Can I do DoorDash while waiting for ESD unemployment approval? 7 weeks in adjudication
I've been stuck in adjudication limbo with ESD for almost 7 weeks now and my savings are completely dried up. Bills are piling up fast. I'm thinking about doing some DoorDash deliveries just to get by until my unemployment gets approved, but I'm worried it might mess up my claim. If I report all my DoorDash earnings on my weekly claims, will that cause problems or delay my approval even more? Has anyone done gig work while waiting for their unemployment to process? I'm desperate for some income but don't want to shoot myself in the foot if it's going to jeopardize my unemployment benefits once they finally decide on my case.
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Isabella Martin
Yes, you can work while claiming unemployment, including gig work like DoorDash. Just make sure you report your gross earnings (before expenses) for the week you WORKED, not when you got paid. When you file your weekly claim, there's a section that asks if you worked and your earnings - be honest there. Your weekly benefit amount will be reduced based on what you earn, but it won't affect your overall eligibility or delay the adjudication process. Keep detailed records of your hours worked and earnings for each day. The system uses a formula where you can keep some earnings before they start reducing your benefits - I think it's roughly 25% of your weekly benefit amount. Make sure you're still available for full-time work and documenting your job search activities too.
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Ava Hernandez
•Thank you so much for the info! That's a huge relief. I didn't realize I could still qualify for partial benefits while doing some gig work. I'll definitely keep detailed records of everything. So this won't mess up my adjudication in any way? That's my biggest worry - that they'll see I'm doing DoorDash and somehow use that against me.
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Elijah Jackson
Just sharing my personal experience - I was in adjudication for 8 weeks last year and did Instacart while waiting. I reported all my earnings accurately each week, and when my claim was finally approved, I got back payments for the difference between what I earned and what my full benefit would have been. So if your weekly benefit is $450 and you made $200 with DoorDash in a week, you'd still get $250 for that week once approved. The key is being 100% honest with reporting. And don't forget you need to do those 3 job search activities each week even while in adjudication!
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Ava Hernandez
•Thanks for sharing your experience - that really helps! I've been keeping up with my job search activities every week hoping they'd eventually approve my claim. It's good to know I could still get partial backpay for the weeks I do some gig work.
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Sophia Miller
make sure ur honest!!! i did uber last summer while waiting for my claim and didnt report it cuz i thought since i wasnt get paid yet i didnt need to. HUGE MISTAKE got hit with an overpayment and had to pay it all back plus they said it was fraud!!! dont make my mistake dude
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Ava Hernandez
•Omg that sounds terrible! I definitely don't want to deal with overpayments or fraud allegations. I'll make sure to report everything accurately. Thanks for the warning!
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Mason Davis
The system is DESIGNED to trip you up! Be super careful about reporting your income from gig work because ESD will look for ANY reason to deny your claim. I worked part time while waiting for adjudication and they used that as an excuse to drag out my claim for 12 WEEKS!! Said I wasn't "available for full time work" even though I was only doing it to survive while they took their sweet time. Make sure you're available for full time work AT ALL TIMES or they will use it against you. The whole system is rigged against us regular people.
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Isabella Martin
•I understand your frustration with the system, but I want to clarify something important - working part-time (including gig work) doesn't make you ineligible for unemployment. You just need to be able and available for full-time work, meaning you could quit the part-time job if you were offered a full-time position. Reporting income honestly won't hurt your claim status. The adjudication delays are usually related to other eligibility questions, not because someone is working part-time while claiming.
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Mia Rodriguez
Trying to reach ESD to ask these kinds of specific questions is nearly impossible these days. I was in a similar situation and couldn't get through on the phones for weeks. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual ESD agent who confirmed I could do gig work as long as I reported it. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Saved me so much stress knowing I was doing things correctly. The agent I spoke with also expedited my adjudication after I explained my financial situation.
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Sophia Miller
•does that actually work? i tried calling esd like 50 times last month and either got hung up on or was on hold forever and gave up
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Jacob Lewis
I think you can earn up to like 25 or 30% of your weekly benefit without any deduction, then after that they start reducing your benefit dollar for dollar. So if your WBA is $500, you could earn about $125-150 without losing any benefits. But I'm not totally sure on the exact percentage so maybe double check that.
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Isabella Martin
•You're right about the concept, but the specific formula in Washington is that you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount without reduction. Anything over that is deducted dollar for dollar from your benefit. So with a $500 weekly benefit, the first $125 earned wouldn't affect the benefit amount.
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Amelia Martinez
This is totally unrelated to your question but make sure you're filling out your job search log correctly! I was in adjudication for 9 weeks and then got approved but then they randomly audited my job search logs from those weeks and I hadn't kept good enough records! Had to pay back 2 weeks of benefits because of it. Just a heads up since you mentioned it's been 7 weeks already!
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Ava Hernandez
•Thanks for the heads up! I've been keeping detailed job search logs every week, with contact information and all that. I'm paranoid about doing something wrong and having to pay money back later.
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Isabella Martin
One more important thing to know - if your claim is in adjudication specifically because of a job separation issue (like being fired or quitting), then doing gig work won't affect that process at all. The adjudicators are looking at why you left your previous employment, not what you're doing now to get by. So don't worry that DoorDash will somehow complicate things - it won't. Just keep filing your weekly claims accurately, reporting any earnings, and completing your job search requirements while you wait.
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Ava Hernandez
•That's really helpful context, thank you! Yes, my adjudication is related to my previous employer contesting the claim saying I quit when I was actually laid off. So it sounds like doing some DoorDash won't impact that decision process. What a relief!
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