Bottom line: be honest about your availability and job search. The system is designed to catch fraud, not to punish people for filing from different locations while legitimately unemployed.

I've been in a similar situation and can share some peace of mind. I'm a freelance consultant who travels frequently and have been filing my Washington unemployment claims from various locations without any issues. The key thing to remember is that Washington ESD cares about your work availability and job search compliance, not your physical location when clicking "submit." I've filed from Oregon, California, and even from a coffee shop in Montana - never had a single problem. Just make sure you're honest about being available for work opportunities in Washington and keep doing your required job search activities. The location permission your browser asks for is standard web functionality, not some tracking system. Don't overthink it!

Just wanted to add another data point for anyone else dealing with this - I was initially denied for being short on hours too, but it turned out ESD hadn't counted hours from a temp agency job I had during my base year. Apparently temp agencies sometimes don't report wages/hours correctly to ESD's system. If you worked through any staffing agencies during your base period, definitely check that those hours are included in your determination. I had to get a wage statement directly from the temp agency and include it with my appeal. It's worth checking even if you think everything was reported correctly - these systems aren't perfect and mistakes happen more often than you'd think.

This entire thread should be required reading for anyone dealing with ESD denials! I work in HR and see employees get tripped up by these hour requirements all the time. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you had any employer-paid training during your base year (orientation, safety training, etc.), make sure those hours are counted too. We've had several cases where new hire training hours weren't included in ESD's calculations. Also, if you were paid for any company meetings or mandatory events, those count as well. The key is that ANY time your employer paid you should be included in that 680-hour total. Keep all your pay stubs from the entire base year period - not just your regular work hours!

Remote work unemployment claims are processed the same way as any other claim. The only potential complication is if there's confusion about which state you should file in, but since you're a Washington resident that's not an issue for you.

I went through this exact situation last year - worked remotely for a New York company while living in Washington. Filed with Washington ESD without any issues. The key thing is that your employer should have been paying Washington unemployment insurance taxes since you're a resident here. When you file, they'll verify this automatically through their interstate system. Just make sure you have your employment documentation ready and be prepared to explain your remote work arrangement if they ask during the application process.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Sounds like Washington has pretty decent unemployment benefits compared to other states. Now I just need to actually file my claim and hope it goes smoothly.

One additional thing to keep in mind - make sure you have all your employment documentation ready before filing. Washington ESD will need details about your last employer, dates of employment, reason for separation, and your wages for the past 18 months. Having everything organized upfront can help avoid delays in processing your claim. Also, if you worked for multiple employers during your base period, you'll need information for all of them.

Seriously, this saved me from filing at the wrong time. I think I'll wait until April to get my Q1 2025 wages included.

This has been incredibly informative! I'm in a similar situation where I had inconsistent work in 2024 and was worried about which quarters would count. Reading through everyone's experiences and @Austin Leonard's explanations about both the standard and alternate base periods being checked automatically really puts my mind at ease. I had no idea Washington ESD would automatically use whichever option gives the better benefit. Also noting the tip about @Logan Chiang's mention of Claimyr for getting through to agents - the phone system has been impossible for me too. Thanks to everyone who contributed to making this so much clearer than anything I could find elsewhere!