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Quick clarification - the 2025 Washington state unemployment insurance taxable wage base is actually $68,500, not $67,600 like someone mentioned earlier. Small difference but wanted to be accurate.
Bottom line: don't worry about the federal $7k limit affecting your benefits. Your Washington ESD claim is based on your real wages during your base period quarters. The wage limits for taxes and the wage limits for benefit calculations are totally different things.
Oh and one more thing - make sure you're available for work and actively seeking employment. If you're planning to go back to school full-time or take an extended vacation, you might not be eligible during those periods.
The whole system is pretty straightforward once you get used to it. I've been filing weekly claims for 8 weeks now and it takes maybe 5 minutes each Sunday. The hardest part is really just that initial application.
The whole process is designed to be done online now, especially after COVID. Much more efficient than the old system. Just make sure you have a reliable internet connection and don't try to do it on your phone - the desktop version works much better.
One more thing - after you file online, you should get an email confirmation. If you don't see it within an hour or so, check your spam folder. Sometimes those emails get filtered out.
The key thing is that being laid off makes you eligible for unemployment regardless of severance. The severance might affect the amount you get each week, but it doesn't disqualify you from filing. File immediately and let ESD sort out the details.
Javier Cruz
honestly the whole thing is confusing but if you worked 8 months you should be good. I worked way less and still got benefits
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Connor Gallagher
•It depends on how much you earned and when, not just how long you worked. But consistent part-time work for 8 months would likely meet the requirements for most people.
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Miguel Diaz
To summarize for the OP: With 8 months of part-time work, you very likely have qualifying wages in multiple quarters of your base period. The specific requirements are $1,000 total base period wages, $200+ in at least 2 quarters, and total wages at least 1.25x your highest quarter. File your application - you can always appeal if there are any issues with the determination.
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Ava Rodriguez
•Perfect summary, thank you! I feel much more confident about applying now.
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