Can you get Washington ESD unemployment if you owe unemployment money from before?

Oh that's a relief! So they don't just deny your whole claim because of the debt?

Nope, they call it an 'offset' - you still get benefits but they take out a portion each week for the debt

25% seems like a lot when you're already struggling financially. Is there any way to negotiate a lower offset amount?

You can request a hardship waiver if the offset would cause severe financial distress. You'd need to show documentation of your expenses and income.

I tried the hardship thing and it took forever to get approved. Better to just deal with the offset honestly

Yeah I learned my lesson about reporting work. Do I need to mention the existing debt when I file or will they automatically see it in their system?

They'll see it automatically - all your Washington ESD account information is linked. Just focus on accurately reporting your recent job separation.

Never heard of Claimyr before. Does it actually work for getting through to Washington ESD?

Yeah it worked for me. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get hung up on

Anything that helps you actually talk to someone at Washington ESD is worth trying at this point

I understand the frustration but overpayments usually happen because of unreported income, not system errors

Maybe in some cases but their website is confusing as hell about what you need to report and when

Good job getting it filed! The waiting is the worst part but at least you got the process started

how long did the application take you to complete?

About 30 minutes total. Had to gather my employment info and W2s first which took longer than the actual application

8 months seems like forever when you need the money now. Did the offset amount ever change or was it the same percentage every week?

same 25% every week until it was paid off. Never changed even when I got a small raise at my part time job

That's good to know. So the debt only affects unemployment payments, not regular wages if I find work?

Correct - unless the debt goes to collections, but Washington ESD usually prefers the offset method for unemployment-related debts

Wait they can send it to collections? I thought it just stayed with Washington ESD forever

That's encouraging to hear. Did you ever try to pay extra toward the debt to reduce the offset period?

Yeah I made a few extra payments when I could. Every dollar you pay extra reduces how long the offset lasts

That's exactly what I need - someone to actually explain the math instead of just saying 'it depends

Right? The regular customer service line agents seem to only know basic info. The ones you reach through Claimyr actually seem to understand the details

Glad it helped! I was worried about the same thing but it really wasn't as complicated as I thought

yeah Washington ESD gets a bad rap but the system actually works pretty logically once you understand it

Oh wow I didn't think about that. So you have to do both - the offset AND your regular payment plan?

Depends on your specific payment agreement but mine required me to keep making the minimum monthly payments regardless of the offset

This is correct - the offset and payment plan are separate arrangements. Always read your payment agreement carefully.

Yes, the offset doesn't change your eligibility duration. If you qualify for 26 weeks, you get 26 weeks regardless of the payment amount

Thanks! That makes me feel better about filing with an existing debt

Definitely file ASAP - there's a waiting week anyway so every day you delay just pushes back when you start receiving benefits

good point, going to do it this weekend when I have time to gather all my paperwork

Is there a cost for using Claimyr or is it free?

There's a fee but honestly worth it when you consider how many hours you'd spend on hold otherwise. Plus you actually get to talk to someone who knows what they're talking about

I might try this if I can't get through the regular way. The phone system is absolutely terrible

The offset only applies to actual benefit payments, not the waiting week since there's no payment during the waiting week anyway

Makes sense, thanks for clarifying

That's a huge time difference! I might need to look into this if I have issues with my claim

Yeah I wish I had known about it sooner. Would have saved me so much stress and wasted time

Glad the thread helped! Good luck with your claim - hopefully the process goes smoothly for you

Remember to report all income accurately this time around to avoid future overpayment issues

Definitely learned that lesson the hard way. Will be extra careful about reporting everything correctly