Can you buy a car on unemployment - Washington ESD approval issues?
I'm currently receiving Washington ESD benefits and my old car just died completely. I found a decent used car for $8,500 but I'm worried about how this might affect my unemployment claim. Do I need to report a car purchase to Washington ESD? Will they think I'm not actually looking for work if I buy a car? I've been on UI for about 6 weeks now and don't want to mess anything up with my weekly claims. Has anyone bought a vehicle while on unemployment benefits without issues?
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Emma Johnson
You can absolutely buy a car while on unemployment! Washington ESD doesn't restrict reasonable purchases that help you find work - and having reliable transportation is actually important for job searching. You don't need to report the purchase itself, just make sure you continue filing your weekly claims on time.
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Faith Kingston
•That's a relief! I was worried they'd think I was spending money frivolously instead of looking for jobs.
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Liam Brown
•yeah having a car actually helps with the job search requirements too since you can apply to more places
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Olivia Garcia
The key thing is how you're paying for it. If you're using your unemployment benefits to make payments, that's totally fine. If you're getting a loan, make sure the monthly payment fits your budget including your UI benefits. Washington ESD cares more about you actively seeking work than what you spend money on.
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Faith Kingston
•I'm planning to use some savings plus my unemployment to pay cash for it. Should be fine then?
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Olivia Garcia
•Yes, paying cash is actually better since you won't have monthly loan payments to worry about. Just keep doing your job searches and filing weekly claims.
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Noah Lee
I bought a car 2 months into my unemployment claim last year and had zero issues with Washington ESD. Never even came up. The only thing that matters is that you're available for work and actively searching. Having reliable transportation actually makes you MORE available for work, not less.
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Ava Hernandez
•Did you have to mention it anywhere in your weekly claim filing? I'm always paranoid about what I need to report.
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Noah Lee
•Nope, car purchases aren't something you report on weekly claims. Only work, income, and availability for work matter for those.
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Isabella Martin
Wait, I'm confused - don't you have to report any major expenses or changes in financial situation? I thought Washington ESD wanted to know about stuff like this???
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Emma Johnson
•No, you only report income and work performed. Personal expenses like car purchases, rent payments, etc. aren't reported to Washington ESD.
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Isabella Martin
•oh ok that makes sense, I was mixing it up with other benefit programs probably
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Elijah Jackson
The Washington ESD system is ridiculous about so many things but this isn't one of them thankfully. I've been dealing with an adjudication issue for WEEKS and can't get through to talk to anyone about it. Tried calling dozens of times and either get disconnected or sit on hold forever. Anyone know a better way to reach them?
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Sophia Miller
•Have you tried using Claimyr? I found out about it when I was having similar issues getting through to Washington ESD. It's this service at claimyr.com that helps you actually get connected to ESD agents without all the hold time and disconnections. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Mason Davis
Back to the car question - just make sure you factor in insurance costs too. That's an ongoing expense that will eat into your UI benefits every month. Car insurance can be pretty expensive depending on your driving record.
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Faith Kingston
•Good point, I already got insurance quotes and factored that into my budget. Thankfully my record is clean so it's not too bad.
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Mia Rodriguez
•Also consider maintenance costs! Used cars can have unexpected repairs that add up quick.
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Faith Kingston
•I'm having it inspected by my mechanic before buying, but you're right that's always a risk with used cars.
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Jacob Lewis
I'm in a similar situation but considering a car loan instead of paying cash. Anyone know if having a new monthly payment affects your unemployment eligibility somehow? Like do they consider your debt-to-income ratio?
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Olivia Garcia
•Washington ESD doesn't look at your debt-to-income ratio or personal expenses when determining eligibility. Your monthly car payment won't affect your UI benefits at all.
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Jacob Lewis
•That's great to know, thanks! I was worried they might reduce benefits if they thought I had too many expenses.
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Amelia Martinez
Actually having a car is basically required for most jobs around here unless you live in Seattle with good transit. I'd say buying one while unemployed is smart planning, not irresponsible spending. Shows you're serious about getting back to work.
