Can I file for unemployment a different way if Washington ESD website keeps crashing?
I've been trying to file my initial unemployment claim for the past week but the Washington ESD website keeps timing out or giving me error messages. Every time I get halfway through the application it crashes and I have to start over. This is so frustrating because I need to get my claim submitted ASAP since I was laid off last Monday. Is there another way to file for unemployment benefits besides the online portal? Can I call or go somewhere in person? I'm worried about missing deadlines because of these technical issues.
62 comments
Join the conversation
Liv Park
You can try calling the unemployment phone line at 800-318-6022 but be prepared for long wait times. They're usually swamped especially on Mondays. The website issues have been ongoing for months unfortunately.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•I tried calling yesterday and was on hold for 3 hours before getting disconnected. Is there a better time to call?
0 coins
Liv Park
•Early morning right when they open at 8am usually works better. Also try calling on Wednesday or Thursday, avoid Mondays and Fridays.
0 coins
Leeann Blackstein
same thing happened to me last month, the website is garbage. i eventually got through by trying different browsers and clearing my cache
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•Which browser worked for you? I've tried Chrome and Firefox so far.
0 coins
Leeann Blackstein
•edge worked for me weirdly enough, also try incognito mode
0 coins
Ryder Greene
I had the exact same problem and found a service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a real Washington ESD agent in about 20 minutes. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Basically they handle all the calling and waiting for you.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•That sounds too good to be true. How much does it cost?
0 coins
Ryder Greene
•They focus on just getting you connected to an agent quickly. Way better than spending hours on hold. The agent was able to help me file my claim over the phone when the website wasn't working.
0 coins
Carmella Fromis
•I'm always skeptical of these services but honestly anything is better than the current system
0 coins
Theodore Nelson
The Washington ESD system is completely broken. I've been dealing with adjudication issues for 2 months and can never get through to anyone. It's like they don't want people to get benefits.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•That's exactly what I'm worried about! I can't afford to wait weeks to get this sorted out.
0 coins
Liv Park
•Once you get your initial claim filed, the weekly claims are usually easier to submit online. It's just that first application that's problematic.
0 coins
AaliyahAli
Try filing early in the morning like 6 AM when there's less traffic on the site. I had to wake up super early but it finally went through.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•Good idea, I'll set my alarm for 6 AM tomorrow and try again.
0 coins
Ellie Simpson
•This is ridiculous that we have to wake up at dawn just to file for unemployment benefits we're entitled to
0 coins
Liv Park
Also make sure you have all your documents ready before you start - your Social Security card, driver's license, employment history for the last 18 months including employer names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for separation. The system will time out if you take too long looking for information.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•I have most of that but I'm not sure about exact addresses for all my previous employers. Do I need the full addresses?
0 coins
Liv Park
•Yes, Washington ESD requires complete addresses. You can usually find them on old paystubs or W-2 forms if you have them.
0 coins
Arjun Kurti
•You can also look up business addresses on the Secretary of State website if you remember the company names
0 coins
Ellie Simpson
This whole system is a joke. They make it as hard as possible to file and then when you do file they take forever to process claims. Meanwhile people are losing their homes.
0 coins
Leeann Blackstein
•tell me about it, i was without income for 6 weeks because of their stupid adjudication process
0 coins
Ryder Greene
•That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. I couldn't afford to wait around hoping the website would work or spending all day on hold.
0 coins
Raúl Mora
Have you tried using a different device? Sometimes mobile vs desktop makes a difference with the Washington ESD site.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•I've only tried on my laptop so far. Maybe I'll try my phone tonight.
0 coins
Raúl Mora
•The mobile version is actually more stable in my experience, just make sure you're on wifi
0 coins
Margot Quinn
Whatever you do, don't wait too long to file. You can only backdate your claim 1 week in Washington, so if you wait too long you'll lose out on benefits for those weeks.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•Wait really? I thought I had more time than that. I was laid off last Monday so it's been 6 days already.
0 coins
Liv Park
•You're still fine since it hasn't been a full week yet. But definitely try to get it filed this week to be safe.
