Can you collect partial unemployment in Washington - working reduced hours questions

Yes, you can definitely apply for partial unemployment benefits in Washington! When your hours get reduced like that, you may qualify for what's called 'partial UI benefits.' You'll need to report your weekly earnings when you file your weekly claims, and Washington ESD will calculate how much you can receive based on your reduced income.

I went through this exact situation last year when my retail job cut hours. The key thing to know is that Washington ESD has a formula - you can earn up to a certain amount before it affects your weekly benefit. I think it's like you can earn about 1/3 of your weekly benefit amount before they start reducing what you get.

Be really careful about reporting your earnings accurately! I made the mistake of not reporting some cash tips properly and ended up with an overpayment notice months later. Washington ESD will cross-check with your employer's wage reports.

This is exactly why the unemployment system is broken!!! People who are STILL WORKING getting benefits while others who lost jobs completely are stuck in adjudication for months. Makes no sense to me.

You should also look into whether your employer is required to give you more notice about the hour reduction. Depending on how many employees they have, there might be WARN Act requirements.

For partial unemployment in Washington, you'll still need to do job searches unless you're on standby with your current employer. Make sure you understand which category you fall into when you apply.

just make sure u file ur weekly claims on time every week or you'll lose those weeks. happened to my sister she missed filing one week and couldnt get that money back

I was in a similar boat with reduced hours at my warehouse job. The partial benefits really helped bridge the gap. One thing to remember is that you'll still need to be available for full-time work unless you're on standby status.

The restaurant industry is brutal right now. So many places cutting hours instead of laying people off. At least with partial unemployment you get something to help with the income loss.

Quick question - do you have to pay taxes on partial unemployment benefits? I never thought about that until tax season hit.

If you run into issues getting through to Washington ESD to check on your claim, there's a service called Claimyr that will keep calling until they reach an agent for you. I used it when my partial claim got stuck and it actually worked - got through to someone within a few hours instead of spending days trying myself.

Make sure your employer knows you're filing for partial unemployment. Some employers get weird about it even though it's totally legal and doesn't really cost them more in UI taxes.

Been there with the reduced hours situation. The hardest part was figuring out the job search requirements while still working. Make sure you understand what you need to do each week.

My advice is to apply as soon as possible. Even if you're not sure you qualify, let Washington ESD make that determination. The worst they can do is say no, but if you do qualify, you don't want to lose weeks of potential benefits by waiting.

One more thing to keep in mind - if your hours get restored to full-time while you're collecting partial benefits, you need to report that immediately. Don't wait until your next weekly claim.

This thread has been super helpful! I'm in a similar situation with hour cuts at my retail job. Going to apply for partial benefits this weekend.

I went through this exact same situation with my manufacturing job about 6 months ago. The partial unemployment benefits were a lifesaver when they cut us from 40 hours to 28 hours per week. Just want to add one tip that really helped me - when you're calculating your weekly earnings to report, make sure you're using your gross pay (before taxes), not your take-home pay. I initially made that mistake and it caused some confusion with my benefits calculation. Also, keep really good records of your hours worked each week because Washington ESD might ask for documentation later. The whole process was much smoother than I expected once I got the hang of filing the weekly claims. Definitely apply soon - you don't want to miss out on weeks of potential benefits while you're dealing with these reduced hours!