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Just make sure you file your claim as soon as your hours get reduced. Benefits are effective from the week you file, not from when you actually lost income, so don't wait.
If you do end up filing, make sure you have all your employment information ready including exact dates and employer contact info. Speeds up the process.
Bottom line with $600/week you should qualify for a decent benefit amount assuming you have sufficient work history. The exact amount will depend on your specific wage pattern over the base period quarters.
One more thing - if you get denied initially, don't give up! You can appeal the decision. Sometimes Washington ESD makes mistakes or doesn't have complete information. The appeal process gives you a chance to provide additional documentation or clarify your situation.
APPLY NOW! Seriously, stop overthinking it. The worst case scenario is they say no and you're in the same position you're in now. Best case, you get approved and start receiving benefits. There's literally no downside to applying.
Bottom line: the system works pretty well now, just avoid the Sunday evening rush. File when it's convenient for you, but leave time to deal with any unexpected issues before the deadline.
Dmitry Volkov
Actually tried calling Washington ESD about this tax question months ago and could never get through. Finally used that Claimyr thing and got connected to someone within like 20 minutes. They explained the whole tax situation and helped me set up withholding for my remaining claims. Definitely worth it if you're tired of the runaround.
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Zara Mirza
•That's the second person who mentioned that service. Might have to look into it since I still have questions about how this all works.
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StarSeeker
•Same experience here - couldn't get through the regular way but Claimyr worked great. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual person to understand this stuff.
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Ava Martinez
Don't forget that if you had a bunch of job search expenses while you were unemployed - gas for interviews, new clothes, resume printing, etc. - some of those might be deductible and could help reduce what you owe.
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Zara Mirza
•Really? I definitely spent money on interview clothes and gas driving to job fairs. How do you claim those?
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Ava Martinez
•You'd need to itemize deductions instead of taking the standard deduction, so it only helps if your total itemized deductions are more than the standard amount. But keep those receipts just in case!
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