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
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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One last thing - if you do file and run into any issues reaching Washington ESD by phone, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier really does work. I was skeptical at first but it saved me so much frustration trying to get through their busy phone lines.
How does that even work? Do they just keep calling for you or something?
Yeah basically they handle all the calling and waiting, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Way better than sitting on hold for hours yourself.
Just wanted to add that if you're still working reduced hours, you might want to look into partial unemployment benefits too. I was in a similar situation where my retail hours got cut to like 20-25 per week, and I was able to get partial benefits to make up some of the difference. The calculation gets a bit more complex but it can really help bridge the gap if you're not completely unemployed yet.
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One important thing nobody has mentioned - make sure you know the EXACT DATE you'll receive each payment. ESD will want to know this, and it matters for how they allocate the payments. If your HR department hasn't given you specific payment dates for each type of payment, ask them now before you file. Also, if your stock bonus is actually RSUs (restricted stock units) vesting, that's treated differently from a cash bonus. The timing of when RSUs vest vs when they're converted to cash can impact how ESD views them. Definitely apply on August 27th, not before. And set a reminder to complete your first weekly claim the following week - many people forget this step and it delays their benefits.
You're right - I should get the exact dates from HR. And yes, I need to make sure I know what the stock bonus technically is (RSU vs cash bonus). I'll call our benefits department tomorrow and get all this clarified before my last day. Really appreciate everyone's help here!
Just went through a similar situation last month! One thing that really helped me was getting everything in writing from HR before my last day. I asked them to provide a written breakdown of each payment type, the amounts, and the exact dates I'd receive them. This made filing my claim so much smoother because I could reference the official documents when answering ESD's questions. Also, when you file your claim, there's a section specifically for "separation payments" - don't just lump everything together. List each payment separately with its own description. The ESD adjudicator who reviews your claim will appreciate the clarity and it reduces the chance of delays or mistakes. Good luck with everything! The waiting period for those additional payments is frustrating, but at least you'll know exactly when your benefits should start flowing.
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I wanted to add something important: make sure you continue filing your weekly claims even if your application goes into adjudication or gets initially denied. Many people make the mistake of stopping their weekly certifications while waiting for a decision, but you need those on record to receive backdated payments if/when you're approved. The weekly claims process is separate from the investigation into your eligibility.
Thank you - I wouldn't have known to keep filing during adjudication. Is there anything special I need to report about the circumstances of my termination during those weekly claims?
No, the weekly claims are mainly about your job search activities, any work performed, and any earnings during that week. You'll have already provided the termination details in your initial application. Just make sure you're completing the required 3 job search activities each week and documenting them properly.
what about ur coworkers? are they filing for unemployment 2? might help if all of u are showing the same pattern from this company
Yes, we've been texting and everyone plans to file. The person with disabilities is considering an ADA complaint as well. I'm not sure if ESD looks at patterns across multiple claims from the same employer though?
ESD might not directly connect multiple claims from the same employer, but having multiple people file creates a paper trail that could be useful for your L&I retaliation complaint or any potential legal action. Each of you should still focus on your individual circumstances when filing, but definitely document that others were terminated around the same time with questionable reasoning. The ADA complaint is a great idea for your coworker - sounds like you all have strong cases for different types of discrimination/retaliation.
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Anyone know if there's a minimum tax amount? Like if you only have one part-time employee making $5k a year?
There's no minimum tax amount, but there are minimum wage thresholds. If you pay less than $1,000 in wages in a quarter, you might not owe any unemployment tax at all.
That's good to know for very small operations.
This thread has been super informative! As someone who's been running payroll for a few years, I just wanted to add that it's worth noting the wage base ($68,500 for 2025) gets adjusted annually too. So even if your rate stays the same, your total tax liability can change if the wage base increases and you have higher-paid employees. Also, make sure you understand the difference between "taxable wages" and total compensation - things like some benefits and reimbursements might not count toward the wage base.
Thanks for adding that detail about the wage base adjustment! I hadn't considered how that could affect my taxes even with a stable rate. When you mention "taxable wages" vs total compensation, are things like health insurance premiums and retirement contributions excluded from the unemployment tax calculation?
Generally yes, employer-paid health insurance premiums and employer contributions to retirement plans are excluded from unemployment taxable wages. But employee salary deferrals (like their 401k contributions) are still subject to unemployment tax since they're considered wages. It can get tricky with things like HSA contributions, dependent care assistance, and other fringe benefits - some are excluded, others aren't. The Washington ESD has a pretty detailed guide on what counts as taxable wages, but when in doubt it's worth checking with a payroll professional or calling ESD directly (or using something like Claimyr to get through faster).
CosmicCruiser
The system is so confusing sometimes! I remember when I got my last job offer, I called ESD three different times and got three slightly different answers about when exactly to stop claiming. 🤦♀️ One agent said stop immediately after accepting, one said claim until I start working, and one said something confusing about the day of acceptance being some kind of cutoff? Ultimately I claimed until I started working (reporting the future start date) and it was fine.
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Nia Jackson
•Unfortunately this is common. The correct answer is that you can claim until you start working, but you must report accepting the job with a future start date. The agents should all be providing consistent information, but sometimes the training varies. The ESD handbook actually addresses this specifically, but not everyone reads the 40+ page document.
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Sean Fitzgerald
Congrats on landing the job! You're definitely overthinking this - it's actually pretty straightforward. Since you haven't worked any hours this week and won't start until Tuesday, you're still eligible to claim for this current week. The key is being honest on your weekly claim form. When it asks if you've accepted work with a future start date, answer YES and put in your Tuesday start date. ESD expects this situation and has the system set up to handle it. Just remember you'll still need to complete your 3 job search activities for this week since you technically haven't started working yet. After you start Tuesday, you'll be earning too much to qualify for benefits anyway. You're doing everything right by being cautious about fraud - that mindset will keep you out of trouble!
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