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To answer your original question directly - yes, Washington ESD is absolutely still accepting new unemployment applications in 2025. The system is operational and processing claims regularly. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
Thank you everyone for all the helpful information! I'm going to file my application today.
Good luck! Remember to file your weekly claims on time once you're approved.
One important thing to add - make sure you have all your employment documentation ready before you start the application. Washington ESD will need your last employer's name, address, dates of employment, and your wages. Having your pay stubs and W-2s handy will make the process much smoother. Also, if you have any union affiliation or were part of a mass layoff, mention that as it might affect your claim processing time. The online system will walk you through everything step by step, so don't stress too much about it!
This is really helpful! I didn't realize I needed all that employment documentation ready beforehand. I was just going to wing it with whatever I could remember. Do you know if they accept digital copies of pay stubs or do they need physical ones? I have most of my recent pay stubs saved as PDFs on my phone from when my employer switched to digital pay stubs last year.
Digital copies are totally fine! The Washington ESD online system actually works better with digital documents since you can upload them directly if needed. I'd recommend organizing all your PDFs in a folder on your phone or computer before you start - having everything in one place makes it so much easier when you're filling out the application. Also, even though they don't always ask for uploads during the initial application, they might request documentation later if there are any questions about your wages or employment history, so keeping those PDFs accessible is smart.
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Final thought - if you do decide to take the freelance work, just factor the benefit reduction into your decision. Sometimes earning $300 but losing $295 in benefits isn't worth the hassle, depending on the work involved.
True, gotta look at the net gain. Thanks everyone for all the insights - this really helped clarify things for me.
Just to add another perspective - I've been doing some gig work while on UI and one thing that helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track potential earnings vs benefit reductions before taking on projects. For example, if a freelance job pays $400 but I'd lose $395 in benefits (since I get $450/week), I'm only netting $5 plus whatever experience/networking value the work provides. Sometimes it's worth it for the connections, sometimes not. Also worth noting that if you're doing contract work, you might want to consider the tax implications too since you'll be responsible for self-employment taxes on that income.
That spreadsheet idea is brilliant! I hadn't thought about tracking it that systematically. And you're absolutely right about the self-employment tax piece - that's another 15.3% I'd need to factor in on top of regular income tax. So really the math gets even more complicated when you consider the full tax burden on freelance income vs the tax-free UI benefits. Definitely something to calculate before saying yes to any gig work.
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This thread has been super helpful. I'm in a similar situation and was worried about messing up my unemployment claim. Now I know what to do!
Glad it helped you too! There's definitely a lot to keep track of but it seems manageable.
The key is just being accurate and consistent with your reporting. Washington ESD is pretty reasonable if you're honest about your earnings.
This is such valuable information! I've been hesitant to take on any work while collecting unemployment because I was afraid it would disqualify me completely. It's reassuring to know that Washington allows part-time work as long as you report everything properly. The earnings deduction formula makes sense too - you get to keep most of your benefits while still having some income coming in. I'm definitely going to look into some part-time opportunities now. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and advice!
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Update us on how it goes! I'm sure other people on unemployment could benefit from hearing about your experience with the apartment search process.
Will do! I'm feeling much more confident about this now thanks to everyone's advice. Definitely going to start gathering all the documentation people mentioned.
Good luck! The housing market is tough but it's definitely doable with the right preparation.
I'm a landlord in the Seattle area and wanted to add my perspective. We absolutely consider unemployment benefits as valid income - what matters most to us is that you can demonstrate consistent payment history and that your total benefits meet our income requirements. Bring a printout from your ESD online account showing your payment history, not just the determination letter. Also, if you're worried about the temporary nature of UI, mention any job leads or interviews you have lined up. Shows you're actively working toward stable employment again.
This is incredibly helpful to hear from an actual landlord! I hadn't thought about printing the payment history from my online account - that's a great tip. I do have a few interviews scheduled next week so I'll definitely mention those. It's reassuring to know that some landlords are understanding about the temporary nature of unemployment. Thank you for taking the time to share the landlord perspective!
This is so reassuring to hear from a landlord directly! I've been stressed about this exact situation. Quick question - when you say "payment history," do you mean showing like 3-4 months of actual deposits into my bank account, or is there a specific report I can get from the ESD website that shows this better? Also, would it help to include a brief letter explaining my job search efforts along with the documentation?
Connor Byrne
Update: My payment FINALLY showed up this morning!! Exactly 14 days after my approval letter. Thanks everyone for your help and keeping me sane during the wait. For anyone else dealing with this - just know there seems to be about a 2-week delay between approval and actually getting paid.
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Yara Elias
•congrats! now just hope they don't randomly stop payments for no reason like they did to my roommate lol
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Paolo Moretti
•Glad to hear it worked out! Make sure to keep filing your weekly claims consistently even if there are payment delays in the future. Missing a weekly claim can cause much bigger headaches.
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Ravi Gupta
Hey Connor, glad you finally got your payment! I went through the exact same thing last year - that 2-week wait feels like forever when you're stressing about bills. Just a heads up for the future: I noticed ESD sometimes has random processing hiccups where payments get delayed even after you're in the regular cycle. Keep an eye on your payment dates and don't panic if one week takes a day or two longer than usual. The system isn't perfect but it does work eventually. Hope everything goes smoothly for you from here on out!
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