Can I cancel my Washington ESD unemployment claim if I don't need it anymore?

You can stop filing weekly claims and your claim will just go inactive. There's no formal 'cancel' button but if you don't file weekly claims it basically ends on its own. Since you haven't been paid yet, there shouldn't be any issues.

Congrats on the job! I did the same thing last year - filed for UI then got hired before my first payment. Never had any problems just stopping the weekly claims.

You should actually call Washington ESD to let them know you're employed now. It's better to be proactive about it. I tried calling the regular number but couldn't get through after hours of trying. Found this service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual agent - they have a demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Definitely worth checking out if you want to speak to someone directly.

DO NOT CALL THEM. You'll just waste hours on hold for something that doesn't need to be done. Since you haven't received any payments, there's literally nothing to cancel. Just don't file your next weekly claim and move on with your life.

wait can you even cancel a claim once its filed? i thought once you submit it its in the system forever

I was in the exact same situation 6 months ago! Filed for unemployment, then got a job offer 3 days later. I called Washington ESD to let them know but honestly it was a waste of time - sat on hold for 3 hours just to have them tell me to stop filing weekly claims. Should have just listened to people on here and saved myself the headache.

You're overthinking this. Thousands of people file for unemployment and then find jobs before getting paid. Just don't file your weekly claim and start your new job. There's no paperwork or formal process needed.

Make sure you understand the difference between canceling a claim and just not filing weekly claims. Your claim will remain in the system but go inactive. If you need to reactivate it within your benefit year, you can do that. But if you truly want it completely removed, that might require a phone call.

dont stress about it. if you havent been paid anything just move on. washington esd has bigger fish to fry than someone who got a job

I actually called Washington ESD about this exact situation last month. The agent told me that if no payments have been issued, the claim essentially becomes a non-issue when you stop filing. No need to formally withdraw or cancel anything. Just wanted to share what I learned directly from them.

This happened to my brother too. He just stopped filing weekly claims and never heard anything about it. Been over a year now with no issues. You're good to just stop filing.

Quick question - when you start your new job, make sure your employer knows you filed for unemployment recently. Some employers want to know about stuff like that for their records.

The beauty of not having received any payments yet is that there's nothing to complicate things. No overpayments to worry about, no benefit year issues, nothing. Just transition to your new job and forget about the claim.

For what it's worth, I tried to call Washington ESD about something similar and gave up after 2 hours of busy signals. The Claimyr service someone mentioned actually worked - got me through to a real person who confirmed exactly what everyone here is saying. Sometimes worth the investment to get definitive answers.

Just stop filing your weekly claims and move on. You're making this way more complicated than it needs to be. Enjoy your new job!