Good luck OP! Keep us posted on how it goes.

I went through something similar in Washington about 18 months ago. Got fired for "attitude issues" after my manager found out I was networking at industry events. Filed my UI claim the same day and was approved within 2 weeks. The adjudicator told me that professional networking and job searching are completely normal activities that don't constitute misconduct. Your situation sounds even more clear-cut since you were doing interviews during your own lunch time. Don't stress too much about it - Washington ESD is pretty fair about these cases.

The key thing is to stay on top of your weekly claims and keep documenting everything. Take screenshots of your claim status and payment history in case you need to reference them later.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago. After my claim was approved, it took exactly 5 business days to see the payment hit my account via direct deposit. The key thing that helped speed it up was making sure I had completed all my work search activities correctly and filed my weekly claim immediately after approval. If you don't see anything by next Wednesday, I'd definitely recommend calling or using one of those callback services people mentioned. Also, check that there aren't any outstanding issues in your account - sometimes there can be a small flag that's not immediately obvious that's holding up payment processing.

The bottom line is file your weekly claims as long as you're unemployed and stop when you start full-time work. If you work part-time, keep filing but report all hours and wages. Simple as that.

Another thing to keep in mind - if you're starting work on Monday, make sure you don't accidentally file for that week out of habit. I'd recommend setting a reminder on your phone or calendar to NOT file once you start working full-time. It's easy to forget when you've been doing it every week for 2 months. Also, Washington ESD sometimes sends automated reminders to file, so just ignore those once you're employed. Better to be extra careful than deal with overpayment headaches later!

Been working part time while on unemployment for 6 weeks now and haven't had any issues. The key is just being consistent and accurate with your reporting. Washington ESD's system handles it pretty smoothly once you get in the routine.

This is really encouraging to read through everyone's experiences! I'm in a similar situation where I might have the opportunity to pick up some freelance work while collecting benefits. From what I'm understanding, the main things to remember are: 1) Always report ALL work and earnings on your weekly claim, 2) Report gross earnings not net, 3) Report for the week you actually worked not when you got paid, 4) Keep detailed records of everything, and 5) Continue your job search activities. The $5 disregard plus gradual reduction actually makes it worthwhile to take part-time work. Thanks for all the detailed explanations - this community is so helpful for navigating Washington ESD!

Just as an FYI for anyone reading this thread later - always keep BOTH ESD phone numbers saved in your contacts: 1-800-318-6022 (main ESD number) 1-800-699-0998 (weekly claims only) Also, remember that you can file weekly claims Sunday through Saturday, but it's best to file early in the week. If you wait until Saturday and have technical issues, you might miss the deadline!

Just wanted to add another tip for anyone who might be reading this thread - if you're having trouble with the automated phone system, make sure you're entering your Social Security Number slowly and clearly. Sometimes the system doesn't pick up the numbers if you press them too quickly. Also, if you get disconnected or the system seems unresponsive, wait a few minutes before calling back - sometimes there's high volume on weekends and the system gets overloaded. Glad you got it sorted out Steven!