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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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The credit you get for paying Washington state unemployment taxes is substantial though. Most employers end up paying very little in actual FUTA after the state credit is applied.
So if I'm already paying Washington ESD unemployment taxes I shouldn't owe much to the federal government?
Right, as long as Washington state isn't considered a credit reduction state, which it usually isn't.
This thread has been super helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my small marketing agency. Based on what everyone's saying, it sounds like I need to register for FUTA with the IRS separately even though I'm already set up with Washington ESD. The fact that the federal and state systems don't communicate with each other is really frustrating - seems like there should be a better way to handle this for small business owners who are just trying to do the right thing.
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UPDATE: I ended up filing my new Washington ESD claim online yesterday. The process was actually pretty straightforward once I had all my wage information gathered. Now I just have to wait for them to process it and hopefully get approved. Thanks everyone for the advice!
Good reminder about the weekly claims. I almost forgot about that requirement. Hopefully the processing goes smoothly.
I just want to echo what others have said - I moved from Texas to Washington last year and had to start completely fresh with Washington ESD. The good news is that while you can't transfer your claim, Washington's benefit calculation will include wages from all states during their lookback period. One thing I'd add is to make sure you understand Washington's job search requirements right away - they're stricter than some states and you don't want to get dinged for not meeting them while your claim is processing. Also, definitely register with WorkSource Washington as soon as possible since that's mandatory for most claimants. The whole process took about 2-3 weeks for me but it was worth getting everything set up properly from the start.
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Thanks everyone for all the advice and information. I'm going to proceed with my claim and see what happens. Even if I don't qualify, at least I'll know for sure. Appreciate all the help!
Hope it works out for you. The worst they can do is say no, but you might be surprised.
Keep us posted on how it goes! And remember claimyr is there if you need help reaching Washington ESD agents during the process.
I went through a similar situation about 6 months ago as a graphic designer. Washington ESD's determination really comes down to the specific details of your working relationship. The non-compete agreement you mentioned is actually a strong indicator that you might have been misclassified - true independent contractors typically shouldn't be restricted from working with competitors. Also, if they provided training specific to their processes (not just general industry training), that's another factor in your favor. Document everything you can find - emails where they directed your work methods, any company policies you had to follow, whether you had set work hours, etc. The adjudication process took about 6 weeks for me, but I was ultimately approved after they determined I was functioning more like an employee than a contractor.
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btw does anyone know why they keep asking the same questions every few weeks?? i swear i've filled out the retirement thing like 3 times on my claim
They might send it multiple times if you worked for different employers that offered retirement plans. Each employer gets checked separately. Super annoying!
This is such a common issue! I went through the exact same thing a few months ago. Got that retirement questionnaire at age 38 and was like "what the heck?" The key thing is don't panic - it's totally normal for ESD to send these out even to younger claimants. What I learned is that it's triggered by your work history, not your age. If you worked anywhere that had ANY kind of retirement benefit (even just a basic 401k option you never used), their system flags it for review. Make sure you respond within their deadline even if every question seems irrelevant. I just answered "No" to everything and wrote in the comments section something like "I am 38 years old and have no retirement income or pension benefits." Cleared up in about a week after that. The worst thing you can do is ignore it thinking it's a mistake - that's how claims get stuck in limbo for months!
NebulaNinja
Just remember that unemployment is temporary assistance, not permanent income replacement. Use the time to actively look for work and improve your skills if possible.
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Chloe Anderson
•Absolutely. I'm already working on updating my resume and looking at job postings. The unemployment will help bridge the gap while I find something good.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•WorkSource has some good resources too for job searching and skills training if you haven't checked them out yet.
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GalaxyGuardian
Thanks everyone for all the detailed explanations! This is exactly what I needed to understand how Washington calculates unemployment benefits. Based on what Diego and others have shared, it sounds like I should be looking at my base period quarters (not just my annual salary) to get an accurate estimate. I'll gather my wage statements from those specific quarters and try the calculation myself. Really appreciate the tip about Claimyr too - if the online calculator stays broken I might need to use that to actually talk to someone at ESD.
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