Can I get Washington ESD unemployment if I haven't worked 2 years?
I'm 23 and only worked steadily for about 18 months before getting laid off from my retail job last month. My friend said you need to work for 2 full years to qualify for unemployment but I'm not sure if that's true? I made decent money at my last job ($16/hour, 35+ hours a week) but before that I only had part-time summer jobs in high school. Can Washington ESD still approve my claim or am I out of luck? Really stressed about rent coming up.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Your friend is wrong about needing 2 years of work. Washington ESD looks at your earnings in your "base period" which is typically the first 4 of the last 5 quarters before you filed. You need to have earned at least $1,685 in your highest earning quarter AND have total base period earnings of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter. With 18 months at $16/hour full-time, you should easily meet these requirements.
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Mei Lin
•Oh wow that's a relief! So it's based on quarters not years? I definitely made way more than $1,685 in my best quarter.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Exactly! It's all about your quarterly earnings, not how long you've been in the workforce total.
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Amara Nnamani
yeah i got approved with only like 15 months of work history, the earnings requirements are what matter not the time
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Mei Lin
•That makes me feel so much better, thank you!
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Giovanni Mancini
I had a similar situation and couldn't get through to Washington ESD to verify my eligibility. Spent weeks calling and either getting busy signals or being disconnected after hours on hold. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that connects you directly to ESD agents. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Made the whole process so much easier than the endless calling.
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NebulaNinja
•How much does something like that cost? Sounds too good to be true honestly.
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Giovanni Mancini
•It's worth it when you consider the alternative is spending your entire day redialing Washington ESD. The peace of mind alone was huge for me when I was stressed about my claim status.
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Mei Lin
•I might look into that if I have trouble reaching them. The phone situation sounds terrible.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
File your claim ASAP! Even if you're not 100% sure about eligibility, it's better to apply and let Washington ESD make the determination. The worst they can do is deny it, but if you wait too long you could miss out on benefits you're actually entitled to. Your 18 months of steady work should definitely qualify you.
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Mei Lin
•Good point, I'll file today. Better safe than sorry.
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Dylan Mitchell
•This is the right advice. I waited 3 weeks thinking I didn't qualify and lost out on those weeks of benefits.
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Sofia Morales
Wait hold up, what about the job search requirements though? If you've only worked retail are you gonna be able to find 3 jobs to apply to every week that match your experience?
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Liam Fitzgerald
•The job search requirement is 3 job contacts per week, but they don't all have to be in retail. You can expand to customer service, warehouse, food service, etc. Washington ESD is pretty reasonable about what constitutes suitable work.
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Mei Lin
•Yeah I was thinking about branching out anyway. There's tons of customer service and warehouse jobs around here.
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Dmitry Popov
Don't let anyone scare you about not qualifying! I got unemployment after working just 14 months total (had some gaps between jobs). As long as you earned enough in your base period quarters, you're good. The system is designed to help people who lose work through no fault of their own.
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Mei Lin
•Thanks for the encouragement! Filing my claim right now.
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Ava Garcia
•Exactly this. The 2 year thing is a myth that keeps people from applying when they actually qualify.
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StarSailor}
THE WASHINGTON ESD SYSTEM IS A JOKE ANYWAY. They'll find some reason to deny you or put you in adjudication hell for months. I had perfect work history and they still made me jump through hoops for 6 weeks!!!
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Liam Fitzgerald
•That's not typical though. Most straightforward claims get processed within 2-3 weeks if all the information is correct.
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StarSailor}
•MAYBE FOR YOU but they're overwhelmed and understaffed. Don't get your hopes up kid.
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Mei Lin
•Well I have to try anyway, bills don't pay themselves.
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Miguel Silva
Make sure you have all your employment info ready when you file - dates, employer names, addresses, reason for separation. If you're missing anything it can delay your claim processing.
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Mei Lin
•Good call, let me grab my old paystubs and tax info before I start the application.
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Zainab Ismail
i was in the same boat last year, 19 months of work and got approved no problem. took like 2 weeks to get my first payment
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Mei Lin
•That's exactly what I needed to hear, thank you!
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Connor O'Neill
One thing to watch out for - if you quit any of your previous jobs (even the part-time summer ones) they might ask about that during the eligibility review. Just be honest about your work history.
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Mei Lin
•I was laid off from my main job and the summer jobs were just seasonal endings, so I think I'm okay there.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Yeah, seasonal job endings and layoffs are fine. It's voluntary quits without good cause that can cause issues.
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Yara Nassar
Really wish someone had told me about that Claimyr thing when I was trying to reach Washington ESD last year. Spent literally entire days calling and getting nowhere. Would have saved me so much stress and time.
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Giovanni Mancini
•It's been a game changer for me. The video demo really shows how simple it is to use.
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Keisha Robinson
•Is it legit though? How do they get you through when nobody else can?
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Giovanni Mancini
•They have some system that handles the calling queue for you. I didn't ask too many questions when it actually worked!
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GalaxyGuardian
Your weekly benefit amount will be based on your highest earning quarter too, so with $16/hour full-time you should get a decent amount. Probably around $300-400 per week depending on your exact earnings.
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Mei Lin
•That would definitely help with rent! Way better than nothing.
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Paolo Ricci
•Yeah the benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website can give you an estimate if you want to check.
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Amina Toure
Don't forget you'll need to file your weekly claims every week even while your initial claim is being processed. A lot of people miss that and lose out on benefits.
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Mei Lin
•Good to know! I'll set a reminder in my phone for every Sunday.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Smart thinking. The weekly claims have to be done every week to get paid, even if your main claim is still pending.
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Oliver Zimmermann
I'm in almost the exact same situation - 20 months of work history and just got laid off. Reading this thread is making me feel way more confident about applying. Thanks everyone!
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Mei Lin
•Right? I was so worried for nothing. Definitely apply!
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Both of you should be fine with that work history. Just file promptly and be thorough with your information.
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Natasha Volkova
Update: Just submitted my claim! The online application was actually pretty straightforward. Now I just have to wait and see what happens. Fingers crossed!
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Giovanni Mancini
•Good luck! If you need to contact them about anything, remember that Claimyr option I mentioned. Super helpful when you need to actually talk to someone.
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Dmitry Popov
•Awesome! You should hear back within a few weeks. Keep filing those weekly claims!
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Well done taking action. Your work history sounds solid so I'd expect approval.
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