One thing that helped me was creating a strict budget and cutting out everything non-essential while on unemployment. Every dollar counts when you're getting that little. Also check if your utilities have low-income assistance programs.

I'm in a similar situation - getting $340/week from Washington ESD and my rent alone is $1,350. It's really frustrating because I paid into this system for years thinking it would actually help if I ever needed it. Now I'm having to choose between paying rent and buying groceries. The whole thing feels broken when you can't even afford basic necessities while actively looking for work. Has anyone had luck finding roommates or other ways to reduce housing costs while on unemployment?

I went through this exact same situation a few months ago and it was so stressful! Like others have said, you definitely need to wait for the reopened claim to process first - usually 1-3 business days. The good news is that once it processes, you'll be able to backfile for that partial week where you only worked one day. I was worried I'd lose out on those benefits too, but the system does allow you to file for previous weeks once your claim is active again. Just keep checking your eServices dashboard daily and the "File weekly claim" option should appear. Don't panic if it takes the full 3 days - the system is just slow sometimes!

I went through almost the exact same situation last month! The waiting period after reopening your claim is definitely the most confusing part. What helped me was setting a reminder to check my eServices account every morning for 3 days after submitting the reopen request. On day 2, the "File weekly claim" option finally appeared on my dashboard. When I filed for that partial week, I made sure to report my one day of work earnings (gross amount) and answered all the work search questions. I ended up getting paid for the 4 days I was unemployed that week. The key is just being patient with their processing time - I know it's stressful when you're not sure if you did everything right! You should be all set once the system updates.

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this thread! As someone who just created my ESD account last week, I was dreading having to figure out the job search reporting part. Reading through all these detailed experiences and tips has been incredibly reassuring. I'm planning to follow the step-by-step approach that Luca outlined, use Chrome browser like Natasha suggested, and keep a spreadsheet with the columns that Lilah mentioned. The tip about the MM/DD/YYYY date format is especially helpful - I definitely would have gotten frustrated with error messages without knowing that detail! One quick question for the group: does anyone know if there's a time limit on how long you have to complete the weekly claim once you start it? I want to make sure I have enough time to carefully enter all my job search information without rushing and making mistakes. This community is such a lifesaver for navigating what feels like an unnecessarily complicated system. Looking forward to successfully filing my first claim this week! 🤞

I'm completely new to the unemployment system and this thread has been absolutely incredible! I just moved to Washington state last month and had to file for unemployment after my job ended unexpectedly. The ESD website has been so overwhelming - I literally stared at the screen for an hour yesterday trying to figure out where to even begin. Reading through everyone's step-by-step instructions and real experiences has given me hope that I can actually navigate this system successfully. I'm going to print out Luca's guide and follow it exactly, use the Chrome browser tip, and definitely set up that spreadsheet with all the columns before I even log in. The community support here is amazing - it's such a relief to know I'm not the only one who found this process confusing! I feel like I went from having no clue what I was doing to having a solid game plan. Planning to tackle my first weekly claim filing this Sunday morning when the system is hopefully more stable. Wish me luck! 🤞 Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your knowledge and experiences. This is exactly the kind of help people need when they're already stressed about being unemployed.

I'm going through the exact same anxiety right now! Filed my first PFMLA weekly claim on Friday and have been obsessively refreshing my bank account every few hours since then. Reading through all these experiences is so reassuring - it sounds like that "payment in process" status you're seeing is actually a really positive sign that everything is moving forward. Based on what everyone's sharing here about Thursday filers typically seeing payments by Tuesday/Wednesday, you'll probably see yours before I see mine! The rent stress is so real when you're depending on that first payment. I'm definitely going to try that tip about calling my bank to check for pending ACH deposits if I don't see anything by Wednesday. Thanks for starting this thread - it's helping all of us first-time PFMLA filers feel less alone in this nerve-wracking wait!

I'm in the exact same boat right now! Just filed my first PFMLA weekly claim on Thursday too and have been checking my bank account obsessively every few hours since then. The rent anxiety is so real - mine's due in 6 days and I'm doing the same mental math about whether I'll need to ask family for backup. Reading through everyone's experiences here is incredibly reassuring though. It sounds like that "payment in process" status you're seeing is actually a really good sign that ESD has finished all their verification work. Based on what everyone's sharing about Thursday filers typically seeing payments by Tuesday/Wednesday, we're probably both going to be okay! I'm definitely going to try calling my bank tomorrow to see if they can spot any pending ACH deposits from Washington State. Thanks for starting this thread - it's so comforting to know we're not alone in this nerve-wracking first payment wait. Fingers crossed we both see our deposits by Wednesday!

Thanks everyone for all the advice and support. I feel a lot more confident about my claim now. Will update when I hear back from Washington ESD!

I just went through this exact situation last month - got fired for "performance issues" but really felt like they were just cutting staff. I was honest on my Washington ESD application and put "terminated for performance" and kept the explanation brief and factual. Got approved within 2 weeks! The key is showing you weren't doing anything intentionally wrong. If you were genuinely trying your best but struggling with unrealistic expectations or lack of proper training/support, that's usually not considered misconduct. Don't stress too much - most performance-related terminations still qualify for benefits as long as there wasn't willful misconduct involved.