I went through something similar last fall - got laid off right before a pre-booked Disney trip with my kids. Filed my claim the day after I was laid off, then when doing my weekly certifications during the vacation, I honestly answered that I wasn't available for work those specific days. ESD didn't give me any trouble about it at all. The key is being upfront about it rather than trying to hide anything. You'll miss out on benefits for those vacation weeks, but your claim will be properly established with the right effective date. Don't risk losing weeks of benefits by waiting to file - that $3,800 vacation cost could easily turn into much more in lost unemployment benefits if you delay your initial claim.

I'm a newcomer here but have been reading through this thread with great interest since I'm in a somewhat similar situation. The consensus seems overwhelmingly clear - file your initial claim immediately! What really convinced me was @DeShawn Washington's story about losing $2,700 in benefits by waiting, and @Derek Olson's Disney trip example showing that ESD handles pre-planned vacations just fine when you're honest about it. The logic makes perfect sense: establish your claim with the correct effective date now, then simply report you're unavailable during vacation weeks. You'll miss those specific weeks of benefits but won't lose your overall eligibility or potentially exclude higher-earning quarters from your benefit calculation. It seems like the biggest mistake would be waiting and risking your total benefit amount. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is incredibly helpful for those of us navigating unemployment for the first time!

I'm sorry for your loss. I went through something similar when my grandmother passed away in Canada last year. I was nervous about the same things you're worried about. I ended up waiting until I returned to file my claims for the 3 weeks I was gone, and it worked out fine. I marked myself as not available for all those weeks due to being out of the country for the funeral, and ESD accepted it without any issues. The key things that helped me were: 1) I filed all the missed weeks as soon as I got back (within that 4-week window everyone mentioned), 2) I was completely honest about why I was unavailable, and 3) I kept all my travel documents (flight receipts, etc.) just in case they asked. The process was actually pretty straightforward once I got back. Take care of yourself during this difficult time, and don't worry too much about the ESD stuff - it will work out if you handle it properly when you return.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I went through a very similar situation last year when I had to travel to Ireland for my grandfather's funeral. I was gone for almost 4 weeks and was terrified about messing up my claim. Here's what I learned: Don't try to log in from overseas - it's just not worth the risk of triggering fraud alerts. When I got back, I immediately filed for all the weeks I missed (within that 4-week window) and marked myself as "not able and available" for each week due to being out of the country. I also wrote a brief note in the comments section explaining it was for a family funeral. ESD processed everything without any problems. The key is being completely transparent about why you were unavailable rather than trying to hide the gap. Keep all your travel documents and receipts - I never needed them, but it gave me peace of mind. Take care of yourself during this difficult time, and know that this part will work out fine if you handle it honestly when you return.

wow this is way more responses than i expected when i started reading! everyone here really knows their stuff about washington unemployment. makes me feel less alone dealing with all this bureaucracy

As someone who's been through the Washington ESD weekly claim process for several months now, I wanted to add a few things that might help newcomers. First, don't stress if your first payment is delayed - it's totally normal while they verify everything. Second, if you're doing any kind of side work (even selling stuff online), report it honestly. I made the mistake of not reporting some small eBay sales early on and it caused issues later. Also, bookmark the weekly claim page in your browser so you don't have to navigate through the whole SAW portal each time. And one last tip - if you ever get an overpayment notice, don't ignore it! Address it immediately because the penalties add up fast. The system definitely has its quirks but once you get the hang of it, it becomes pretty routine.

Final thought - even if you end up owing the money, negotiating a payment plan is way better than letting them garnish your wages. Wage garnishment shows up on your credit report and can affect future employment. Voluntary payment plans usually don't.

I went through something similar last year with a $3,100 overpayment from Washington ESD. The most important thing I learned is that they're actually pretty reasonable to work with if you contact them before they start collection actions. I called within the 30-day window and was able to set up a payment plan for $150/month over 24 months. The agent I spoke with was understanding about my financial situation and even mentioned that they prefer payment plans over garnishments because it's less administrative work for them. Don't let the fear paralyze you - most people who reach out proactively end up with workable solutions. Just make sure whatever payment amount you agree to is something you can realistically maintain every month.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out! For anyone else running into this issue, I've found that the ESD system sometimes has session timeout problems that can cause these weird loops. If you've been on the site for a while trying different things, the logout/login trick that worked for Andre often clears up these glitches. Also worth noting - if you're in a similar situation where you have orientation but delayed start date, you might want to call your new employer's HR to confirm when they're reporting your hire date to ESD. Sometimes there's a mismatch between when they report it and when you actually start work, which can cause these reporting issues.

I went through something very similar last month! The ESD system definitely has issues handling the gap between orientation and actual start dates. What finally worked for me was being very specific about the sequence - I reported attending the orientation as a "work activity" initially, then on subsequent weeks I made sure to answer "Yes, I am still employed" but entered 0 hours worked and marked that I was "available for work" for the entire week. The key seems to be that once you've reported any connection to an employer (even just orientation), the system expects you to account for that relationship every week until you either start working regular hours or actually separate from the company. If you get stuck in the separation loop again, try answering the employment questions in reverse order - sometimes going back and re-answering the "still employed" question first helps the system logic work properly.