Are you eligible for Washington ESD unemployment if you are fired?

Yes, you can absolutely file for unemployment even if you were fired! The key is whether you were terminated for 'misconduct' or not. Performance issues generally don't count as misconduct under Washington ESD rules. You should definitely apply - the worst they can do is deny you, but from what you're describing, you have a good chance of qualifying.

I got fired from my retail job 6 months ago for being late too many times and still got approved for benefits. Washington ESD looks at whether your actions were willful misconduct. Being bad at your job usually isn't misconduct, but violating clear company policies repeatedly might be.

File immediately! Don't wait. Even if there's a chance your claim might get flagged for adjudication, you want to get the process started. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) when I needed to talk to someone at Washington ESD about my situation - saved me hours of trying to call. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

ugh the whole system is so confusing. I got fired 3 weeks ago and still haven't filed because I keep reading conflicting information online. Some sites say you can't get benefits if you're fired, others say you can. Which is it???

Here's the deal - under Washington law, you're eligible unless you were fired for 'misconduct connected with the work.' Performance issues typically don't meet this standard. Examples of misconduct would be theft, violence, deliberate violation of safety rules, or repeatedly ignoring direct orders. Poor performance, personality conflicts, or not being a good fit usually don't disqualify you.

Same thing happened to me 2 months ago. Filed right away and got approved within a week. The key is being honest about what happened but not volunteering information that makes it sound worse than it was.

Be prepared for your employer to potentially contest your claim. They might try to claim it was misconduct to avoid their unemployment insurance rates going up. If that happens, you'll need to respond to any requests for information quickly.

I'm going through this exact situation right now! Filed 2 weeks ago after being terminated for 'not meeting expectations' and my claim is still in adjudication. It's nerve-wracking but at least I got the ball rolling.

Quick question - do you have to wait a certain amount of time after being fired to file? I always thought there was like a waiting period or something.

Whatever you do, don't resign before they fire you thinking it will look better. Quitting without good cause is much harder to get benefits for than being fired for performance issues.

The Washington ESD website has a good explanation of what counts as misconduct vs. what doesn't. Basically, if you were trying to do your job but just weren't good at it, that's not misconduct. If you were deliberately disobeying rules or being insubordinate, that could be misconduct.

Had the same situation happen to me in 2023. Got fired from my accounting job for 'performance issues' after my supervisor changed and started micromanaging everything. Filed for unemployment and got approved. The process was actually pretty straightforward once I got through to someone at Washington ESD to explain my situation.

Pro tip: when you file your claim, be factual but don't elaborate unnecessarily. Answer the questions directly but don't volunteer extra information that might hurt your case.

I'm a former HR manager and I can tell you that most terminations for performance don't rise to the level of misconduct. Companies sometimes try to fight unemployment claims but unless they have clear documentation of policy violations, they usually don't win.

File online at esd.wa.gov as soon as possible. The sooner you file, the sooner you can start receiving benefits if approved. Don't let fear or uncertainty delay you - you have nothing to lose by applying.

been there done that. Got fired from my warehouse job for not keeping up with productivity standards. Still got unemployment benefits because it wasn't willful misconduct. The whole process took about 3 weeks from filing to getting my first payment.

Don't forget you'll need to do job search activities once you start receiving benefits. Make sure you understand those requirements so you stay eligible.

One more thing - if you do get denied initially, don't give up! You can appeal the decision. A lot of people get approved on appeal even if they were denied initially. I had to use Claimyr again during my appeal process to get answers about the timeline.

Update us on how it goes! I'm always curious to hear how these situations work out for people.

Bottom line: being fired for performance issues is NOT the same as being fired for misconduct. You should be eligible for benefits. File immediately and don't let anyone tell you otherwise without checking with Washington ESD directly.