Can part time workers file for unemployment with Washington ESD?
I've been working part-time at a retail job for about 8 months, usually getting 20-25 hours per week. My manager just cut everyone's hours down to maybe 10 hours weekly because of slow business. I'm barely making enough to cover rent now. Can I file for unemployment benefits with Washington ESD even though I'm still technically employed part-time? I've never dealt with unemployment before and don't know if partial unemployment is even a thing.
48 comments
Join the conversation
Hugh Intensity
Yes, you can absolutely file for partial unemployment benefits in Washington! If your hours were reduced significantly, you may qualify for benefits to make up some of the lost wages. Washington ESD calls this 'partial benefits' and you'd still file weekly claims reporting your reduced earnings.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Really? That's a relief! Do I need to report the hours I still work each week when filing?
0 coins
Hugh Intensity
•Yes, you'll report your gross earnings each week on your weekly claim. Washington ESD will calculate how much benefit you're eligible for based on what you earn versus your weekly benefit amount.
0 coins
Effie Alexander
i think you have to be totally unemployed to get benefits though? like if you're still working even part time they won't give you anything
0 coins
Melissa Lin
•That's not correct. Washington allows partial unemployment benefits when your hours are reduced. You just can't earn more than your weekly benefit amount or you won't get any payment that week.
0 coins
Effie Alexander
•oh okay didn't know that, thanks for the correction
0 coins
Lydia Santiago
I was in a similar situation last year. The key thing is that your hour reduction has to be significant and not temporary. If your employer says it's just for a week or two, Washington ESD might not approve your claim. But if it's an ongoing reduction like yours sounds, you should definitely apply.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•My manager said the hour cuts are indefinite because sales have been down for months. Sounds like that would qualify then?
0 coins
Lydia Santiago
•That sounds like it would meet the criteria. Just make sure to document everything - save any texts or emails about the hour reduction when you apply.
0 coins
Romeo Quest
Getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about partial benefits can be really frustrating. I spent weeks trying to call them about my situation. If you need to talk to someone directly, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an Washington ESD agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful.
0 coins
Val Rossi
•Never heard of that service before. Did they actually help you get answers about your partial unemployment claim?
0 coins
Romeo Quest
•Yeah, I was able to speak with an actual Washington ESD person who explained exactly how my part-time earnings would affect my weekly benefits. Much better than trying to figure it out from the website alone.
0 coins
Eve Freeman
The whole part time unemployment thing is confusing. You have to report earnings every week but then they do some calculation to figure out if you get anything. Sometimes you work a few hours and get no benefit, sometimes you get a partial payment.
0 coins
Melissa Lin
•The calculation is actually pretty straightforward. Washington ESD takes your gross weekly earnings and subtracts them from your weekly benefit amount. If there's anything left over, that's your unemployment payment for that week.
0 coins
Eve Freeman
•okay that makes more sense when you put it that way, thanks
0 coins
Clarissa Flair
Make sure you file your initial claim as soon as possible! Benefits are only paid from the week you file, not retroactively. Even if your claim takes time to process, the effective date will be when you first applied.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Good point, I'll file today. Should I mention in my application that I'm still working reduced hours?
0 coins
Clarissa Flair
•Yes, be completely honest about your employment status. There's a section where you can explain your situation with the hour reduction.
0 coins
Caden Turner
ugh the washington unemployment system is such a pain. took me forever to get my partial benefits approved and then they kept asking for more documentation about my work hours
0 coins
McKenzie Shade
•I had the same experience! They wanted pay stubs showing the hour reduction and a letter from my employer. Took like 6 weeks to get approved.
0 coins
Caden Turner
•exactly! the whole adjudication process for partial claims seems to take longer than regular unemployment
0 coins
Hugh Intensity
One important thing about partial unemployment - you still have to meet the job search requirements each week unless you're on standby with your current employer. Make sure you're documenting your job search activities in WorkSourceWA.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Wait, I have to look for other jobs even though I'm still working part-time? That seems weird.
0 coins
Hugh Intensity
•Yes, unless your employer puts you on official standby status (meaning they'll call you back to full hours), you're required to search for work to replace the lost income. It's usually 3 job search activities per week.
0 coins
Harmony Love
I tried filing for partial unemployment when my restaurant cut my shifts but got denied. They said I didn't have enough base period wages or something like that. Make sure you worked long enough to qualify!
0 coins
Melissa Lin
•You need wages in at least two quarters of your base period to qualify for Washington unemployment benefits. If you only worked 8 months part-time, you might be close to the minimum requirements.
0 coins
Harmony Love
•yeah that was my problem, hadn't worked long enough consistently
0 coins
Rudy Cenizo
Just a heads up - when you report your part-time earnings each week, make sure you report the gross amount before taxes. I made the mistake of reporting my net pay and it messed up my benefit calculations for several weeks.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Thanks for the tip! I would have definitely reported the wrong amount.
0 coins
Natalie Khan
•Same thing happened to me! Had to call Washington ESD to fix the mistake and it took forever to get through to someone.
0 coins
Daryl Bright
The best part about partial unemployment is that you're still building work history while getting some help with the reduced income. It's not as much as full unemployment but every little bit helps when your hours get cut.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•That's a good way to look at it. I was worried about taking unemployment while still working but it sounds like it's designed for situations like mine.
0 coins
Daryl Bright
•Exactly! It's meant to help people whose work situation changed through no fault of their own. Don't feel bad about using benefits you're entitled to.
0 coins
Sienna Gomez
Word of advice - keep detailed records of everything. Your work schedule, pay stubs, any communication with your employer about the hour reduction. Washington ESD loves to ask for documentation and having it organized will save you headaches later.
0 coins
Kirsuktow DarkBlade
•This is so important! I had to provide 3 months of pay stubs showing the hour reduction pattern when they reviewed my claim.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•I'll start gathering all my pay stubs now. Better to have too much documentation than not enough.
0 coins
Abigail bergen
If you run into issues getting your partial claim processed, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier actually worked for me too. I was stuck in adjudication for weeks trying to prove my hour reduction was legitimate. Got connected to an Washington ESD agent who walked me through exactly what documentation they needed.
0 coins
Ahooker-Equator
•Did you have to pay for that service? Sounds too good to be true honestly.
0 coins
Abigail bergen
•There is a cost but it was worth it for me since I was losing money every week my claim wasn't processed. Way cheaper than missing out on benefits.
0 coins
Anderson Prospero
I've been getting partial unemployment for 3 months now. The weekly filing is pretty simple once you get used to it. Just remember to file every week even if you don't think you'll get a payment - missing a week can mess up your claim status.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Good to know! How long does it usually take for the weekly payments to show up?
0 coins
Anderson Prospero
•For me it's usually 2-3 business days after I file my weekly claim, assuming there aren't any issues with what I reported.
0 coins
Tyrone Hill
Just be prepared for the possibility that your partial benefits might be pretty small. When I was working 15 hours a week, my unemployment payment was only like $80 per week after they deducted my part-time earnings.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Even $80 would help right now honestly. Every bit counts when you're struggling to pay bills.
0 coins
Toot-n-Mighty
•That's the right attitude! Even partial help is better than no help when your hours get cut.
0 coins
Lena Kowalski
One last thing - if your employer eventually increases your hours back to normal, make sure you report that change immediately. Don't keep filing for unemployment once you're back to full-time or you could end up with an overpayment issue later.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Makes sense. I'll definitely stop filing if my hours go back up. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice!
0 coins
DeShawn Washington
•Good luck with your claim! Partial unemployment saved me when my retail job cut hours last year. Hope it works out for you too.
0 coins