Washington Unemployment

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  • Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
  • Skip the long phone menu
  • Call the correct department
  • Redial until on hold
  • Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
  • Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call

If I could give 10 stars I would

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!

Really made a difference

Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.

Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.

Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.

An incredibly helpful service

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!

Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.

Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.

IT WORKS!! Not a scam!

I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!

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Ask the community...

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Honorah King

When should I apply for Washington ESD unemployment after being laid off - timing question

Got laid off yesterday from my warehouse job and I'm not sure about the timing for filing my unemployment claim. Should I wait until next week or can I apply right away? I heard there's some kind of waiting period but I'm confused about whether that starts when I file or when I actually lost my job. My last day of work was Tuesday and I want to make sure I don't mess up the timing and lose out on benefits. Anyone know how this works with Washington ESD?

Update: I filed my claim this morning and got a confirmation number. Thanks everyone for the advice! The process was actually easier than I expected. Now I just need to wait for the determination letter.

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Awesome, glad you got it done. I'm going to file mine right after I finish gathering my employer information.

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Good luck! Don't overthink it - just be accurate and honest with your answers.

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This thread was really helpful. I'm in a similar situation and was confused about the timing. Filing my claim today instead of waiting until Monday like I originally planned.

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Same here! This community is really helpful for navigating all this unemployment stuff.

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Definitely. So much better than trying to figure it out from the official website alone.

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Nia Watson

Complete guide on how to apply for unemployment benefits through Washington ESD

I'm posting this for anyone who needs help with how to apply for unemployment benefits in Washington state. Just went through the entire process myself and wanted to share what I learned. First, you'll need to go to the Washington ESD website and create a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account if you don't have one. Then you can file your initial application online. Make sure you have your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history for the past 18 months ready. You'll need employer names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for separation. The system will ask about your availability for work and job search activities. After you submit, you should get a monetary determination letter within a few days showing your weekly benefit amount. Then you'll need to file weekly claims every week to actually receive payments. Has anyone else been through this process recently? Any tips I missed?

One more question - do you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits?

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Yes, unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld when you set up your claim, or you'll owe them when you file your tax return.

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I learned this the hard way. Definitely have them withhold taxes unless you're planning to set money aside yourself.

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Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses. This thread should be pinned for people who are new to unemployment.

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Agreed! Way better than trying to navigate the Washington ESD website alone.

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And remember, if you do need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your specific situation, don't waste hours trying to get through on the phone. Services like Claimyr really do work for getting connected to an actual person who can help.

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Connor O'Reilly

Do furloughed employees have to look for work while on Washington ESD unemployment?

I got furloughed from my job at a manufacturing company last month and they said they'll bring me back when business picks up, probably in 6-8 weeks. I'm collecting unemployment through Washington ESD right now but I'm confused about the job search requirements. Do I still need to do the 3 job search activities per week since I technically still have a job to go back to? The WorkSource website isn't clear about this situation and I don't want to mess up my benefits.

My friend thought she didn't need to job search during furlough and got her benefits cut off. Had to appeal and everything. Don't risk it - just do the searches.

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Appeals take forever too. Much easier to just follow the rules from the start.

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Definitely not worth the risk. I'll stick to the job search requirements.

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Been furloughed twice in the last 3 years and learned this the hard way. Washington ESD doesn't care about your employment status - if you're claiming benefits, you follow all the rules. Period.

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Yep, learned the same lesson. They're not flexible about exceptions.

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Got it. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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Zoe Wang

Unemployment rates for teens 16-19 in Washington - how much did it grow between April 2019 and April 2020?

I'm doing research on youth unemployment trends in Washington state and I'm trying to find specific data on how much unemployment grew for people ages 16-19 between April 2019 and April 2020. Does anyone know where to get this info from Washington ESD or have access to these statistics? I've checked their website but can't find the age-specific breakdowns for those exact months. Any help would be appreciated!

Just to circle back on getting through to ESD if you need to - I used Claimyr last month when I couldn't reach them about my claim and it worked perfectly. Saved me probably 20+ hours of trying to call manually.

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That's pretty impressive if it actually works. The ESD phone system has been a nightmare for years, not just during COVID.

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Yeah, it's been a game changer for anyone who needs to actually talk to someone there. The regular phone lines are still basically unusable during peak times.

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Final thought - when you present your findings, it might be worth contextualizing against teen unemployment during the 2008 recession to show how COVID compared to other major economic disruptions.

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Excellent suggestion for historical context! That comparison would really help illustrate the magnitude of the COVID impact on teen employment. Thanks for all the helpful input everyone!

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Oscar Murphy

Who handles unemployment claims at Washington ESD - confused about the process

I'm really confused about who actually handles unemployment claims at Washington ESD. I filed my initial claim 2 weeks ago and it's been sitting in adjudication. When I call the main number, they just tell me to wait. Are there different departments that handle different parts of the process? Like who decides if you get approved or denied? And who handles appeals if you disagree? I'm trying to figure out if I'm calling the right people or if there's someone specific I should be talking to about my claim status.

Just to follow up on my earlier comment about Claimyr - I ended up using them again last month when I had issues with my weekly claim certification. Really helped cut through the phone tree confusion and got me to someone who could actually help with my specific issue.

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I'm definitely going to check that out. This thread has been super helpful in understanding the process, but it sounds like getting to the right person is still the biggest challenge.

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Exactly. Understanding the process is half the battle, but actually reaching the right department is the other half. Good luck with your claim!

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Hope this all gets resolved for you soon! The waiting is the worst part of the whole unemployment process.

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Thanks everyone for all the helpful information. At least now I understand who does what and have some strategies for getting through to the right people.

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