Can you claim unemployment with severance pay from Washington ESD?

That's a relief! So I should file now rather than waiting 8 weeks? I was worried about doing something wrong.

Definitely file now. The sooner you file, the sooner your claim gets processed. Just be honest about the severance on your weekly claims.

It depends on how the severance is structured. Lump sum vs. continued pay makes a difference in how Washington ESD treats it.

Mine was a lump sum when I got laid off last year. Still not sure if I reported it correctly.

How much did your severance reduce your weekly benefit amount? I'm getting $4,800 spread over 8 weeks.

It was about 75% reduction for me while the severance lasted. But once it ended, I got the full weekly amount. The Washington ESD agent explained the calculation which helped a lot.

Never heard of Claimyr but getting through to Washington ESD is impossible lately. Might check that out.

Same here! The website info is confusing and doesn't cover all the scenarios.

Exactly! And then you're scared of making a mistake and having to pay back benefits later.

So if my weekly benefit would be $500 and I'm getting $600 in severance, I'd get nothing that week?

Correct. But you'd still want to file your weekly claim to keep your claim active. Once the severance ends, you'd get your full $500.

This makes sense now. I wish Washington ESD explained this better on their website.

Did you have any problems with adjudication or anything like that?

nope, pretty smooth actually. took about 2 weeks to get approved initially

You'd typically divide it by the number of weeks it's intended to cover. But honestly, this is complex enough that you should talk to Washington ESD directly.

I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and actually got through to a real person at Washington ESD. They told me to divide monthly severance by 4.33 weeks for reporting purposes.

Thanks! That's exactly what I needed to know. Might try Claimyr myself since calling direct never works.

Oh wow, I hadn't even thought about that. So I need to start job searching immediately even though I have 8 weeks of pay?

Yes! The job search requirement kicks in as soon as you start filing weekly claims, regardless of severance.

That's ridiculous. What kind of documentation did they want?

Letter from HR explaining the severance terms, pay stubs, termination letter. Basically proof of everything I already reported online.

Vacation payout is treated differently than severance. It's usually considered wages for the period you would have worked, so it affects benefits similarly but the timing might be different.

This is getting complicated. Maybe I should talk to someone at Washington ESD to make sure I'm reporting everything correctly.

That gives me hope! Did you have any issues with overpayments or anything after the fact?

Nope, as long as you report accurately from the start, you shouldn't have problems later.

This is super important! I made this mistake and had to go through an overpayment appeal process.

Good to know! My severance letter says it covers 8 weeks so I'll divide it up for reporting.

I didn't know that! Definitely filing this week then.

Yeah, this is one of those things Washington ESD doesn't make clear enough. File early, report honestly, and you'll be fine.

Good advice! I'll make copies of everything before I file.

Yes! And if you used Claimyr or somehow got through to Washington ESD to clarify anything, document that conversation too.

Thanks everyone! This thread has been incredibly helpful. Going to file my claim tomorrow morning.

Good luck! You'll be fine as long as you're honest about everything.