Can child support take your Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

Unfortunately yes, child support can be deducted from your unemployment benefits in Washington state. The Division of Child Support (DCS) works with Washington ESD to withhold support payments automatically. It's usually around 50% of your weekly benefit amount, but it can vary based on your support order.

This happened to me too when I was on unemployment last year. Washington ESD automatically sends the garnishment to DCS before you even get your payment. There's no way to stop it unless you get the child support order modified through the courts.

Yeah this is federal law actually, not just Washington state. Unemployment benefits are considered income for child support purposes. I had the same issue when I was collecting UI benefits and couldn't reach anyone at Washington ESD to ask questions. I ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made it so much easier to get answers about my specific situation.

The child support withholding should show up on your weekly claim payment stub. It will list the gross amount, then show the child support deduction, then your net payment. Make sure you're keeping track of these for tax purposes since you'll still owe taxes on the full gross amount even though part went to child support.

this is so unfair!! they expect us to live on nothing while still paying full child support. my unemployment barely covers my car payment and insurance let alone rent and food. the system is totally broken

You might want to contact a family law attorney about requesting a temporary modification of your child support order. If your income has dropped significantly due to unemployment, the court might reduce the monthly amount until you find work again. But you have to be proactive about filing the motion.

Update: I checked my SecureAccess Washington account and sure enough, there's already a note about child support withholding on my claim. They don't waste any time apparently. Still haven't been able to get through to Washington ESD to ask about the exact amount though.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you owe back child support (arrearages), they might take even more than the current monthly amount. The garnishment can be up to 65% of your unemployment benefits if you're behind on payments.

Also remember that the child support withholding doesn't affect your work search requirements. You still need to complete your job searches each week and be available for work even though they're taking part of your benefits.

Been there before with Washington ESD and child support garnishment. The good news is that once you find work and get off unemployment, you can potentially negotiate a payment plan with DCS that works better with your new income. The garnishment rate on wages is different than on unemployment benefits.

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and it actually worked great for getting through to Washington ESD about my own issues. They connected me with an agent who explained exactly how my child support withholding worked and what my net payments would be. Saved me a lot of stress and guesswork.

Don't forget that if you're receiving unemployment benefits, you might also qualify for other assistance programs like SNAP (food stamps) or emergency rental assistance. The child support garnishment doesn't disqualify you from these programs.

just want to say thanks to everyone for the helpful info. this thread has been more useful than anything i could find on the washington esd website. at least now i know what to expect even if i dont like it

Final update: I was able to speak with someone at Washington ESD (used the Claimyr service and it worked perfectly) and confirmed that they'll be withholding $175 from my $350 weekly benefit for child support. Not ideal but at least now I can budget accordingly. Thanks everyone for the advice and support!