One more thing - once you file, you'll get assigned a specific day of the week to file your weekly claims. Don't miss this! Even for weeks where you're still working, you need to submit your weekly claim and report your hours worked. If you miss even one week, it can cause problems with your claim that are a massive headache to fix.

I went through this exact situation when my retail store closed down last year. Definitely apply now! I was hesitant at first because I thought it seemed weird to apply while still working, but the ESD system is actually set up for this exact scenario. Just make sure when you're filling out the application that you're very clear about your last day of work being the 21st. The system will hold your claim until that date, but having it already in the system saved me weeks of waiting compared to my coworkers who waited until after their last day. Also, don't stress too much about having every single document ready - you can always upload additional documentation later if needed. The most important thing is getting your claim established in their system before the rush of other employees from your workplace start applying. Good luck with everything! Job hunting can be stressful, but at least you'll have some income support while you search.

The caps seem reasonable compared to some other states I've looked at. At least Washington ESD tries to replace a decent percentage of your lost wages within the limits.

Thanks everyone for all the detailed info! This really helps clarify the benefit caps for Washington ESD. I was particularly confused about the difference between weekly caps and total benefit limits, but now I understand that you can get up to $999/week but your total benefits depend on both your base period wages and the 26-week limit. It's good to know about the appeals process too in case there are any calculation errors. Hopefully I won't need to use these benefits for long, but at least now I know what to expect.

My husband had this exact issue when he moved from Nevada last year. It took about two weeks for them to get all his hours from Nevada and update his claim. The annoying part was we couldn't get any information during that time - the online system just showed "disqualified" which was super stressful. One thing I would recommend is making sure your weekly claims are still being filed during this time! Even though it shows you as disqualified, if they approve your claim with the out-of-state hours, they'll pay those weeks retroactively - but ONLY if you filed the weekly claims.

I went through this exact same thing when I moved from Colorado to Washington last fall! Got that scary denial email on day 2, then spent the next week checking my account obsessively. Finally got an updated monetary determination showing my Colorado wages after about 8 business days. The key thing is to NOT panic (easier said than done, I know). ESD's initial screening only looks at Washington wages, but if you listed out-of-state employment on your application, they automatically send wage requests to those states. The denial email is just their system being overly dramatic before the real processing is done. Keep filing your weekly claims no matter what the system says - this is crucial for getting backpay later. And try to resist calling ESD unless it's been more than 2 weeks, because honestly you'll just sit on hold forever and they'll tell you the same thing everyone here is saying.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for over a month now about my benefit calculation and it's been absolutely impossible. Their phone system is completely broken - I either get a busy signal, sit on hold for 3+ hours only to get disconnected, or the system just hangs up on me. I'm pretty sure my benefit amount is wrong based on what I'm reading here, but I can't get anyone to review it. Has anyone found a reliable way to actually speak with a real person at ESD recently? This is so frustrating when you're already stressed about being unemployed.

Just wanted to share my recent experience with Washington ESD benefit calculations since I see a lot of confusion in this thread. I was initially awarded $742 per week, but after reviewing my wage history I realized they had missed some overtime pay from my highest earning quarter. I ended up using one of those callback services (similar to what others mentioned) to get through to an agent, and they were able to recalculate my benefits. Turns out I qualified for $891 per week instead! The key was having all my pay stubs organized and being able to clearly explain which wages they had missed. If you think your calculation is wrong, don't give up - it's worth fighting for the correct amount. Just make sure you have solid documentation to back up your claim.

I'm in a similar boat - got laid off from my retail job about 3 weeks ago and kept putting off filing because I was embarrassed about needing unemployment benefits. Reading through all these responses has been really eye-opening. I had no idea that you lose those weeks permanently! Going to file my claim first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's helping people like me and Julian realize we need to act fast even when we're feeling overwhelmed about the whole process.

The advice here has been spot on - you definitely haven't missed your deadline, but those 6 weeks of lost benefits really sting. I went through something similar when I got laid off from my manufacturing job last year. Waited about a month thinking I'd bounce back quickly, and it ended up costing me around $1,600 in benefits I'll never get back. The hardest part is accepting that the money is just gone, but don't let that discourage you from filing now. Washington's unemployment system isn't perfect, but once you get your claim going, it does provide crucial support while you're job hunting. Make sure you have all your employment documentation ready before you start the online application - employer info, dates, reason for separation, etc. And definitely start tracking your job search activities in detail from day one because those weekly certifications require specific information about what you did to look for work each week.