Bottom line: unemployment insurance is exactly that - insurance. Your employer paid premiums (taxes) to cover you in case you lost your job. Just like health insurance or car insurance, you're using benefits that were pre-paid. Nothing to feel guilty about at all.

Your neighbor is completely wrong and spreading misinformation. Unemployment benefits in Washington state are funded entirely through employer payroll taxes (SUTA - State Unemployment Tax Act), not through individual taxpayer funds. Every employer pays quarterly unemployment taxes based on their payroll and claim history. This money goes into a trust fund that pays out benefits to eligible workers. You earned these benefits through your work history, and your employer already paid the premiums for this insurance. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for using a benefit system that was specifically designed to help workers like you during temporary unemployment periods.

Final update: My deposit hit this morning! System glitch definitely fixed. Thanks everyone for the help and info!

Great to see this got resolved! For anyone still dealing with Washington ESD payment delays in the future, it's really helpful when someone follows up with the actual cause like Luca did. System glitches seem to happen more often than they should, but at least knowing it's not an individual account issue takes away some of the stress. Bookmarking that Claimyr service too - seems like multiple people had success with it when the regular phone lines weren't working.

One last thing - if you go back to full-time work, you don't need to file a final claim or anything special. Just stop filing your weekly claims and you're done with the system until you need it again.

Just wanted to add that if you're using direct deposit for your UI benefits, make sure to keep that account active even after you start working part-time. I made the mistake of closing my account thinking I wouldn't need benefits anymore, then had to jump through hoops to set up a new one when I realized I was still eligible for partial payments. Also, keep all your pay stubs - Washington ESD may ask for documentation later to verify what you reported.

Hope this helps everyone figure out their wage situations. The unemployment system is complicated enough without having to guess about the basics.

This has been such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation where I'm trying to understand what wages will count toward my potential unemployment benefits. I have a base salary plus quarterly bonuses, and some months I get overtime pay too. From reading all the responses here, it sounds like all of these would count as long as they show up on my W-2 and had unemployment tax deducted. I'm also relieved to learn that the 1099 consulting work I did last year won't count - I was worried that might complicate things. Going to gather up all my pay stubs and W-2s now so I'm prepared when I file my claim.

Summary for anyone else finding this thread: 401k withdrawals don't affect Washington ESD benefits, just report them accurately on your weekly claim and keep documentation.

This is such valuable information! I'm in a similar situation and was really stressed about whether a 401k withdrawal would mess up my unemployment benefits. Reading everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring. It sounds like the key is just being transparent when reporting it on the weekly claim form. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - this community really does help navigate these confusing situations!