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

Yes, you can collect both in Washington state! The key thing is that your pension/retirement income WON'T reduce your weekly unemployment benefit amount as long as you're not working for the employer who's paying the pension. Since you got laid off from Boeing and they're the ones paying your pension, you should be fine to collect both.

Wait I thought any income reduces your benefits? I'm confused about this rule

I was in a similar spot last year - collecting my teacher's pension and unemployment after getting riffed. Had zero issues with Washington ESD. Just be honest about all income sources when you file your initial claim and weekly certifications.

Actually had trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about this exact question. Kept getting busy signals for weeks. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. Worth checking out their demo video: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD directly.

The official rule is in WAC 192-110-015. Retirement benefits don't reduce UI benefits unless they're from the same employer AND you're still working for them. Since you're laid off, you're good to go with both.

my dad did this when he got laid off at 64, no problems at all collecting both

Just make sure you're actively looking for work if you want to keep collecting UI benefits. They still require job search activities even if you're also getting retirement income. Don't assume you can just coast on both without meeting the work search requirements.

This is exactly why the unemployment system is broken!!! People collecting retirement AND unemployment while younger people can't find jobs. Makes me sick.

I tried to do this but Washington ESD kept giving me the runaround about my pension. Took forever to get it sorted out. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and got connected to an agent who cleared it up in 10 minutes. Wish I'd known about it sooner.

Just went through this myself at 62. Filed online and had no issues. The system automatically asks about retirement income during the application. As long as you're honest about everything, it's pretty straightforward.

Make sure you understand the tax implications too. Both unemployment and pension income are taxable, so you might want to have taxes withheld from your UI payments to avoid a big bill next year.

Boeing layoffs are rough. Know several people going through this right now. At least unemployment helps bridge the gap while you figure out what's next.

One thing to watch out for - if you start Social Security early while collecting unemployment, that can get more complicated. But regular pension/401k shouldn't be an issue with UI benefits.

Had a friend who tried to hide his pension income thinking it would reduce his benefits. Bad idea! Washington ESD found out during a routine audit and he had to pay back thousands in overpayments. Always be honest about all income sources.

Quick question - do you have to be looking for full-time work or can you search for part-time jobs to meet the work search requirement? I'm in a similar situation and not sure I want to go back to full-time at my age.

The whole system is confusing. I spent weeks trying to understand all the rules before I finally got help from Claimyr to talk to an actual person at Washington ESD. Sometimes you just need a real human to explain things clearly instead of trying to decode all the websites and automated messages.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! This community has been incredibly valuable. Based on what I'm reading, it sounds like I should be able to collect both my Boeing pension and Washington unemployment benefits without any issues since I was laid off. I'm planning to file my claim this week and will make sure to be completely transparent about all income sources. The tip about electing tax withholding is really helpful too - definitely don't want to get hit with a big tax bill next year. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences!

I'm in a very similar situation - 61 years old and just got my layoff notice from my manufacturing job after 18 years. I've been really stressed about whether I could collect my 401k distributions and unemployment at the same time. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring! It's good to know that Washington state treats retirement income differently than work wages. I'm also glad to see the advice about tax withholding - I definitely need to factor that in since I'll have income from multiple sources. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the specific regulation reference (WAC 192-110-015). This gives me confidence to move forward with filing my claim.

I'm 65 and went through this exact situation last year when I got laid off from my engineering job. Can confirm that collecting both pension and Washington unemployment is absolutely allowed - they're treated as completely separate income streams. The key is just being upfront about everything during your application. One tip I'd add is to keep good records of all your pension statements and layoff paperwork, as they may ask for documentation later. Also, don't stress too much about the online application process - it walks you through everything step by step. The hardest part for me was actually getting through on the phone when I had questions, but the online system handled most of what I needed. You should be fine collecting both!