This thread should be pinned somewhere. The phone number struggle is real and affects so many people trying to navigate Washington ESD.

I've been dealing with Washington ESD phone issues for months now and wanted to share what finally worked for me. After reading through this thread and seeing multiple people mention Claimyr, I decided to try it despite being skeptical. I watched that YouTube demo video and it actually explains exactly how their system works - they basically automate the calling process and connect you when an agent becomes available instead of you having to sit there hitting redial hundreds of times. Used it last week and got connected to a real ESD representative in under 30 minutes. They were able to explain my adjudication hold (needed additional wage verification from my previous employer) and told me exactly what documents to submit. My claim was released two days later. Cost me $20 but honestly worth every penny considering I was going on week 4 of failed calling attempts. Sometimes you just have to accept that the regular system is broken and find an alternative that actually works.

So, If I am a contractor with a company from a different state do they pay into SUTA?

No, contractors typically don't have unemployment taxes paid on their behalf. SUTA (State Unemployment Tax Act) is only paid by employers for their W-2 employees. As a contractor, you're considered self-employed, so the company you work for doesn't pay unemployment taxes to any state for your services - whether they're in Washington or another state. This means you generally wouldn't be eligible for traditional unemployment benefits. However, during the pandemic there was PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) for contractors and gig workers, but that program ended in 2021.

Make sure you download and save a copy of the judge's decision when you get it! ESD's system sometimes loses documents, and having that official decision on hand can save you TONS of headaches if there are any issues with your claim in the future. I learned this the hard way when I needed to reference my appeal decision months later and could no longer access it in the portal.

Based on what you described, you've almost certainly won your appeal. When judges catch employers misrepresenting facts, they take it very seriously. The statement about not allowing another hearing is especially telling - that's judge-speak for "I've seen enough to make my decision." After you receive the written decision (typically 7-10 days after the hearing), ESD will automatically process it and restart your benefits. You should see all back payments for the weeks you've continued to file come through as a lump sum. One thing to be aware of: your employer technically has 30 days to appeal the OAH decision to the Commissioner's Review Office, though this is relatively rare when they've been caught in a misrepresentation during the hearing.

This is such helpful information! I'm in a similar situation where I was laid off in December but didn't file right away because I had some freelance work lined up that fell through. I've been putting off calling ESD because the wait times are so brutal, but seeing that you actually got through and they were able to help gives me hope. Quick question - when you say they're sending you forms for each week, do they mail those or send them through eServices? And roughly how long did they say the processing would take once you submit everything back? I'm looking at potentially 8-10 weeks to backdate so I want to make sure I'm prepared for the timeline. Thanks for sharing your experience and congrats on getting through the whole process!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else going through this - I successfully backdated 12 weeks last fall after my adjudication was approved. The key thing I learned is to be VERY organized with your documentation before you call. I created a spreadsheet with dates, company names, job titles, and application methods for every single job I applied to during those missed weeks. When I finally got through to ESD (used the callback feature which helped avoid sitting on hold), the agent was impressed with how prepared I was and processed everything much faster. They told me having detailed records upfront often means they don't need to request additional documentation later, which speeds up the whole process. One tip: if you applied through multiple job sites (Indeed, LinkedIn, company websites), take screenshots now if you can still access your application history. ESD likes to see variety in your job search methods. Good luck everyone - it's definitely worth the hassle to get those missed weeks!

I just wanted to chime in as someone who's been dealing with Washington ESD for a while now - these website outages unfortunately happen more often than they should, especially during busy periods like holidays or when there are system updates. The good news is that Washington ESD is generally understanding about late filings when it's due to their technical issues. I've learned to always try filing during off-peak hours first (early morning or late evening), and if that doesn't work, I document everything with screenshots showing the error messages and timestamps. It's also worth signing up for their email alerts if you haven't already - they sometimes send notifications about planned maintenance or known issues. Hang in there, and don't stress too much about missing the deadline when it's clearly on their end!

I've been through this exact situation multiple times over the past year. What I've found that works best is trying to access the site very early in the morning (like 5-6 AM) when traffic is lowest. Also, if you're using Chrome, try switching to Firefox or Edge - sometimes different browsers handle their server load better. One more tip: if you get partway through filing and the site crashes, don't start over immediately. Wait about 10-15 minutes and try to resume where you left off, as sometimes the system saves your progress even when it appears to have failed. The stress is real, but I've never actually lost benefits due to their technical problems - they do track when the issues are on their end.