Can you collect unemployment from two employers in Washington - confused about multi-employer claims

Yes, absolutely! Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on ALL wages from ALL employers during your base period. You should definitely report both jobs - that's the correct way to file. Your benefit amount is based on your total qualifying wages, not just one employer.

I had the same situation last year with two restaurant jobs. Filed for both and it took forever to get approved because they had to verify employment with both places. Just be patient if it goes into adjudication.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check on your claim status, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com. They basically call Washington ESD for you and get you connected to an actual agent. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.

MAKE SURE you report any work search activities for BOTH types of jobs you're looking for. Since you worked retail and food service, you should be applying to both types of positions to meet your job search requirements.

wait so if i worked at target and also did doordash can i claim unemployment for both??? i thought gig work didnt count

I'm in a similar boat but one of my employers is fighting my claim. They're saying I quit when I was actually laid off due to reduced hours. Washington ESD is investigating both employers now and it's taking forever. Anyone deal with this before?

Been there done that with multiple employers. The key thing is making sure both employers actually paid into the unemployment insurance system. Sometimes small businesses don't pay their UI taxes and then you can't claim benefits from those wages.

This happened to my sister and she got confused about which employer to list as primary. Turns out it doesn't matter - Washington ESD looks at all your wages together anyway.

Just to clarify for everyone - Washington ESD uses wages from ALL employers during your base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters) to calculate your weekly benefit amount. It's completely normal and legal to collect benefits based on multiple employers' wages.

ugh the washington esd system is so confusing. i tried to add my second job after i already filed and now everything is messed up. anyone know how to fix this?

I worked three part-time jobs and Washington ESD calculated benefits from all of them. Took longer to process because they had to verify employment with each place, but the wait was worth it for the higher benefit amount.

Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while they're verifying your multiple employers. I made the mistake of stopping and had to restart my whole claim.

Does anyone know if seasonal work counts the same as regular employment for multiple employer claims? I worked retail year-round plus seasonal holiday work.

The thing that confused me was the job search requirements. Do I need to look for jobs in both industries I worked in, or can I focus on just one?

Pro tip: when you're doing your job search log, make sure to note which type of position you're applying for. It shows Washington ESD you're being thorough in your search.

Had to laugh at this thread because I went through the EXACT same confusion last year. Filed for benefits from two jobs, panicked that I did something wrong, called Washington ESD in a panic. Turns out everything was fine and normal.

One thing to watch out for - if one of your employers contests your claim, it can delay benefits even from the other employer. Happened to me and I had to wait for the whole dispute to resolve.

For what it's worth, I tried using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and it actually worked great. Got connected to a Washington ESD agent who explained exactly how multi-employer claims work. Worth the cost when you need real answers.

Bottom line for the OP - you did everything right! Multi-employer claims are totally normal and your benefit amount should reflect wages from both jobs. Just keep filing your weekly claims while they verify everything.

Just want to add that when you have multiple employers, Washington ESD may also ask for additional documentation like pay stubs or separation notices from each job. I had to provide proof of my layoffs from both employers before my claim was fully approved. Keep any paperwork you have from both jobs handy - it can speed up the verification process significantly!