Can Washington ESD take your taxes to recover unemployment overpayment?

That's terrible! Is there any way to stop this from happening? I really can't afford to lose my refund right now.

You can request a payment plan or appeal the overpayment decision if you believe it's incorrect. Contact Washington ESD immediately to discuss options before your refund gets intercepted.

Did you ever get any of it back? This seems so unfair especially when people are already struggling financially.

nope, once they take it its gone. but i did eventually get the overpayment amount reduced through an appeal process

How much does that service cost? I'm already tight on money and can't afford expensive services right now.

It's worth checking out their site for details, but honestly the cost was nothing compared to potentially losing my entire tax refund. Getting through to an actual person at Washington ESD is nearly impossible otherwise.

I'm skeptical of these third-party services. Can't you just keep calling Washington ESD yourself?

You can try, but I spent weeks calling and either got busy signals or hung up on after waiting hours. Claimyr got me through in one day.

I got the first notice but honestly I was so overwhelmed I just put it aside. I didn't realize they could take my taxes!

You may still be able to appeal even after the initial deadline, especially if you can show good cause for the delay. Contact Washington ESD immediately to discuss your options.

I feel your frustration but calling it stealing isn't accurate. If there was a legitimate overpayment, they do have the legal right to collect it.

Legal doesn't make it right when their own system errors cause half these overpayments in the first place!

They can only take up to the amount you owe, so in your case they'd take $500 and you'd get the remaining $1,500. However, if you're married filing jointly, it gets more complicated.

ok thats not as bad as i thought. still sucks though

Is there any way to know for sure if they've already initiated the intercept process for this tax season?

You'd need to contact Washington ESD directly to check the status. The intercept typically happens automatically when you file your return if the debt is in their system.

That's so stressful! Were you able to work out a payment plan for the remaining balance?

Eventually yes, but it took forever to get through to someone. I wish I had known about services like Claimyr earlier - would have saved me months of frustration.

If you have an active, current payment agreement with Washington ESD, they typically won't initiate tax intercept. However, you should confirm this directly with them to be absolutely sure.

Thanks, I'll definitely call to verify. Better safe than sorry with tax season coming up.

There actually are some hardship provisions, but you have to proactively request them. Most people don't know about these options.

I never heard about hardship exemptions. How do you request that?

You need to contact Washington ESD and request a hardship review. They'll look at your financial situation and may suspend collection activities if you qualify.

That's a good point. How can I verify if the overpayment amount is actually correct?

Request a detailed breakdown of the overpayment calculation and compare it to your records of reported wages and benefit payments. If there are discrepancies, you can appeal.

That's not entirely accurate. The spouse can file an injured spouse claim to get their portion back, but it's an additional process.

yeah but that takes months and you have to know to do it. most people don't find out until after the money is already gone

What kind of documentation did you need for the appeal? I want to make sure I gather everything before I start the process.

Pay stubs, W-2s, records of all wages you reported during your claim period, and copies of your weekly claim certifications. The more documentation you have, the better.

How do I request an installment agreement? Is there a specific form or do I just call them?

You'll need to call Washington ESD directly. There's no online option for payment plans unfortunately. Be prepared for long wait times - I'd recommend using a service like Claimyr to actually get through to someone.

That's actually smart financial planning regardless. Tax refunds are just interest-free loans to the government.

Good point, but that doesn't help with this year's situation. I need to figure out how to protect my current refund.

I'm starting to think that might be my only option. The regular phone lines are completely useless.

I was skeptical about using a third-party service but honestly it was worth every penny to avoid losing my $2,200 refund.

Oh no, I didn't even think about the state refund! This keeps getting worse.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's better to know now so you can take action. Contact Washington ESD immediately to discuss your options.