Thanks everyone for all the helpful answers! This cleared up a lot of confusion I had about the weekly claim process.

Another thing that helped me was printing out the WA State work search log template from their website and filling it out weekly. It makes tracking your job search activities much easier when you need to provide documentation. Also, if you're doing gig work like DoorDash or Uber, make sure you understand how to report those earnings correctly - they count as self-employment income and there are specific rules about when and how to report them on your weekly claims.

I went through something very similar earlier this year and wanted to share my experience. I had a lump sum severance that wasn't tied to specific weeks, and I followed the same approach everyone's recommending here - answered NO to the severance question until I actually received the payment. One thing I'll add is to keep documentation of your severance agreement once you sign it. When I reported my lump sum payment in the week I received it, ESD asked me to upload a copy of the agreement to verify it wasn't allocated to specific time periods. Having it ready made the process much smoother. Also, don't stress too much about the exact category when reporting it as income - there's usually an "other income" or "severance" option that works fine. The important thing is just being honest about receiving the money during that specific week. You're handling this the right way by asking questions upfront rather than guessing!

I just wanted to add one more thing that helped me when I was in a similar situation - if you're still unsure about anything after following all this great advice, you can also check with your former employer's HR department. They usually have experience with how their severance packages interact with unemployment claims and can sometimes provide clarification on whether your specific payment structure is tied to post-employment periods or not. In my case, HR was actually able to provide a letter stating that my severance was a lump sum payment for signing the separation agreement and wasn't allocated to any specific weeks after termination. Having that documentation gave me extra peace of mind when filing my claims. Also, just want to echo what others have said - definitely keep filing your weekly claims even during the week you might not receive benefits due to the severance payment. Missing even one week can cause unnecessary complications with your claim status. Good luck with everything! It sounds like you're being really thoughtful about handling this correctly.

Update us when you hear something! I'm in a similar situation and curious how long it ends up taking for you.

I'm in almost the exact same situation - filed about 2.5 weeks ago after being laid off from my retail job and still showing pending status. Reading through all these responses is actually really reassuring that this timeline seems pretty normal. I've been doing my weekly claims religiously and checking my account obsessively like some of you mentioned. The stress about bills is real though! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it helps to know we're not alone in this waiting game.

UPDATE: I want to thank everyone for the great advice! I followed the suggestions here and have some progress to report. I tried calling during the recommended off-peak hours but still couldn't get through. However, I sent a detailed email to my state representative yesterday afternoon with all the information suggested, and this morning I received a response saying they've contacted ESD on my behalf! They said to expect an update within 5-7 business days. I'll post again when I hear more, but wanted to thank you all for the guidance. This community has been more helpful than any official ESD resource.

That's fantastic progress! Your state rep responding that quickly is a really good sign. I went through something similar last year and once my representative got involved, things moved much faster than the usual ESD timeline. The fact that they gave you a specific 5-7 day window means your case is now being actively tracked rather than sitting in the general adjudication queue. While you're waiting, make sure to keep checking your eServices account daily - sometimes updates appear there before you get any other notification. And definitely keep filing your weekly claims even though you're still in adjudication. Fingers crossed you get good news soon! This community really does know what works better than the official channels sometimes.

The whole system seems so complicated. I wish Washington ESD would just send you a simple breakdown of exactly what you qualify for instead of making you figure it all out.

Thanks everyone for all the detailed info! This is exactly what I was looking for. It sounds like with my salary I should qualify for close to the maximum $999 weekly benefit, which would really help while I'm job searching. I'm definitely going to set up direct deposit right away and make sure to file my weekly claims on time. The tax withholding tip is really valuable too - I'll elect to have the 10% federal taxes taken out so I don't get hit with a big bill later. Now I just need to get through the initial application process and hope my former employer doesn't contest it!