I went through a Washington ESD fraud investigation last year and wanted to share some practical tips. First, respond to everything promptly - they give you deadlines for a reason. Second, if you had any legitimate confusion about the rules, gather evidence of that (like emails you sent asking for clarification, or screenshots of confusing website language). Third, calculate your own estimate of any overpayment so you're not surprised by their numbers. The investigation process is slow but they're generally fair if you're upfront about mistakes. In my case, what looked like potential fraud ended up being reclassified as an overpayment because I could document my confusion about the work reporting requirements.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that Washington ESD sometimes offers "compromise settlements" for first-time cases where you can pay a reduced amount to close the investigation. I went through this process two years ago and they offered to settle my $4,200 overpayment for $2,800 if I paid it in full within 30 days. It saved me money in the long run and got the whole thing behind me quickly. Not everyone qualifies but it's worth asking about if you're dealing with a significant amount and can come up with a lump sum payment. The key is having a clean record with no prior fraud issues and showing genuine remorse for the mistakes.

I actually called Washington ESD a few weeks ago about this exact question because I was drowning in paperwork from my 2021-2022 claims. After being transferred three times and waiting on hold for over an hour, I finally got someone who told me the official recommendation is 4 years for all unemployment-related documents. They specifically mentioned job search logs, weekly claim records, correspondence, and benefit statements. The agent also warned me that they can initiate overpayment recovery actions up to 4 years after benefits end, so having complete records is crucial for your protection. I ended up buying a small filing cabinet and organizing everything by year, then by document type within each year. It's tedious but worth it - I sleep better knowing I have everything organized and accessible if they ever come knocking. The peace of mind alone makes it worth the storage space, especially after reading all these stories about people getting audited years later.

I just went through this same paperwork purge about 6 months ago and ended up keeping everything for 4 years based on what I found in Washington ESD's official documentation. The key thing that convinced me was learning that they can audit your claim or initiate overpayment recovery up to 4 years after your benefits end - and without proper documentation, you're basically at their mercy. I organized everything into yearly banker's boxes with manila folders for different document types (job search logs, weekly certifications, ESD correspondence, payment records). The whole system takes up maybe 2 cubic feet of storage space total, which seems like a small price to pay for protection against potential overpayment demands. One tip that really helped: I created a simple index card for each box listing what's inside and the date ranges, so I can quickly locate specific documents if needed. After reading all the horror stories in this thread about people getting surprise audits years later, I'm definitely glad I kept everything organized rather than risking it!

I went through this exact same confusion when I filed my claim last year! The base period system seems really complicated at first, but once you understand it's just looking at those 4 specific quarters, it makes more sense. Since you worked steadily for 8 months before getting laid off, you should definitely meet the requirements. The employment gaps before that period won't matter at all - Washington ESD only cares about what happened during those 4 base period quarters. I'd recommend filing your claim right away since you were laid off rather than trying to calculate everything yourself. The system will do the math automatically and you'll know for sure within a couple weeks when you get your monetary determination letter.

I was in almost exactly the same situation when I filed my claim - worked about 7-8 months before getting laid off and was super worried about whether it would be enough. The good news is that 8 months of steady work should definitely put you over the minimum wage requirements for the base period. I spent way too much time trying to calculate it myself before realizing I should just file and let Washington ESD's system do the work. Once I filed, I got my monetary determination letter about 10 days later showing I qualified with a decent weekly benefit amount. The earlier employment gaps you mentioned won't matter at all since they only look at that specific 4-quarter base period window. I'd definitely recommend filing as soon as possible since you were laid off - there's no benefit to waiting and you want to get your claim started. The whole process was much less complicated than I expected once I actually went through with it.

This thread has been incredibly helpful - I'm bookmarking it for reference! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my benefit year is ending in a few months after being laid off twice this year. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from my cousin who works in HR: make sure to keep copies of your layoff paperwork from both employers, especially anything that shows the reason for separation. Even though ESD should have this info already, sometimes they ask for documentation during the review process and having it ready can prevent delays. Also, I've found it helpful to set up text alerts through the ESD website so you get notified immediately when there are updates to your claim status. During my first application, I was checking the website obsessively every day, but the text alerts let me know right away when something changed. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so much better than trying to figure this out from the confusing official guidance alone!

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my benefit year ends in early November, and I was really stressed about the reapplication process until reading everyone's experiences here. One thing I wanted to add based on my research - I called ESD a few weeks ago (took forever to get through) and the agent mentioned that if you have any outstanding issues from your current claim (like overpayments or pending adjudications), those can sometimes complicate the new application process. She recommended making sure everything is resolved before applying for the new benefit year if possible. Also, for anyone else in this situation, I found it helpful to create an account on the Washington State Employment Security Department's secure website and familiarize yourself with the layout before you actually need to apply. The interface can be confusing when you're stressed about deadlines, so getting comfortable with it ahead of time made me feel more prepared. @Malik Thomas - sounds like you've got an excellent plan now with all the advice from this thread! The fact that you're thinking ahead and preparing is going to make such a difference compared to scrambling at the last minute like I did with my first claim.

I went through something similar with Washington ESD about 8 months ago. One thing that really helped me was calling early in the morning (like right when they open at 8am) - the wait times were much shorter than calling during peak hours. Also, when you do get through to someone, ask them to email you a confirmation of whatever action they take on your claim. I learned this the hard way when there was some confusion later about whether my withdrawal request had actually been processed. Having that email documentation saved me a lot of headaches. Given that your employer is just "considering" bringing you back, I'd personally lean toward keeping the claim open but inactive until you have something more concrete from them.

I'm currently dealing with a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Based on what everyone's shared, it seems like the consensus is to keep your claim open but just stop filing weekly certifications until you get something concrete from your employer. That way you're not actively collecting benefits but you maintain your place in the system in case things fall through. I'd definitely recommend getting that early morning call strategy a try - calling right at 8am when Washington ESD opens. And if you do end up needing to talk to them about your specific situation, make sure to ask for email confirmation of whatever they tell you. It's really reassuring to see so many people who've navigated this successfully!