Has anyone tried uploading from a different browser? Sometimes these government websites work better with Internet Explorer or Edge instead of Chrome.

Just wanted to follow up and say thanks to everyone for the advice. I ended up using Claimyr to talk to someone at Washington ESD and they confirmed the upload feature is having issues. They walked me through the manual entry process and it's actually not that bad. Also learned about some other features in the system I didn't know about.

The bottom line is: be honest, report everything, and you'll be fine. Washington ESD isn't trying to trick you - they just want accurate information.

I went through this exact situation last year! Washington ESD definitely tracks gig work income through their data matching systems, so hiding it isn't worth the risk. I started with just weekend Lyft driving while job searching and it worked out fine. Just make sure to report your gross earnings (before expenses) on your weekly claims, and keep detailed records of when you worked versus when you got paid. The partial benefit system actually lets you supplement your income without losing all your UI benefits, which was a lifesaver for me during my job search.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm going to set up the 10% withholding and also use the IRS calculator to see if I need to make any estimated payments. Really appreciate all the guidance.

Just wanted to add that if you're collecting unemployment benefits and also have a spouse who's working, you might want to have them adjust their W-4 withholding at work too. We found out the hard way that my unemployment income pushed us into a higher tax bracket, and my husband's regular paycheck withholding wasn't enough to cover the extra tax liability from both incomes combined. It's another option to consider if changing your unemployment withholding percentage doesn't feel like enough.

Also remember that even if you get denied initially, you can appeal the decision. A lot of people give up after the first denial but the appeals process exists for a reason.

Just to add another perspective - if you're working multiple part-time jobs and one of them cuts your hours or lets you go, you can still file for partial unemployment benefits even if you're still working the other job(s). Washington ESD will calculate your benefits based on the reduced income. A lot of people don't realize this and think you have to be completely unemployed to file a claim.

Pro tip from someone who used to work in banking - when a direct deposit is sent to the wrong account number, there's a whole return process that has to happen. The receiving bank has to return the funds as unclaimable, then ESD has to reprocess once they receive that return. Each step can take 2-3 business days. So realistically you're looking at minimum a week, often 10 days total.

Update: Payment just hit my account this morning! So it took exactly 7 business days from when I corrected the banking info. Thanks everyone for the help and reassurance that this was normal. I was really starting to worry.