Can you collect severance and unemployment at the same time in Washington ESD?

The answer depends on how your severance is structured. If it's paid as a lump sum or as continuation of wages, Washington ESD might consider it as earnings that could affect your weekly benefit amount. You need to report all income including severance when you file your weekly claims.

I went through this exact situation last year. Washington ESD told me that severance doesn't automatically disqualify you but it gets deducted from your weekly benefit amount. So if you get $400 in unemployment and $500 in severance that week, you might not get any unemployment that week.

I had a nightmare trying to get through to Washington ESD about this exact question. Spent hours on hold trying to get clarification. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual agent who explained everything clearly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

wait so if I'm getting severance I can't get unemployment at all? that doesn't seem fair since I'm still unemployed...

The key thing people don't understand is that Washington ESD looks at severance differently depending on when it's paid and what it represents. If it's payment in lieu of notice, that's treated as wages. If it's just a goodwill payment, it might be handled differently. You really need to talk to them directly about your specific situation.

This whole system is so confusing!! Why can't they just make it simple - if you're unemployed you get benefits, period. All these rules about severance and other income just make everything harder.

One important thing - make sure you file your initial claim right away even if you think the severance might make you ineligible for some weeks. Your benefit year starts when you file, not when you first receive payments. You can always file weekly claims and report zero income during weeks when severance makes you ineligible.

Has anyone actually gotten through to Washington ESD recently? I've been trying for three days straight and either get disconnected or the system hangs up on me automatically. It's maddening.

Just want to add that you should keep detailed records of all your severance payments - dates, amounts, what period each payment covers. Washington ESD might ask for documentation later and you want to have everything organized.

so basically I need to report my severance every week when I file my weekly claim? even if it means I don't get any unemployment that week?

I'm in a similar boat but my severance is a lump sum. Does that change anything? It's being paid all at once next month.

The Washington ESD handbook has some info about this but it's pretty vague. Basically says severance 'may affect' your benefits but doesn't give clear examples. Typical government communication.

Another thing to consider - if your severance is tied to a non-compete agreement or other restrictions, that might affect how Washington ESD views your availability for work. Make sure you understand all the conditions.

I used to work for an employment attorney and saw a lot of cases where people got in trouble for not reporting severance properly. Washington ESD has access to wage records and will eventually find out if you don't report income accurately.

Does anyone know if vacation pay or PTO payout is treated the same as severance? I'm getting both when I leave my job next month.

The thing that gets me is that companies use severance to avoid lawsuits but then it penalizes you when you try to get unemployment. Seems like you're getting screwed twice.

For what it's worth, I tried Claimyr after seeing it mentioned here and it did help me get through to Washington ESD faster. The agent was able to look at my specific severance situation and give me exact answers instead of general info.

Just remember that even if severance reduces your weekly benefits, you should still be doing your job search activities and reporting them. The work search requirements don't change just because you're getting severance.

This thread has been super helpful. The bottom line seems to be: file for unemployment right away, report all severance income honestly, and talk to Washington ESD directly about your specific situation rather than trying to guess.

One last thing - if you do end up with an overpayment issue later because of how severance was handled, don't panic. You can usually work out a payment plan with Washington ESD or appeal if you think there was an error in how they calculated things.

I'm dealing with this same situation right now and it's so stressful! My company is giving me 3 months severance but I'm worried about how it'll affect my unemployment benefits. From reading all these responses, it sounds like I need to file my initial claim immediately and just be completely transparent about the severance payments when I do my weekly claims. Has anyone here actually had their severance payments result in zero unemployment benefits for certain weeks, or does Washington ESD usually still give you something even with severance income?