Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I feel much more confident about navigating the Washington ESD website now. You guys are lifesavers.

Just wanted to add - when you're creating your SAW account, make sure to use an email address you check regularly. Washington ESD sends important notifications about your claim status, payment issues, and required actions through email. I missed a critical message once because I used an old email address and it caused a delay in my benefits. Also, keep your phone number updated in your profile since they sometimes send text alerts too.

Update: Thanks everyone for all the suggestions! I ended up using Claimyr like several people recommended and finally got through to resolve my standby status question. Turns out I don't need to do job search activities while I'm waiting for my union callback. Could have saved weeks of stress if I'd been able to reach them sooner but at least it's sorted now!

I've been having the same exact problem for the past month! The phone system is completely broken. I tried calling at 8:00 AM sharp every day this week and either get a busy signal immediately or sit on hold for 3+ hours just to get disconnected. It's incredibly frustrating when you have legitimate questions about your claim but can't reach anyone. The online portal doesn't cover specific situations like standby status or adjudication issues. At this point I'm seriously considering that Claimyr service people have mentioned - spending money to get through to a phone system I'm already entitled to use feels wrong, but I'm running out of options.

Bottom line - if you're hiring people, register with Washington ESD. The penalties for not doing it are way worse than just following the rules from the start.

As someone who just went through this process last month, I can confirm you definitely need to register if you're hiring employees. One thing that helped me was calling the Washington ESD Business Services line directly - they have a separate number for new business inquiries that's usually less busy than the general unemployment line. The registration itself is pretty straightforward once you have your federal EIN. Just don't put it off because those penalties add up fast if you're late.

One more thing about calling Washington ESD - if you do get through and they say they need additional documentation, ask them to email you the specific list of what they need. Sometimes they'll ask for documents over the phone but then you're not sure exactly what format they want. Getting it in writing saves you from having to call back multiple times.

I went through something similar last year - filed in October and didn't see my first payment until mid-December. It turned out my former employer had provided incorrect information about my separation date, which created a discrepancy that needed manual review. The frustrating part is that Washington ESD doesn't proactively tell you what the specific issue is - you have to call to find out. In my case, once I got through to someone and they identified the problem, it was resolved within a week. The good news is that when it finally processes, you'll get all the back payments for the weeks you've been waiting, so you won't lose any money, just the timing. Keep doing those weekly claims no matter what - that's crucial for getting your back pay.

this thread has been more helpful than anything washington esd has told me in 2 months. at least now i know what im dealing with even if the situation still sucks

Update: I just tried the Claimyr service and actually got through to an agent. She told me my case is waiting for a supervisor review and should be completed within 2-3 weeks. Finally got a real timeline instead of 'we're working on it.