Washington Unemployment

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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!

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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 :)

Great update! One additional tip: When you apply for PFML, be prepared with documentation from your healthcare provider. They'll need certification of your pregnancy/birth. Also, take screenshots of all your submissions and keep track of claim numbers for both systems. Documentation has saved me multiple times when there were mix-ups between systems. Good luck with your delivery and congrats on the baby!

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Thank you! I've started a dedicated folder for all unemployment and PFML paperwork. I'll make sure to keep everything documented and organized.

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Congratulations on your upcoming arrival! I'm a new member here but went through a similar situation with my second child last year. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is to start gathering all your employment documentation NOW while you still have energy - pay stubs, your separation notice, any correspondence with your former employer, etc. Both ESD and PFML will want detailed employment history, and it's so much easier to organize this stuff before you're sleep-deprived with a newborn! Also, if you haven't already, consider setting up direct deposit for both systems to avoid any mail delays. Sounds like you're getting great advice here and making good progress with ESD. Wishing you a smooth delivery and hassle-free benefits process!

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This is such helpful advice! I'm definitely in that stage where I still have some energy to get organized, but I know that window is closing fast. I hadn't thought about setting up direct deposit for both systems separately - that's a great tip. The last thing I want is to be chasing down missing checks while dealing with a newborn. Thank you for the warm wishes and practical suggestions!

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Bottom line for the OP: no unemployment taxes if you're truly self-employed with no employees. But as soon as you hire anyone, even part-time, you need to register and start paying. It's actually one of the more straightforward business requirements once you understand it.

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Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I feel much more confident about this now.

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No problem! And don't stress too much about it - thousands of businesses go through this process every year.

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Just want to add that if you're planning to incorporate your business (LLC, Corp, etc.), you'll still follow the same rules - no unemployment taxes until you have employees. But once you do incorporate and start paying yourself a salary, you might need to treat yourself as an employee for unemployment purposes depending on your ownership structure. Something to keep in mind as your business grows!

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That's a really important distinction I hadn't thought about! So if I incorporate as an LLC and elect S-Corp status to pay myself a salary, I'd essentially become my own employee for unemployment purposes? That seems like it could get complicated pretty quickly.

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I was skeptical about those calling services at first, but when I was stuck trying to reach ESD for weeks about my claim, I finally tried Claimyr. Honestly wish I had done it sooner. Got connected to an actual human who could help resolve my adjudication issue instead of just getting hung up on over and over.

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It sounds like a lot of people have had success with that service. I might need to consider it if I run into issues getting through to ESD.

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Yeah, the regular ESD phone system is just brutal. This made the whole process way less stressful.

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Thanks everyone for all the detailed advice! This has been really helpful. I think my next steps are going to be: 1) Start documenting everything more thoroughly with dates and details, 2) Send a formal email to my supervisor and HR outlining the issues and requesting they be addressed, 3) Look into filing a complaint with the state labor department, and 4) Consult with an employment lawyer for a free consultation. If I do end up having to quit, at least I'll have built a strong case for unemployment benefits. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences - it's good to know I'm not alone in dealing with ESD bureaucracy!

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Congratulations on landing the billing specialist position at Cascade Health Systems! You're doing everything right by reporting your employment on your weekly claim with the start date. Just to add one more piece of advice - once you stop filing weekly claims, I'd recommend keeping a record of when you stopped filing and why (new employment) in case you ever need to reference it later. Some people keep a simple note in their files with the date they stopped claiming and their new employer info. It's probably overkill, but with government systems you can never be too careful about documentation. Best of luck with the new job!

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That's excellent advice about keeping documentation! I'm definitely going to create a folder with all my ESD paperwork including when I stopped filing and why. After reading everyone's experiences here, it's clear that having your own records is super important when dealing with any government benefits program. Thanks for the congratulations and the tip!

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Congrats on the new job at Cascade Health! You're handling this correctly - reporting your new employment on your final weekly claim is exactly what you need to do. No need to formally close your claim by calling ESD. Once you stop filing weekly claims, your benefits automatically stop but your claim remains open for the full benefit year in case you need it again. Just make sure you accurately report any partial week earnings if you work part of the week before your claim week ends. Keep copies of your final claim submission for your records - screenshot everything! Your claim will go dormant but stay available if circumstances change during your probationary period. Good luck with the billing specialist role!

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Thanks for the comprehensive advice! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their experiences. It sounds like the consensus is clear - report the employment accurately on the final claim and then just stop filing. I'm feeling much more confident about the process now. The tip about screenshotting everything is golden - definitely doing that for my last submission. Starting my new role on Monday and excited to be back in the workforce!

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One more thing - if you do end up needing to contact Washington ESD about your claim, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier really does work. I used it when I had questions about my own good cause resignation and actually got through to talk to someone.

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I'll definitely look into that if I need to speak with them directly. Thanks!

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The video demo they have shows exactly how it works. Much better than spending hours on hold.

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I went through something similar last year with a hostile manager situation. The key thing Washington ESD looks for is whether you made reasonable efforts to resolve the issue before resigning. Start documenting everything now - dates, times, what was said or done, any witnesses. Also, try to address it with your manager or whoever is above them first, and document that conversation too. If you do end up resigning, make sure your resignation letter clearly states it's due to the hostile work environment and references specific incidents. The good cause standard is pretty strict, but with proper documentation showing you had no reasonable alternative, it's definitely possible to get approved. Don't give up hope - your mental health and safety matter.

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