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Pro tip: start looking for jobs immediately even before your claim is approved. The job market is competitive right now and unemployment benefits don't last forever.
Final thought - document everything related to your termination while it's still fresh in your memory. Dates, conversations, witnesses, emails, etc. You never know what might be important if this goes to an appeal.
The unemployment system in Washington is actually pretty good compared to other states. The weekly benefit amounts are decent and the online system works most of the time. Just be prepared for long wait times if you need to call them about anything complicated.
Yeah, Claimyr. Check out claimyr.com if you're curious. They have a demo video that shows exactly how it works.
Bottom line - you don't need to do anything special about unemployment insurance right now. It's automatic as long as you're working as a W2 employee. Focus on doing good work and building your career, and know that the safety net is there if you ever need it.
Just want to emphasize that you need to keep filing weekly claims for your entire benefit year, even if you find temporary work. You might need those benefits again if the temporary job doesn't work out.
The weekly payment system in Washington is pretty straightforward once you understand it. File every week, report your earnings honestly, do your job search, and the money comes regularly. It's not complicated, just consistent.
One last tip - if you're having trouble with the SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account creation, that's separate from the Washington ESD website. Sometimes people get confused between the two.
Maxwell St. Laurent
Just to add to the Claimyr discussion - I used their service last month when I needed to talk to someone about my claim status and it actually worked great. Was skeptical at first but it beats the alternative of never getting through.
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Sayid Hassan
•Good to hear another positive review. I'm definitely going to check it out if I can't get through on my own.
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PaulineW
The bottom line is yes, unemployment is taxable income and yes, you should either withhold taxes or set money aside. Don't wait until April to deal with this - you'll thank yourself later for planning ahead.
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Sayid Hassan
•Absolutely, that's exactly what I needed to hear. Time to take action instead of worrying about it.
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Annabel Kimball
•This whole thread has been super helpful. I'm in a similar situation and now I know what I need to do.
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