Can temp employees get unemployment benefits in Washington?

Yes, temp employees can absolutely qualify for unemployment benefits in Washington! As long as the staffing agency was paying into the unemployment insurance system and you meet the earnings requirements, you should be eligible. The key is that you were an employee of the agency, not an independent contractor.

You'll need to file through the Washington ESD website at esd.wa.gov. Make sure you have your wage information from the temp agency - they should have been withholding unemployment taxes from your paychecks. When you file, list the staffing agency as your employer, not the client company.

I was in the exact same situation last year! Worked temp jobs for almost a year then everything dried up. I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD on the phone to ask questions about my claim. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Was way better than sitting on hold for hours.

The main thing is proving you earned enough wages during your base period. Since you worked 8 months, you should be fine as long as you made at least $3,719 during your base period. Washington ESD will verify this with your temp agency's wage records.

been doing temp work for 3 years and filed for UI twice when things got slow... never had any problems getting approved. the system knows how temp work functions

Make sure you keep documentation of your job search efforts. Even though you're looking for temp work, Washington ESD still requires you to search for other employment opportunities too. Log everything in WorkSourceWA.

One thing to watch out for - if the temp agency offers you a new assignment and you turn it down, that could affect your benefits. Washington ESD might consider that refusing suitable work.

File your claim as soon as possible! There's a waiting week before benefits start, and you want to get the process started. Don't wait thinking you might find something quickly.

I used to work for a temp agency and we had people file for unemployment all the time when assignments ended. It's totally normal and the agency expects it. They know it's part of how the temp industry works.

Just make sure all your contact info is up to date with Washington ESD. They'll need to reach you for any issues, and temp workers sometimes move around more than permanent employees.

The biggest challenge I had as a temp worker was when my claim got stuck in adjudication. Washington ESD wanted to verify that I was actually laid off and not fired for cause. Took forever to get through on the phone to explain the situation.

Don't forget to report any wages you earn while collecting benefits. If you pick up small temp gigs or part-time work, you need to report that on your weekly claims.

temp work is actually perfect for collecting unemployment because you have a clear record of when assignments start and end. much cleaner than trying to prove a layoff from a regular job sometimes

If you've been working temp for 8 months, you probably qualify for the maximum benefit amount too. Washington calculates benefits based on your highest earning quarter, and temp work can pay pretty well.

Whatever you do, don't let the temp agency convince you that you're not eligible. Some agencies try to discourage people from filing because it raises their unemployment tax rates. You have every right to file if you're out of work through no fault of your own.

I've seen people get confused about this but temp work is just like any other job for unemployment purposes. You pay into the system, you get benefits when you're laid off. Simple as that.

Pro tip: when you're doing your weekly claims, the job search activities can include checking in with your temp agency. That counts toward your required search efforts.

Filed for unemployment twice as a temp worker and both times went smoothly. The second time I had to deal with an adjudication issue and used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Made the whole process much less stressful being able to actually talk to a human at Washington ESD.

Just wanted to add that you should file even if you think you might get called back for another assignment soon. You can always stop claiming benefits if work comes up, but you can't backdate a claim if you wait too long to file.

One last thing - make sure you understand the difference between being laid off due to lack of work vs. being terminated. With temp work, it's usually lack of work when an assignment ends, which is good for your claim.

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago when my temp assignment at a logistics company ended. Filed online through esd.wa.gov and got approved within about 2 weeks. The key thing I learned is to be very clear on your application that your assignment ended due to lack of work, not because of any performance issues. Also keep all your pay stubs from the temp agency - Washington ESD verified my wages pretty quickly but it helped that I had everything organized. The whole process was actually much smoother than I expected for temp work.

I'm in almost the exact same boat as you! Been temping through an agency for about 6 months and my assignment just ended last week. I was hesitant to file at first because I wasn't sure if temp work counted, but after reading through all these responses I'm definitely going to apply. It's reassuring to see so many people confirm that temp employees have the same rights to unemployment benefits. I'm planning to file online tomorrow morning and keep checking with my agency for new assignments while I'm looking for other work too. Thanks for posting this question - it really helped clarify things for me!