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Ethan Clark
•Exactly! Plus you can expand your job search radius once you have reliable transportation.
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Mila Walker
•So true, I was limited to jobs within walking distance or bus routes before I got my car. Made finding work much harder.
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Logan Scott
One thing to keep in mind - if you're getting any other assistance like food stamps or housing help, THOSE programs might care about asset purchases. But for Washington ESD unemployment, it's not an issue at all.
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Faith Kingston
•Good distinction, I'm only receiving UI benefits so sounds like I'm in the clear.
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Chloe Green
•yeah different programs have different rules about reporting purchases and assets
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Lucas Adams
I've been unemployed for 4 months and bought a car 2 months ago. Washington ESD never asked about it, never affected my benefits, and having the car definitely helped me get to more interviews. You're overthinking this - just buy the car if you need it and can afford it.
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Faith Kingston
•Thanks for sharing your experience! That's exactly what I needed to hear.
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Harper Hill
•did you pay cash or finance? I'm trying to decide which route to go
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Lucas Adams
•I financed through my credit union since I didn't want to drain my savings completely. Monthly payment is manageable with my UI benefits.
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Caden Nguyen
The whole Washington ESD system is so confusing sometimes. I spent hours researching whether I could take a vacation while on unemployment (you can, with restrictions) and never thought about car purchases. Glad to see it's actually one of the simpler things!
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Avery Flores
•Yeah some things they're strict about and others they don't care about at all. The vacation rules are definitely more complicated.
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Zoe Gonzalez
•What are the vacation rules? I've been afraid to go anywhere while on UI.
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Caden Nguyen
•You can travel but you have to be available for work and able to return for interviews. If you're going somewhere with no cell service for a week, that could be an issue.
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Ashley Adams
Has anyone had success with Claimyr for getting through to Washington ESD? That person mentioned it earlier and I'm curious if it actually works or if it's just another scam.
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Alexis Robinson
•I used Claimyr last month when I couldn't get through to resolve an issue with my weekly claim. It's legitimate - they basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Aaron Lee
Original poster - you're definitely overthinking this. Buy the car, keep filing your weekly claims, keep job searching. Washington ESD cares about work activity, not your personal purchases. Having reliable transportation will probably help your job search more than hurt it.
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Faith Kingston
•You're absolutely right, I tend to overthink everything when it comes to my unemployment claim. Thanks for the reality check!
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Chloe Mitchell
•We all do that when we're on UI! Every little thing feels like it might affect your benefits somehow.
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Michael Adams
Just wanted to add - if anyone is struggling to get through to Washington ESD about claim issues, I had good luck with Claimyr too. The video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ explains exactly how it works and it's pretty straightforward. Definitely worth it if you're stuck in adjudication or have other issues that need agent help.
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Natalie Wang
•How long did it take to get connected once you used their service?
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Michael Adams
•I think it was like 2 days? Way better than the weeks I spent trying to call on my own and never getting through.
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Noah Torres
•That's amazing, I've been trying to reach them for over a week about my job search log requirements.
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Samantha Hall
Bottom line for the OP: buy your car, keep doing your job searches, file your weekly claims on time, and don't stress about it. Transportation is a necessity, not a luxury, especially when you're job hunting.
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Faith Kingston
•Perfect summary, thank you! I'm going to look at the car tomorrow and probably buy it if the inspection goes well.
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Ryan Young
•Good luck with the car purchase! Having reliable transportation makes such a huge difference when job hunting.
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Issac Nightingale
I went through the exact same worry when I needed to replace my car while on UI benefits last fall. Washington ESD definitely doesn't care about car purchases - they only track work activity and income. I bought a used car for around $9,000 and it never came up in any of my weekly claims or communications with ESD. Having reliable transportation actually made my job search much more effective since I could apply to positions further away and wasn't stressed about getting to interviews. Just make sure you budget for ongoing costs like insurance, gas, and potential repairs, but from an unemployment eligibility standpoint, you're completely fine to buy the car.
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