Can you file for unemployment at 17 with Washington ESD?
My cousin just turned 17 and got laid off from her part-time job at a retail store where she worked for about 8 months. She's wondering if she can file for unemployment benefits through Washington ESD since she was paying into the system with her paychecks. I tried looking this up online but couldn't find a clear answer about age requirements. Does anyone know if minors can file unemployment claims in Washington state?
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Yara Campbell
Yes, minors can file for unemployment in Washington state if they meet the work and wage requirements. Age isn't a disqualifying factor - what matters is whether she earned enough wages during her base period and is able and available for work.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•That's good to know! What exactly are the work and wage requirements? She was making about $12/hour working maybe 15-20 hours a week.
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Yara Campbell
•She needs to have earned at least $1,000 in her base period and her total base period wages need to be at least 1.5 times her highest quarter. Washington ESD will calculate this automatically when she applies.
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Isaac Wright
I had the same question when my 16 year old got let go last year. The Washington ESD website doesn't make it super clear but there's no minimum age requirement. The main thing is meeting the monetary eligibility requirements.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Did your 16 year old end up qualifying? I'm just worried she didn't work long enough to meet the requirements.
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Isaac Wright
•Unfortunately no, she didn't earn enough during the base period. But that was because she only worked for like 4 months total.
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Maya Diaz
The tricky part for minors is usually the 'able and available for work' requirement. If she's in school, Washington ESD will want to know her availability for work. She'll need to be available for full-time work or at least substantial part-time hours.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•She's a senior in high school but could work afternoons and weekends. Would that count as being available?
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Maya Diaz
•It depends on how many hours she's available. Generally you need to be available for at least 20 hours per week, but Washington ESD evaluates each case individually.
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Tami Morgan
•School schedules can definitely complicate things. I'd suggest she be really clear about her availability when she files the claim.
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Rami Samuels
She should definitely try filing - the worst they can say is no. But honestly, getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about eligibility can be a nightmare. I spent weeks trying to get someone on the phone about my claim issues. Recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you connected to ESD agents. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Thanks for the tip! The phone thing is exactly what I was worried about. Did it actually work for you?
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Rami Samuels
•Yeah, got connected within like 10 minutes when I'd been trying to call for days. Worth it just to get actual answers instead of guessing.
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Haley Bennett
wait i thought you had to be 18 to file for unemployment?? this is confusing
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Yara Campbell
•Nope, no age requirement in Washington. If you work and pay into the system, you can potentially qualify regardless of age.
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Haley Bennett
•ok good to know for future reference i guess
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Douglas Foster
One thing to keep in mind is that even if she qualifies, the benefit amount for someone working part-time at minimum wage isn't going to be huge. But every little bit helps I suppose.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•True, but she's got car payments and wants to save for college so anything would help.
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Douglas Foster
•Definitely worth applying then. The weekly benefit is calculated based on her earnings during the base period.
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Tami Morgan
Make sure she has all her employment documentation ready - W2s, pay stubs, etc. Washington ESD will need to verify her work history and wages. Also her social security number obviously.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Good point. She should have her W2 from this year and probably some recent pay stubs.
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Tami Morgan
•Yeah that should be sufficient. The online application will walk her through what documents she needs.
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Nina Chan
THIS WHOLE SYSTEM IS SO CONFUSING!! why don't they just make it clear on the website whether minors can apply or not???
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Maya Diaz
•I agree the Washington ESD website could be clearer about a lot of things. The information is there but it's not always easy to find.
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Nina Chan
•exactly! like why do we have to guess about this stuff
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Ruby Knight
My daughter filed at 17 last summer when her restaurant job ended. She qualified and got benefits for about 8 weeks until she found another job. The process was pretty straightforward once we figured out she was eligible.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•That's encouraging! How long had she been working before she filed?
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Ruby Knight
•About 10 months at the restaurant, plus she had worked at a grocery store the summer before. So she had enough work history built up.
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Isaac Wright
Another thing - if she does file and gets approved, she'll still need to do the weekly job search requirements like everyone else. That means applying for jobs and keeping a log of her search activities.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Makes sense. She's already been looking for another job anyway so that shouldn't be a problem.
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Isaac Wright
•Perfect. Just make sure she documents everything properly in the job search log on the Washington ESD website.
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Diego Castillo
honestly the worst part about all this is trying to get answers from Washington ESD directly. their phone system is horrible and you can wait hours just to get disconnected
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Rami Samuels
•That's exactly why I mentioned Claimyr earlier. Saved me so much frustration trying to get through to an actual person at ESD.
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Diego Castillo
•yeah i might have to check that out, this phone tag game is getting old
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Yara Campbell
Just to clarify the monetary requirements since there seems to be some confusion - for 2025, she needs wages in at least two quarters of her base period, with total wages of at least $1,000, and total base period wages at least 1.5 times her highest quarter wages.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Thanks for the specifics! I'll help her calculate whether she meets those requirements before she applies.
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Yara Campbell
•The base period is typically the first four of the last five completed quarters before she files, so make sure you're looking at the right time frame.
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Logan Stewart
Don't forget she'll also need to register with WorkSource if she gets approved. It's required for all unemployment recipients in Washington.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•What's WorkSource? Is that different from just filing the unemployment claim?
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Logan Stewart
•WorkSource is Washington's job search and career services system. You register there and use it to search for jobs and track your job search activities.
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Mikayla Brown
i filed at 17 two years ago and it was fine, got approved no problem. the hardest part was actually understanding all the requirements but once i figured it out it was straightforward
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Ella rollingthunder87
•That's reassuring! Did you have any issues with the school schedule affecting your claim?
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Mikayla Brown
•nah, i was available evenings and weekends and that was enough. just had to be honest about my availability on the application
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Sean Matthews
One more tip - if she files online, make sure she keeps copies of everything. Screenshots of the application, confirmation numbers, any correspondence from Washington ESD. You never know when you might need to reference something later.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Good advice! I'll make sure she documents everything throughout the process.
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Sean Matthews
•Yeah, it's better to have too much documentation than not enough when dealing with any government agency.
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Rami Samuels
For what it's worth, if she runs into any issues during the application process or needs to talk to someone at Washington ESD about her specific situation, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier has been super helpful for getting actual human support instead of just automated responses.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thanks for all the help everyone - this has been really informative!
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Ali Anderson
•Good luck to your cousin! Hope everything works out for her.
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Zadie Patel
The bottom line is yes, 17-year-olds can file for unemployment in Washington if they meet the work and wage requirements. Age is not a barrier. The key factors are having sufficient work history and being able and available for work.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Perfect summary! I think she should definitely try filing since she meets the basic requirements.
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Zadie Patel
•Exactly. The application process will determine if she qualifies based on her specific work history and wages.
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A Man D Mortal
just make sure she applies asap if she's going to do it. there's usually a waiting period before benefits start and every week counts when you're unemployed
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Good point about timing. I'll let her know she should file soon if she wants to pursue this.
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A Man D Mortal
•yeah the sooner the better, especially if she needs the money for expenses
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Declan Ramirez
Update us on how it goes! Always curious to hear about other people's experiences with Washington ESD, especially for younger applicants.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Will do! Thanks again everyone for all the helpful information and advice.
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Declan Ramirez
•You're welcome! Hope it all works out smoothly for her.
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