Can an employee file for partial unemployment in Washington ESD?
My hours got cut from 40 to 20 per week at my job and I'm struggling to pay rent. A coworker mentioned something about partial unemployment but I'm not sure if that's even a real thing? Can you still file unemployment if you're working but just not getting enough hours? I looked on the Washington ESD website but it's confusing. Anyone know if this is possible?
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Ethan Wilson
Yes, you can absolutely file for partial unemployment benefits in Washington! It's called 'working part-time' claims. As long as you're working less than full-time hours and earning less than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you can qualify for partial benefits.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Oh wow really? I had no idea this was a thing. Do I file the same way as regular unemployment?
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Ethan Wilson
•Yes, you file the initial claim the same way through the Washington ESD website. Just make sure to report your part-time wages when you do your weekly claims.
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Yuki Tanaka
I did this last year when my restaurant cut everyone's shifts. You have to report your weekly earnings and they deduct it from your benefit amount. So if your weekly benefit is $400 and you earn $200, you'd get $195 in unemployment ($200 minus the $5 allowance).
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Carmen Diaz
•Wait, so they don't just subtract dollar for dollar? There's some kind of allowance?
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Yuki Tanaka
•Right, Washington ESD lets you keep the first $5 you earn without it affecting your benefits. Anything over that gets deducted from your weekly benefit amount.
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Andre Laurent
Just be prepared for the phone calls if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD. I spent weeks trying to get through when I had questions about my partial claim. The wait times are insane and half the time they just hang up on you after being on hold for hours.
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AstroAce
•Ugh yes the phone situation is horrible! I actually found this service called Claimyr that calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Andre Laurent
•That sounds too good to be true, how much does it cost?
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AstroAce
•I'm not sure about pricing but it was worth it to actually talk to someone instead of wasting entire days trying to call. They got me through in like 20 minutes.
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Zoe Kyriakidou
Make sure you're still doing job searches even with partial unemployment. Washington ESD still requires you to look for full-time work and log your job contacts.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Oh no, I didn't think about that. How many job searches do you have to do?
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Zoe Kyriakidou
•It's 3 job search activities per week, same as regular unemployment. You still need to be 'able and available' for full-time work.
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Carmen Diaz
The biggest thing to remember is you have to report your earnings EVERY week, even if it's zero. I forgot to do my weekly claim one week and it messed up my whole benefit year.
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Jamal Brown
•What happens if you forget? Can you backdate it?
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Carmen Diaz
•You can try but it's a pain. They make you explain why you missed it and sometimes they deny the backdating request.
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Mei Zhang
i'm in the same boat, hours got cut to part time. filed my claim 2 weeks ago and still haven't heard anything back from washington esd. how long does it usually take?
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Ethan Wilson
•Initial claims usually process within 2-3 weeks if there are no issues. Since you're working part-time, they might need to verify your employment status with your employer.
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Mei Zhang
•ok good to know, was starting to worry something went wrong
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Liam McConnell
Been doing partial unemployment for 6 months now. Pro tip: keep really good records of your hours and pay stubs. Washington ESD audits these claims more than regular unemployment and they'll ask for documentation if something doesn't match up.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Good advice, I'll make sure to save everything. Do they usually audit right away or later?
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Liam McConnell
•Can happen anytime but I've noticed they seem to check more often around month 3-4 of claims. Just be honest about your earnings and you'll be fine.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
The Washington ESD system is so confusing for partial claims. I kept getting error messages when trying to report my part-time wages and couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.
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CosmicCaptain
•I had the same problem! Turns out you have to enter gross wages, not net wages. The system doesn't make that clear at all.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
•That might be my issue, I was putting in my take-home pay. I'll try again with the gross amount.
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Giovanni Rossi
One thing nobody mentions is that your employer might contest your partial unemployment claim. Mine did and it held up my benefits for like a month while they investigated.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Why would they contest it if they're the ones who cut your hours?
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Giovanni Rossi
•Because it affects their unemployment tax rate. Some employers will fight any claim even if it's legitimate. Eventually Washington ESD ruled in my favor but it was stressful.
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
Just a heads up that if you get a second part-time job, you still have to report ALL your earnings from both jobs. I know someone who got in trouble for only reporting wages from one job.
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Dylan Mitchell
•What kind of trouble? Did they have to pay it back?
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
•Yeah, they had to repay the overpayment plus penalties. Washington ESD takes unreported wages very seriously.
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Sofia Gutierrez
The math for partial benefits is actually pretty straightforward once you understand it. Your weekly benefit amount minus (wages earned minus $5). So if your WBA is $350 and you earn $150, you get $205 in benefits.
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Aisha Abdullah
•That makes sense. Is there a maximum you can earn and still get benefits?
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Sofia Gutierrez
•Yes, if you earn more than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you won't get any unemployment that week. So in my example, if you earned $356 or more, no benefits.
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Dmitry Petrov
I tried calling Washington ESD about my partial claim and gave up after being on hold for 3 hours. The automated system hung up on me twice. This is ridiculous.
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StarSurfer
•Try that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. I used them last month when I couldn't get through about my adjudication issue. They actually got me connected to a real person at Washington ESD.
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Dmitry Petrov
•I'll check it out, anything has to be better than this phone system
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Ava Martinez
Make sure you understand the difference between 'standby' and regular partial unemployment. If your employer expects you back to full hours soon, you might qualify for standby which has different rules.
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Aisha Abdullah
•What's the difference? My manager said things might pick up after the holidays.
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Ava Martinez
•With standby, you don't have to do job searches because you have a definite return-to-work date. But your employer has to provide specific paperwork to Washington ESD.
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Miguel Castro
Been on partial unemployment for 8 weeks now. The key is being really consistent with your weekly claims and reporting. Don't try to game the system because they will catch you eventually.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•How often do they check your reported wages against what your employer reports?
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Miguel Castro
•Not sure exactly but I assume they cross-reference quarterly wage reports. Better to be honest upfront than deal with an overpayment later.
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Connor Byrne
The WorkSourceWA requirements are the same for partial unemployment FYI. You still need to register and maintain your profile even though you're working part-time.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Oh I forgot about WorkSourceWA. Do I need to do that before I can get benefits?
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Connor Byrne
•You have to register within a certain timeframe after filing your claim. Check your determination letter for the specific deadline.
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Yara Elias
Just want to add that partial unemployment saved me when my hours got cut. It's definitely worth applying if you qualify. Don't let the paperwork intimidate you.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Thanks for all the info everyone! I'm going to file my claim this weekend.
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Ethan Wilson
•Good luck! Remember to be completely honest about your work situation and earnings. The system works if you follow the rules.
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QuantumQuasar
One last tip - if you have questions about your partial claim that you can't get answered online, try the live chat feature on the Washington ESD website. It's not always available but sometimes easier than calling.
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Keisha Jackson
•I didn't know they had live chat! Is it available 24/7?
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QuantumQuasar
•No, limited hours and often unavailable when they're busy. But worth trying before spending hours on the phone.
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Paolo Moretti
The whole process seems overwhelming but it's really not that bad once you get into the routine. File your weekly claim, report your wages accurately, keep looking for full-time work. That's basically it.
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Aisha Abdullah
•You all have been so helpful, I feel much more confident about this now. Wish me luck!
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Amina Diop
•You got this! Partial unemployment is there for exactly your situation. Don't feel bad about using a benefit you've earned.
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