Can I still claim UI benefits while working part-time (2 days a week)?

Yes, you should absolutely continue filing your weekly claims! This is exactly what partial unemployment benefits are designed for. When you file, you'll report your hours worked and wages earned for each week. The ESD system will automatically calculate your partial benefit amount using their earnings deduction formula. As long as you're earning less than your weekly benefit amount, you'll likely still receive some benefits. And don't worry too much about ESD contacting your employer - they do regularly verify employment and wages with employers, but that's normal procedure. Just make sure you're reporting your hours and wages accurately. Your employer reports quarterly wage data to ESD anyway, so everything gets cross-checked eventually.

congrats on the job! i was in the same boat last year. keep filing!! just be super honest about ur hours worked and money earned when u do the weekly thing. they'll reduce ur benefits but u won't lose everything unless u make too much

The ESD system is DESIGNED to work with part-time employment. Just KEEP FILING, make sure you report your hours worked CORRECTLY, and the system will calculate your partial benefits. I went through this last year when I could only get part-time retail work after being laid off from my full-time position!! But be prepared - ESD will eventually verify your employment with your employer. They do this routinely and it's NOT because they suspect you of anything. It's just standard procedure to prevent fraud in the system. Just be honest about everything and you'll be fine!!!!

Just to add some practical advice: Make sure you keep detailed records of your hours worked, pay stubs, and any communication with your employer about your schedule. This will protect you if there's ever any question about your reported hours. Also, when you file your weekly claim, you'll get to a question asking if you worked during the week. Select "Yes" and then enter your hours and gross earnings (before taxes). The system will calculate your partial benefit. Remember that in Washington, you still need to complete your three job search activities each week even if you're working part-time, unless you get an official standby or job attachment status.

I started part time work last month and kept filing. My benefit went down but didn't disappear completely. Just make sure you report everything correctly! Also I noticed sometimes my part time check and unemployment would hit my account the same week which was kind of nice lol

Yes, you absolutely still need to complete your three job search activities unless your employer has specifically told ESD you'll be returning to full-time work (standby status) or you have a formal job attachment. Working 2 days a week doesn't exempt you from the job search requirements, as ESD considers you still partially unemployed. However, applying for additional hours with your current employer CAN count as one of your job search activities. So can applying for a second part-time job. Just make sure you're documenting everything properly in your job search log.

Have you tried calling ESD directly to ask? Good luck with that though lol. I tried for 3 weeks to get someone on the phone with questions about my part-time work and it was impossible. Always busy signals or disconnections. I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes! They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent confirmed what others are saying here - keep filing weekly, report your hours accurately, and you'll get partial benefits. They also explained that yes, job search requirements continue even with part-time work unless you get standby status.

one more thing i forgot to mention...when you report your hours make sure you report the actual hours worked not just scheduled hours. and report the gross pay before taxes.

I went through this exact situation in 2023. Here's exactly what happens: 1. You report your hours and wages each week you work 2. ESD calculates your partial benefit using their formula 3. You continue receiving reduced benefits as long as you earn less than your weekly benefit amount 4. You must continue doing 3 job search activities each week 5. ESD will verify your employment through regular quarterly employer reports The most important thing is accuracy. If you accidentally report your hours or wages incorrectly, call ESD immediately to fix it. Even honest mistakes can trigger an overpayment notice if not corrected quickly.