to Washington state taxes since we don't have income tax, but it is federally taxable. Thanks for the correction.
If you're still confused about the calculation after reading all this, seriously consider using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. I was going in circles trying to understand my benefit amount and a 10-minute call with an ESD agent cleared everything up.
Yeah, it's worth the peace of mind to talk to someone who can look at your specific wage history and give you an exact number instead of trying to guess.
I was in a similar situation last month and called ESD directly using their callback system. It took about 2 hours to get through, but the agent walked me through the entire calculation step by step. They also helped me understand the dependency allowances and tax withholding options. Sometimes the official route works if you're patient enough!
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You can still change your payment method even after your claims show PAID status. Log in to eServices, go to Settings > Payment Method, and update it to direct deposit with your bank information. If you do this within 24 hours of the PAID status appearing, there's a good chance the payment will go to your bank account instead of the card. However, if it's been more than a day, the payment may already be processing to the card. In that case, once you receive the card, you can transfer the funds to your bank account through the card's online portal.
THANK YOU! Just changed it to direct deposit and triple-checked all my bank info is correct. Crossing my fingers it's not too late and the payment goes to my bank account. What a mess.
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Just wanted to jump in here since I'm also navigating unemployment for the first time after getting laid off from a startup in Redmond. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful! One thing I learned the hard way is to screenshot everything when you're filing your claim - the website sometimes glitches and you lose your progress. Also, if anyone is wondering about the timeline, I filed my claim 10 days ago and just got my determination letter yesterday showing my weekly benefit amount of $743 (I was making about $72k). The waiting is definitely the hardest part but it sounds like most people are getting reasonable amounts based on their previous wages.
That's really helpful about screenshotting everything! I hadn't thought about the website glitching but that makes total sense given what everyone's saying about the tech being outdated. Your timeline is encouraging too - 10 days isn't too bad for getting the determination letter. Did you have any employment verification issues or did it go through pretty smoothly? I'm still waiting to hear back after filing yesterday so trying to get a sense of what to expect.
Dylan Campbell
Just to follow up: once your claim goes from 'processing' to 'active', you'll get a notice in your eServices inbox. After that, the payment method options become available. If you need to change your bank information quickly, I recommend calling right at 8:00 AM when the lines open - that's usually the best time to get through without excessive wait times.
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Amara Okafor
•Update: My claim was approved yesterday and just like you all said, the payment options appeared! The system was using my old bank account so I'm glad I checked. Changed it to my current one and everything seems good now. Thanks for all the help everyone!
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Abigail Patel
Great to hear you got it sorted out! This is such a common issue - the ESD system really should make the payment options more visible from the start. For anyone else reading this thread, it's also worth noting that even after you update your direct deposit info, it can take 1-2 business days for the change to take effect in their system. So if you have a payment coming up soon, make sure to update it with some buffer time. Also keep your old account open until you confirm the new one is working, just in case there are any delays!
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Isabella Ferreira
•This is really helpful advice about the buffer time! I wish I had known this when I was dealing with my banking update. The 1-2 day delay caught me off guard and I was worried my payment would get lost in limbo. Definitely agree about keeping the old account open temporarily - better safe than sorry when it comes to unemployment payments!
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