Can I cancel unemployment claim - Washington ESD process?

Yes you can definitely cancel your claim! Since you haven't received any payments yet, it should be pretty straightforward. You need to contact Washington ESD directly to request cancellation. Make sure you get confirmation in writing.

Good luck getting through to Washington ESD on the phone lol. I've been trying to reach them for weeks about my claim status. The phone lines are always busy or they hang up on you after waiting forever.

Actually, I had success getting through to Washington ESD using a service called Claimyr. They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual agent. Found it at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Way better than spending hours trying to call yourself.

Before you cancel completely, are you sure about the new job? Sometimes offers fall through and then you'd have to start the whole Washington ESD application process over again. Maybe just stop filing weekly claims instead of canceling entirely?

Wait, I'm confused. If your claim is still pending and you haven't gotten any money, why do you need to formally cancel it? Can't you just... not file your weekly claims?

I did this exact same thing last year. Found a job right after filing for unemployment. I called Washington ESD and they just marked my claim as withdrawn. Took like 5 minutes once I actually got through to someone. No paperwork or anything complicated.

Just make sure you report your start date correctly. When you do get through to Washington ESD, tell them exactly when your employment starts so they can close out the claim properly. You don't want any overlap issues.

Update: I actually tried that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier and it worked! Got connected to a Washington ESD agent in like 20 minutes. Way better than the hours I've been wasting trying to call directly.

Congratulations on finding a job so quickly! That's great news. The Washington ESD cancellation should be straightforward since you haven't received benefits yet.

One more thing - when you do contact Washington ESD to cancel, ask them to confirm that your claim status is marked as 'withdrawn' rather than 'denied' or anything negative. It's just good to have that clarification for future reference.

This whole thread is making me realize how complicated the unemployment system is even when you're trying to do the right thing. Good luck with your new job!

If for some reason you have trouble reaching Washington ESD, you could also try visiting a WorkSource office in person. They can sometimes help with basic claim issues or at least point you in the right direction.

Final update from me - definitely get that confirmation in writing or at least get the name and ID number of whoever you talk to at Washington ESD when you cancel. Government agencies love their documentation.

Just to follow up on the Claimyr thing - it's been really helpful for a lot of people trying to reach Washington ESD. The video demo I mentioned shows exactly how it works if anyone's curious about the process.

UPDATE: I was able to get through to Washington ESD this morning and cancel my claim! The agent was very helpful and confirmed that since I hadn't received any payments, the cancellation was simple. She marked it as 'withdrawn due to return to work' and gave me a confirmation number. Thanks everyone for the advice!

That's fantastic news! It's great to see everything worked out so smoothly. For anyone else in a similar situation reading this thread, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1) Call Washington ESD to formally cancel rather than just stopping weekly claims, 2) Get a confirmation number for your records, and 3) Make sure they mark it as "withdrawn due to return to work" rather than denied. Thanks for sharing your success story - it'll definitely help others who find themselves in the same position!