0 coins
Evelyn Kim
I remember when you could actually walk into unemployment offices and file in person. Now everything has to be online and the system can't handle the load.
0 coins
Diego Fisher
•Those were the days. At least when you went in person you could talk to a real human being who could help you.
0 coins
Ellie Simpson
•Now it's all automated systems and you're lucky if you can even reach a person on the phone
0 coins
Henrietta Beasley
If you do get through to file your claim, make sure you keep track of your confirmation number. Screenshot everything and save it because their system has been known to lose applications.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•Good tip! I'll definitely screenshot everything if I can get the site to work.
0 coins
Lincoln Ramiro
•Also print or save a PDF if possible. I learned this the hard way when my claim disappeared from their system
0 coins
Faith Kingston
Try using a VPN sometimes that helps with the connection issues. I know it sounds weird but it worked for my friend
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•I don't have a VPN but maybe I can try connecting from a different location like the library.
0 coins
Liv Park
•That's actually not a bad idea. Different internet connections sometimes have better luck with the Washington ESD servers.
0 coins
Ryder Greene
Just to follow up on my earlier comment about Claimyr - I ended up getting my initial claim filed through them when I spoke to the Washington ESD agent they connected me with. Saved me probably 10+ hours of frustration. The agent was super helpful and walked me through everything over the phone.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•That's really tempting. How quickly were you able to get connected to someone?
0 coins
Ryder Greene
•It was like 20-25 minutes total. Way faster than trying to call myself. They handle all the waiting and callback stuff automatically.
0 coins
Emma Johnson
I filed mine at like 2 AM and it went through fine. Try weird hours when normal people aren't online
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•I might try that tonight if the 6 AM attempt doesn't work tomorrow.
0 coins
Liam Brown
•2 AM worked for me too! The system is definitely less overloaded in the middle of the night
0 coins
Olivia Garcia
Make sure your browser is updated and disable any ad blockers. Sometimes those interfere with the Washington ESD forms.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•I do have an ad blocker running. I'll try disabling it and see if that helps.
0 coins
Noah Lee
•Yes definitely disable all browser extensions. The Washington ESD site is really picky about that stuff
0 coins
Ava Hernandez
Once you do get your claim filed, remember you'll need to file weekly claims every week to actually receive benefits. And you have to do job search activities and log them in WorkSourceWA.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•What kind of job search activities? I've been applying to jobs already.
0 coins
Ava Hernandez
•You need 3 job search activities per week - applications, networking, interviews, etc. Make sure to log everything in the WorkSourceWA system or your benefits can get stopped.
0 coins
Isabella Martin
The fact that we're all here sharing workarounds and hacks just to access basic government services is pretty depressing tbh
0 coins
Elijah Jackson
•Right? Like why is filing for unemployment harder than filing your taxes online?
0 coins
Ellie Simpson
•Because they don't want to pay out benefits. Make it hard enough and some people will just give up
0 coins
Sophia Miller
Update us when you get through! I'm curious which method ends up working for you.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•Will do! Going to try the 6 AM approach first and if that doesn't work I might look into that Claimyr service.
0 coins
Mason Davis
•Good luck! Rooting for you - this process shouldn't be this hard
0 coins
Mia Rodriguez
I used Claimyr last week when I needed to check on my adjudication status and it was honestly a game changer. Being able to actually talk to a Washington ESD rep instead of getting hung up on was worth it.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•Ok you guys are really selling me on this service. I might just bite the bullet if the website doesn't cooperate tomorrow.
0 coins
Jacob Lewis
•Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. The Washington ESD system is broken and we shouldn't have to suffer because of it
0 coins
Amelia Martinez
Pro tip: if you do get the website to work, complete the whole application in one sitting. Don't try to save it halfway through - the session will expire and you'll lose everything.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•That's probably what happened to me the first few times. I kept stopping to look up information.
0 coins
Ethan Clark
•Yeah the timeout on their system is super short. Have everything ready before you even start the application
0 coins