Just to summarize for anyone skimming - in Washington, unemployment tax applies to most wages up to $68,500 per year in 2025. This includes regular pay, overtime, bonuses, commissions, and tips. Main exemptions are business expense reimbursements and certain benefits. If your employer made mistakes, Washington ESD can correct the records.

This is such an important topic! I went through something similar when I switched jobs last year. One thing I learned is that you should keep your own records of all your wages - pay stubs, direct deposit records, etc. Don't just rely on what your employer reports to Washington ESD. When I had to file a claim, having my own documentation made it much easier to spot discrepancies and get them corrected. Also, if you're part-time like the OP mentioned, make sure your employer is consistently reporting all your hours and wages, not just the regular ones.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Sounds like I need to be really careful about tracking and reporting everything. Better to be safe than sorry with Washington ESD.

I was in a similar situation a few months ago and ended up doing DoorDash on weekends. Here's what I learned: 1) You absolutely must report ALL earnings as gross income before any fees or deductions, 2) Keep a spreadsheet with dates, hours worked, and earnings for each week - it makes reporting so much easier, 3) The partial benefit formula actually isn't too bad if you stay strategic about your hours. I found that working Friday and Saturday nights for about 4-5 hours each gave me around $80-90 per week, which kept me under my benefit threshold. Just make sure you're still doing your required job search activities - gig work doesn't count toward those requirements. The extra income really helped with groceries and gas money while I was looking for full-time work.

This has been super educational. I had no idea you could collect UI while getting severance. Definitely going to file my claim now instead of waiting.

Just wanted to add my experience - I was in a similar situation with 8 weeks of severance from a tech layoff. Filed for unemployment right away and it was the right call. Even though some weeks my UI benefit was reduced to almost nothing due to the severance amount, I still got partial benefits and stayed active in the system. The Washington ESD online portal makes it pretty straightforward to report your severance each week when you file your weekly claim. Don't overthink it - just be honest about what you're receiving and when you receive it. The system will calculate everything automatically.

When my unemployment was ending last year I was panicking too. My brother told me his friend got an extension but that turned out to be from 2021 during covid which doesn't help now lol. I ended up taking a part-time job at Starbucks while I kept looking for something in my field. You might qualify for partial unemployment if you work part-time but don't earn too much. Just sharing what worked for me while I was transitioning!

One more thing to consider - if you've worked ANY job (even part-time or temporary) during your current benefit year and earned enough hours, you might be eligible to file a new claim rather than seeking an extension. The threshold is 680 hours of work since your last valid claim. This creates a new benefit year rather than extending the current one. Worth checking your work history to see if this might apply to you.

I used to work for an employment law firm and saw this constantly. Employers contest claims even when they know they'll lose because the delay saves them money in the short term. It's a calculated business decision that unfortunately hurts workers.

Update on my situation - I finally got through to Washington ESD using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. The agent explained exactly where my case stands in the adjudication process and what to expect next. Definitely worth checking out if you're stuck like I was.