Can you file unemployment for a second time in Washington ESD?

That's a relief! Do I need to report the part-time work I've been doing since my last claim ended?

Absolutely - you'll need to report all employment during your base period when you file the new claim. That part-time work might actually help you qualify for higher benefits.

Same here! I've been trying to call for days about my second claim and keep getting the busy signal or getting hung up on after waiting forever.

I actually found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to Washington ESD when I couldn't reach them myself. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you need to talk to an actual person about your situation.

Interesting, never heard of that before. How does it work exactly?

They basically handle the calling process for you and get you connected to a Washington ESD agent. I used it when I had questions about my base period wages and it actually worked.

What if you didn't earn enough wages between claims? Can you still file?

You'd need to meet the minimum wage requirements for the new base period. If you don't qualify for a new claim, you might be able to reopen your old claim if it hasn't been a full year yet.

The base period is always the same calculation - it's the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you're filing now in 2025, they'd look at your wages from Q3 2023 through Q2 2024.

Oh okay that makes sense. So my part-time work from this past year would count toward the new claim.

The process is identical to filing your first claim. You'll go through the same application, provide the same type of information, and start filing weekly claims once approved.

Just make sure you have all your employment information ready, especially for that part-time job. Washington ESD will verify everything anyway.

How long did that take? I'm worried about the delay since I need the benefits pretty soon.

It took about 3 weeks total, but that included time for wage verification. If your employers reported your wages correctly to Washington ESD, it should be faster.

Nope, no restrictions at all. As long as you meet the wage and work requirements, you can file as many claims as needed over the years.

Agreed! I spent forever trying to figure this out when my hours got cut the second time. The information is buried in their FAQ somewhere.

That's why I ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Sometimes it's easier to just talk to a real person at Washington ESD instead of trying to decode their website.

Good point! I'll file this weekend. Better to get the process started even if it takes a few weeks to get approved.

It depends on how much you earned and how many hours you worked. You need at least 680 hours of work in your base period, or wages equal to 680 times the minimum wage.

I think I'm borderline. Might be worth filing anyway to see what happens.

If you don't qualify for a new claim, Washington ESD should automatically check if you can reopen your old one. No harm in trying.

Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on the wages in your new base period, so it could be higher or lower than your first claim depending on what you earned.

Makes sense. Hopefully my part-time wages will give me a decent benefit amount.

Good reminder! I remember having to log job searches every week. Is it still 3 job search activities per week?

Yes, still 3 per week unless you're in a training program or have some other exemption.

Same here! It's nice to know other people have been through this successfully.

Oh good point. I don't think I have any issues from my first claim but I should probably double-check my account.

If you can't access your account online or have questions about past issues, that's another situation where calling Washington ESD directly through something like Claimyr might help. They can check your account status and tell you if there are any holds.

No need to be embarrassed! Seems like lots of people go through this, especially with how unpredictable work has been lately.