Can I collect Washington ESD unemployment while on jury duty?

Yes, you absolutely need to report jury duty on your weekly claim filing. In Washington state, jury duty pay is considered income that must be reported to ESD. The good news is that jury duty pay is usually pretty minimal (like $10-20 per day) so it shouldn't affect your benefits too much unless you're already close to your earnings limit.

You'll report jury duty pay under 'other income' when you file your weekly claim on the Washington ESD website. Make sure you have the exact amount they paid you - don't guess or estimate. Keep all your jury duty paperwork as proof in case ESD asks for verification later.

I went through this exact situation last year. Had jury duty for 10 days and was stressed about reporting it correctly. What helped me was using Claimyr to actually speak with an ESD agent before my jury duty started. The website is claimyr.com and they have this demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. The agent confirmed exactly how to report it and I didn't have any issues with my claim.

the washington esd system is so stupid about this stuff. like why do i have to report 10 dollars when my weekly benefit is 400? its not like that tiny amount is going to make me rich or anything

Also make sure you're still meeting your job search requirements during jury duty. Technically you're supposed to be available for work, but jury duty is a valid reason for not being able to accept work on those specific days. Document everything in your job search log.

I'm on standby unemployment right now and got called for jury duty too. Does anyone know if the rules are different for standby vs regular UI?

My sister had jury duty last month and forgot to report the $15 she got paid. Washington ESD sent her an overpayment notice for like $500 because they found out about it somehow. Don't risk it - just report everything.

For anyone else dealing with this, the key things to remember: 1) Report all jury duty pay as other income, 2) Keep all documentation, 3) Continue your job search activities, 4) Note your jury duty schedule for potential employers. It's really not that complicated once you know what to do.

I've been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks about a different issue and can never get through. How did you manage to talk to someone about jury duty reporting?

just wanted to add that if you get selected for a long trial (like several weeks or months) you might want to talk to ESD about whether you should pause your claim or not. regular jury duty is fine but extended trials might be different

Does anyone know if you can get excused from jury duty if you're unemployed and actively job searching? Seems like it would interfere with finding work.

I had jury duty while on unemployment last year and it was actually kind of nice to have something to do during the day instead of just job hunting. The pay reporting was straightforward - just put it under other income on your weekly claim.

Make sure when you file your weekly claim that you answer 'yes' to the question about earning money that week, then report the jury duty pay under other income. Don't skip that question just because it's a small amount.

The Washington ESD handbook says you have to report ALL income including jury duty pay. It's on page 23 I think if anyone wants to double check the exact wording.

been there done that. jury duty while unemployed is annoying but not a big deal if you report it correctly. the biggest pain is just making sure you can still do your required job search activities around the court schedule

Quick question - do you report jury duty pay for the week you earned it or the week you received the check? I think they paid me like 2 weeks after my service ended.

I was skeptical about paying for a service to call ESD but honestly after months of trying to get through myself, Claimyr was worth it. Got my jury duty questions answered in one call instead of weeks of frustration.

Bottom line is just be honest and report everything. Washington ESD would rather you over-report than under-report. Jury duty is a common situation and they're used to dealing with it.

One more tip - if your jury duty gets cancelled or you get dismissed early, make sure to update your weekly claim accordingly. Don't report income for days you didn't actually serve.

This thread has been super helpful! I just want to add that if anyone else is in this situation, don't stress too much about it. I went through jury duty while on unemployment benefits about 6 months ago and it was much simpler than I expected. The key is just being transparent with ESD - report the jury pay as "other income" on your weekly claim, keep all your paperwork from the court, and continue your job search activities around your jury schedule. The amount is so small it barely affects your benefits anyway. Most importantly, don't try to hide it or think it's not worth reporting - ESD has ways of finding out and the penalties for unreported income are way worse than just being honest upfront.