Are church employees eligible for unemployment under CARES Act in Washington ESD?

Church employees are generally exempt from regular unemployment benefits because religious organizations typically don't pay unemployment taxes. However, the CARES Act did expand eligibility through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, but that ended in 2021. For current claims in 2025, your wife would only be eligible if the church specifically elected to pay unemployment taxes, which most don't.

I had this exact problem trying to get through to Washington ESD about my church job last year. Spent weeks trying to call and either got hung up on or couldn't get past the automated system. Finally found this service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual agent - they have a demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Turns out my church had opted in years ago and I was eligible, but would never have known without talking to someone.

The key thing to understand is that religious organizations have a choice under Washington state law. They can either pay unemployment taxes like regular employers or they can be exempt. Most smaller churches choose the exemption, but some larger religious organizations do participate in the UI system. Your wife's eligibility depends entirely on what her specific church chose to do.

this is confusing because I thought the cares act changed everything for religious workers?? my friend who worked at a synagogue got benefits during covid

I work in HR for a large Methodist church in Seattle and we DO pay into the unemployment system. We made that choice about 10 years ago when we expanded our staff. Many people assume all churches are exempt but it really varies. Your wife should definitely file a claim and let Washington ESD determine her eligibility rather than assuming she can't get benefits.

UGH this whole system is so confusing!!! Why can't they just make it simple - if you work somewhere and lose your job you should get benefits period. The religious exemption thing seems like such an outdated loophole.

Wait, so if the church didn't pay unemployment taxes, there's literally no way to get benefits? Even if you worked there for years and it wasn't your fault you got laid off?

Just want to follow up on the Claimyr thing I mentioned earlier - it really was a game changer for getting through to Washington ESD. Saved me probably 20+ hours of calling and redialing. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to get these church employment questions sorted out properly.

my sister works at a catholic school and she said they told all employees they don't pay unemployment but then during covid some people there did get PUA... so confusing

For anyone reading this thread, here's the bottom line: File your unemployment claim regardless of whether you think you're eligible. Let Washington ESD make the determination. Don't assume anything about your former employer's participation status. The worst that can happen is you get denied, but you might be surprised and find out you are eligible.

Does anyone know if there are other benefits available if you can't get regular unemployment? Like through social services or anything?

I'm dealing with something similar but with a Christian daycare. Been there 2 years and they let me go when enrollment dropped. Should I even bother applying?

This thread has been super helpful but also kind of depressing. The fact that you can work somewhere for years and then have zero safety net just because of your employer's tax election is pretty messed up.

Update: I convinced my wife to file the claim online even though we weren't sure. Figured we had nothing to lose. The application went through and now we're waiting to hear back. Keeping fingers crossed that maybe the church did opt in at some point.

Just wanted to add that even if your wife's church didn't participate in unemployment, she should still look for other work and might be eligible for job training programs through WorkSource Washington. Don't give up on getting help during this transition.

Can I ask what happens if you work for multiple employers and one is a church that's exempt? Do you still qualify based on the other jobs?

Reading all this makes me think I should ask my current church employer about their unemployment status before I need it. Better to know ahead of time.

so basically the takeaway is always file a claim no matter what because you never know if your employer actually paid in?

Thanks everyone for all the advice and information. This has been way more helpful than trying to figure it out on our own. Will update if we hear anything back from Washington ESD about the claim.

One last thought - if anyone else is struggling to get through to Washington ESD about their church employment questions, that Claimyr service at claimyr.com really is worth checking out. Sometimes you just need to actually talk to someone who can look up your specific employer's status instead of guessing.

I went through this exact situation two years ago when I lost my job at a small Lutheran church where I worked as a music director. Like others have said, the key is to file the claim anyway - you might be surprised. In my case, the church had actually opted into the system about 5 years earlier when they hired their first full-time pastor, but nobody on staff knew about it. I only found out when Washington ESD approved my claim. Even if you think there's only a 10% chance, it's worth the 20 minutes to file online. The worst case is you get a denial letter, but the best case is you get the benefits you've earned. Don't let assumptions stop you from trying!