Can you collect unemployment with severance pay in Washington ESD?

You can usually collect unemployment while receiving severance, but it depends on how your company structures the payment. If it's a lump sum vs weekly payments makes a difference.

I went through this exact situation last year. Yes, you can collect unemployment with severance pay in Washington. The key thing is HOW the severance is paid. If it's a lump sum for past work, it usually doesn't affect your weekly benefit amount. If it's structured as continued wages, that's different. You definitely need to report it when you file your claim though.

The Washington ESD has specific rules about severance pay. Generally speaking, severance payments don't disqualify you from unemployment benefits, but they may affect the timing of when you can start collecting. If the severance is considered 'wages in lieu of notice' then it might delay your claim start date. I'd recommend calling Washington ESD directly to get clarification on your specific situation.

wait im confused about this whole severance thing. if they're paying you money how can you also get unemployment?? seems like double dipping

Just want to add that you should definitely file for unemployment right away, don't wait for the severance to run out or anything like that. The sooner you file the sooner your waiting week starts. Even if there's some complication with the severance, you want to get the process started.

I'm going through something similar right now actually. Got laid off 2 weeks ago with a small severance and my unemployment claim is still pending. Haven't heard anything back from Washington ESD yet.

One thing to be careful about - make sure you understand exactly what your severance package includes. Sometimes companies bundle things together that might be treated differently by Washington ESD (like vacation payout vs actual severance vs COBRA payments).

ugh the whole unemployment system is so confusing. why cant they just make it simple - you lose your job, you get benefits. all these rules about severance and wages and reporting requirements just make everything harder

Been on unemployment twice in the past 5 years and both times I had some form of severance. Never had any issues as long as I reported it accurately on my application. Washington ESD is pretty reasonable about it in my experience.

Another option if you can't get through to Washington ESD on the phone is to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. I used it when I had questions about my job search requirements and it worked really well. Much better than spending hours trying to call.

Make sure you keep all documentation about your severance package! Washington ESD might ask for proof of the amount and terms later. I learned this the hard way when they requested documents I didn't have organized.

Does anyone know if severance affects the job search requirements? Like do you still have to do the 3 job searches per week even if you're getting severance?

just file the claim and be honest about everything. thats really all you can do. the system will figure out what you qualify for

I think the confusion about severance comes from people not understanding that unemployment benefits are insurance, not welfare. You paid into the system through your payroll taxes, so you're entitled to benefits when you lose your job regardless of severance.

One more thing - if your severance is being paid out over multiple weeks rather than a lump sum, you might need to report it on your weekly claims. The rules are different for ongoing payments vs one-time payments.

I had a friend who delayed filing for unemployment because she thought the severance would disqualify her. She ended up losing out on several weeks of benefits because of the waiting period. Don't make that mistake!

For what it's worth, when I had this situation I found the Washington ESD website pretty helpful. They have a section about how different types of payments affect benefits. Might be worth checking out before you file.

Bottom line - yes you can collect unemployment with severance in most cases. Report it accurately, file right away, and don't stress too much about it. The system is designed to handle these common situations.