Can you apply for unemployment again after your claim expires in Washington?
My unemployment claim expired 6 months ago and I've been working part-time since then, but now my hours got cut drastically and I'm barely making $200/week. Can you apply for unemployment again after your previous claim ended? Do I need to file a completely new claim with Washington ESD or is there some kind of reactivation process? I'm confused about whether I need to meet the work requirements again since I was working after my last claim.
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Carmen Flores
Yes, you can definitely file a new unemployment claim! Since your previous claim expired and you've been working, you'll need to file a brand new initial claim through the Washington ESD website. You can't reactivate an expired claim.
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Yuki Sato
•Thanks! Do I need to have worked a certain amount of hours to qualify again?
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Carmen Flores
•You'll need to meet the base period requirements again - they look at your earnings from the last 4 completed calendar quarters before you file.
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Andre Dubois
I had to do this last year when my seasonal job ended again. You file a completely new claim and Washington ESD will determine your new weekly benefit amount based on your recent work history.
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Yuki Sato
•How long did it take for your new claim to get processed?
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Andre Dubois
•Mine took about 2 weeks but that was pretty fast. Some people wait longer if there are issues with verification.
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CyberSamurai
Just went through this process myself! You definitely can reapply. I was having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about my eligibility, but I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really saved me from sitting on hold for hours.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Never heard of that service, is it legit? I've been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks.
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CyberSamurai
•Yeah it's totally legitimate, they just help you get through the phone system faster. I was skeptical too but it actually worked.
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Yuki Sato
•Might try that if I run into issues with my new application. Thanks for the tip!
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Jamal Carter
wait so if my claim expired do i lose all my remaining weeks?? i had like 8 weeks left when it expired in december
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Carmen Flores
•Unfortunately yes, any unused weeks from your expired claim are gone. But if you qualify for a new claim, you'll get a fresh set of weeks based on your new base period.
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Jamal Carter
•ugh that sucks but makes sense i guess. wish someone had told me that before
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Mei Liu
The Washington ESD system is so confusing about this stuff. I think there's a difference between a claim expiring vs just not filing weekly claims for a while. If you just stopped filing but your benefit year hasn't ended, you might be able to reopen instead of filing new.
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Carmen Flores
•Good point - that's called reopening a claim and it's different from filing a new one. But OP said their claim expired 6 months ago, so they definitely need a new claim.
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Mei Liu
•Right, I was just trying to clarify for anyone else reading this who might be in a different situation.
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Liam O'Donnell
Been there done that! Filed three different claims over the past few years due to seasonal work patterns. Each time you file a new claim after expiration, they recalculate everything from scratch. Your weekly benefit amount might be different based on your recent earnings.
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Yuki Sato
•Did your benefit amount go up or down when you refiled?
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Liam O'Donnell
•It actually went up the last time because I had been making more money at my previous job. Really depends on what you earned during your base period.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
Make sure you apply as soon as possible after your hours got cut! There's no waiting period to apply, and your claim starts the week you file, not when you actually lose income.
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Yuki Sato
•Good to know, I was wondering about timing. Should I apply this week then?
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Yes definitely apply this week if your hours are already reduced. Don't wait around thinking about it.
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Amara Nwosu
•This is key advice right here. I waited too long to apply once and lost like 3 weeks of benefits because I was being stubborn.
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Amara Nwosu
The hardest part is probably going to be getting through to Washington ESD if you have questions during the application. Their phone lines are brutal. I spent literally hours on hold multiple times before giving up.
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CyberSamurai
•That's exactly why I mentioned Claimyr earlier - it cuts through all that phone tree nonsense and gets you to an actual person who can help.
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Amara Nwosu
•I'll have to check that out next time I need to call them. The regular phone system is absolutely terrible.
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AstroExplorer
Also remember you'll need to do the job search requirements again with your new claim. Can't just rely on WorkSource registration from your old claim.
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Yuki Sato
•Oh good point, I forgot about that. Do I need to register with WorkSource again or just update my profile?
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AstroExplorer
•You should be able to just update your existing WorkSource profile, but make sure it's current before you start filing weekly claims.
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Giovanni Moretti
Question about the base period calculation - do they use the same quarters as before or does it shift? Like if I filed my last claim in June 2024 and I'm filing now, would they use different quarters?
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Carmen Flores
•They recalculate based on when you file the new claim. So if you're filing in 2025, they'll look at your 2024 earnings quarters, which would be different from what they used in June 2024.
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Giovanni Moretti
•That makes sense, thanks for clarifying that.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
Just want to mention that if you're working part-time while collecting UI, make sure you report those earnings correctly on your weekly claims. They'll reduce your benefits but you can usually still get something.
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Yuki Sato
•Yeah I definitely plan to report my part-time work. Better to be honest than deal with overpayment issues later.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Exactly! Overpayment notices are a nightmare to deal with.
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Dylan Cooper
The Washington ESD website actually has a pretty clear section about this under 'File a New Claim' vs 'Reopen Claim'. Worth reading through before you start the application process.
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Yuki Sato
•I'll check that out, thanks. Sometimes their website is actually helpful when you know where to look.
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Sofia Perez
•Their website has gotten better over the years but the phone system is still garbage lol
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Dmitry Smirnov
Pro tip: gather all your employment information before starting the online application. Employer names, addresses, dates of employment, reason for separation, etc. Makes the process go much smoother.
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Yuki Sato
•Good advice! I'll make a list of all my employers since my last claim.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Yeah and if you worked for any temp agencies or had multiple jobs, make sure you have all that info too.
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ElectricDreamer
I'm in a similar situation but my claim expired last month. Still trying to figure out if I earned enough in my base period to qualify again. The monetary determination process is confusing.
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Carmen Flores
•You won't know for sure until you apply and they send you the monetary determination. If you don't qualify, they'll tell you why and you can appeal if you think they made an error.
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ElectricDreamer
•Guess I'll just have to apply and see what happens. Nothing to lose I suppose.
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Ava Johnson
Washington state has some of the better unemployment benefits compared to other states, so definitely worth applying if you think you might qualify. The worst they can do is say no.
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Yuki Sato
•That's encouraging to hear. I'm hoping my part-time work history will be enough to qualify.
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Miguel Diaz
•Washington's benefits are decent but the administration of the program is still frustrating sometimes.
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Zainab Ahmed
One thing to keep in mind is that if your new claim gets approved, your benefit year will start over from when you file. So you'd potentially have up to 26 weeks of benefits available again (assuming you qualify for the full amount).
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Yuki Sato
•That would be great if I can get the full 26 weeks. My hours probably won't pick back up for a while.
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Zainab Ahmed
•Yeah just depends on your earnings history and the monetary determination they send you.
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Connor Byrne
I used Claimyr when I had to call about my new claim application getting stuck in pending status. Saved me so much time and frustration compared to trying to get through normally.
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Yuki Sato
•Seems like a lot of people have had good experiences with that service. I'll keep it in mind if I run into any issues.
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Connor Byrne
•Yeah it's worth it just for the peace of mind of actually being able to talk to someone when you need help.
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Yara Abboud
Good luck with your new application! The process is pretty straightforward once you get started. Just make sure to file your weekly claims on time once it's approved.
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Yuki Sato
•Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I feel much more confident about applying now.
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Yara Abboud
•You're welcome! This forum is great for getting real answers from people who have been through the process.
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