Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact situation last year. You definitely made the right call asking about this upfront - I almost made the mistake of trying to file for both until I learned they're mutually exclusive. One thing I'd add is that paid family leave in Washington also covers if you need to care for a family member with a serious health condition, so it's pretty flexible. The application process was actually smoother than I expected once I got all the paperwork together. Make sure to keep good records of everything you submit because they may ask for additional documentation later. Good luck with the new baby!

I'm in a similar boat as the original poster - expecting our first baby in April and trying to navigate all these benefit options. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea that fathers could get paid family leave in Washington or that you couldn't combine it with unemployment. Quick question for anyone who's been through this - do you know if there's a minimum amount of time you have to take off for paid family leave, or can you do it in smaller chunks? My employer is pretty understanding but I'm trying to figure out the best way to structure my time off.

Just wanted to add another data point - I went through the Governor's office route in February and it took exactly 6 business days before I heard anything. Got an email from an ESD case worker asking me to verify some employment dates, and then my claim was approved 3 days after I responded. One thing I learned is that you should save all the email confirmations you got from the Governor's office with your case reference numbers. When I eventually spoke to the ESD supervisor, having those reference numbers ready really helped them locate my case quickly in their system. Also, totally agree with everyone saying to contact your state rep as backup - my neighbor did that route first and got results in 4 days. Sometimes it just depends on which office has better connections with ESD at the moment. Good luck!

I'm in week 6 of waiting and haven't tried the Governor's office yet, but reading through all these experiences is really encouraging! It sounds like the 5-7 business day timeframe is pretty consistent, and I love the idea of contacting both the Governor's office AND your state rep simultaneously to maximize your chances. @Savannah - definitely keep us posted on what happens with your claim! And thanks for starting this thread - it's given me a much better roadmap for how to handle my own stuck claim. I'm going to reach out to the Governor's office tomorrow and also look up my state rep info as backup. One question for everyone - when you contacted the Governor's office, did you use their online form or call them directly? Wondering which method tends to get faster responses.

One thing that might also be helpful to know - if you do qualify and start receiving benefits, you'll need to be careful about how you handle any future self-employment income. Washington ESD has specific rules about reporting earnings, and even small amounts can affect your weekly benefit payments. But the good news is that having some self-employment income doesn't automatically disqualify you from receiving partial benefits, as long as you stay under certain thresholds. It's definitely worth understanding those rules upfront so you don't accidentally create issues with your claim later.

I'm in a similar situation - been freelancing as a web developer for the past year but had a regular W-2 job before that. Reading through all these responses has been really eye-opening. I had no idea that the base period calculation could potentially make me eligible even though I'm currently self-employed. Definitely going to check my wage history on the Washington ESD site tonight. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge - this thread probably saved a lot of us from giving up without even trying to file a claim.

Just wanted to add that some credit unions like BECU (since you mentioned them) have really good budgeting tools in their mobile apps that might help with managing your unemployment funds even if they all go to one account. You can set up "buckets" or savings goals within your account to virtually split the money for different purposes - like rent, groceries, emergency fund, etc. Not the same as actually splitting the direct deposit, but it's helped me stay organized during my unemployment period!

Just to add another perspective - I've been on UI for about 6 months now and went through the same thought process. What I ended up doing was keeping all my benefits going to checking, but I set up a "pay yourself first" system where as soon as the deposit hits (usually Tuesday night for me), I immediately transfer a set amount to savings before I even look at bills or expenses. It's become automatic now and has really helped me build up a small emergency fund even while unemployed. The key is treating that savings transfer like a non-negotiable bill that gets "paid" first. Sometimes the manual approach works better than waiting for ESD to catch up with modern banking features!

UPDATE: I used Claimyr to get through to ESD this morning, and they fixed my account! The agent said my old account was in a 'dormant' status that was causing the login loop. They had to manually reactivate it on their end. For anyone else facing this issue - definitely try to speak with someone directly rather than just keep resetting your password. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad you got it sorted out! I've been dealing with a similar issue for the past week and was getting really frustrated. Your post actually convinced me to try Claimyr - I just signed up and hopefully will get through to someone tomorrow. It's ridiculous that we have to use a third-party service just to talk to our own state unemployment office, but at this point I'll take whatever works. Thanks for sharing your solution and glad you can finally get your claim filed!