Can salaried employees get unemployment in Washington - confused about eligibility

Yes, salaried employees absolutely qualify for unemployment benefits in Washington! Your employment status (salary vs hourly) doesn't affect eligibility at all. What matters is that you were laid off through no fault of your own and that your employer paid into the UI system on your behalf, which they did through those payroll deductions you mentioned. You should definitely file a claim with Washington ESD as soon as possible.

Been there! Lost my salaried position in tech last year and got UI benefits no problem. The amount you receive is based on your quarterly wages, not whether you were paid salary or hourly. Since you made $65k, you'll probably get close to the maximum weekly benefit amount.

Definitely file immediately! I made the mistake of waiting a few weeks after my layoff thinking I'd find something quickly. Big mistake - you can't backdate benefits in Washington. The sooner you file with Washington ESD, the sooner your weekly benefits can start. And yes, salaried employees are 100% eligible as long as you meet the basic requirements.

Having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about my salaried position eligibility too. Their phone lines are constantly busy and the website wasn't super clear about this. Has anyone found a good way to actually talk to someone there about specific questions?

The whole system is confusing honestly. I'm also salaried and got let go but I'm worried about the job search requirements. Do they expect salaried professionals to apply to minimum wage jobs just to meet the quotas?

ugh the whole process is such a pain. been trying to figure out if my severance package affects anything since I was salaried

I thought there was some rule about salaried employees having to serve a longer waiting period? Or maybe that was just something my old boss told me to discourage people from filing...

Filed my claim last week after losing my salaried position and the online system seemed to handle everything fine. The wage verification pulled up all my quarterly earnings automatically. No issues with being salaried vs hourly - the system treats everyone the same.

The key thing is that Washington ESD looks at your total wages, not how you were paid. I've been salaried, hourly, and commission-based over the years and qualified for UI benefits each time I was laid off. Your $65k salary actually puts you in a good position for higher weekly benefits.

Just want to add - don't let anyone tell you that salaried employees don't qualify or get different treatment. That's completely false. I work in HR and we've had plenty of salaried employees successfully collect unemployment after layoffs. The eligibility criteria are the same for everyone.

Washington ESD customer service is awful though. Been trying to get through for days to ask about my specific salaried situation and benefits calculation. The hold times are ridiculous.

One thing to watch out for - make sure your employer properly classified you as an employee and not an independent contractor. If you were misclassified, it could affect your UI eligibility even if you thought you were a salaried employee.

honestly the whole unemployment system in this state is a mess but yeah salaried people can definitely get benefits. my sister went through this last year with her finance job

The benefit calculation for salaried employees is based on your highest quarter of earnings in the base period, just like hourly workers. With your $65k salary, you should qualify for a decent weekly benefit amount - probably around $500-600 per week depending on your exact quarterly wages.

Make sure to file your weekly claims every Sunday once your initial claim is approved. Being salaried doesn't change the weekly claim requirements - you still need to certify that you're actively looking for work and report any income.

Used to work for Washington ESD and can confirm - employment status (salaried vs hourly) has zero impact on UI eligibility. The system calculates benefits based on your wage history regardless of how those wages were paid out. File as soon as you can!

Bottom line - being salaried actually works in your favor for unemployment benefits because your wages are typically higher and more consistent, leading to higher weekly benefit amounts. Don't hesitate to file!

Yeah what everyone else said is correct. Salaried, hourly, doesn't matter to Washington ESD. I was making $70k salary when I got laid off and had no problems getting approved. The weekly benefit calculation is actually pretty generous for higher earners.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact situation recently. I was a salaried project manager making $62k and got laid off during restructuring. Filed for unemployment immediately and had zero issues - Washington ESD processed my claim just like any other employee. The key is not to overthink it - if you paid into the system through payroll taxes and were laid off through no fault of your own, you qualify regardless of salary vs hourly status. The online application took me about 15 minutes and I got my first payment within 3 weeks. Don't let anyone tell you differently about salaried employees not being eligible - that's completely false information.