Can you get unemployment after severance pay from Washington ESD?

You can actually file your unemployment claim right away with Washington ESD, even while receiving severance. The key is how you report it on your weekly claims. Severance is considered wages and needs to be reported, which will reduce your weekly benefit amount or potentially make you ineligible for that week depending on how much you received.

I went through this exact same thing last year! Filed my claim immediately after getting laid off even though I had 6 weeks severance. Washington ESD approved my claim but I wasn't eligible for benefits during the weeks I was getting severance because it put me over the earning limit.

The waiting period thing is a common misconception. Washington ESD wants you to file as soon as you're unemployed, regardless of severance. What matters is reporting all income accurately on your weekly claims. If your severance puts you over the weekly earning threshold, you just won't get benefits for those weeks, but your claim stays active.

Just went through the application process last week and it was actually pretty smooth once I found claimyr.com. I was having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about severance questions, but their service helped me connect with an actual agent who explained everything. There's even a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

this is so confusing... my severance is being paid out over 12 weeks but i was laid off 2 weeks ago. should i have filed already?? im worried i missed something important

The Washington ESD system is actually pretty good about handling severance situations. I work in HR and we deal with this all the time. The important thing is to file your initial claim right away, then be completely honest about severance payments on your weekly certifications. The system will automatically calculate if you're eligible for benefits that week.

I made the mistake of waiting until my severance ended to file and lost out on 2 weeks of benefits because of the waiting period. Even though I wasn't eligible during severance weeks, filing early would have gotten my claim processed and ready to go.

File immediately! I can't stress this enough. Even if severance makes you ineligible for several weeks, having your claim established means you'll start getting benefits as soon as you become eligible. The alternative is waiting weeks for processing after your severance ends.

Question about vacation payout - I got severance plus they paid out my unused vacation time. Do I need to report both separately or just the severance?

The Washington ESD website actually has a good FAQ about this under the 'reporting wages' section. It specifically mentions severance and how to report it. Worth checking out if you want the official guidance.

Been there! Got laid off with 10 weeks severance last year. Filed immediately and just reported the severance each week. Some weeks I got partial benefits, some weeks nothing, but having the claim active meant I started getting full benefits right when severance ended. No delays, no problems.

One thing to watch out for - if your severance includes health insurance continuation, that's NOT wages and doesn't need to be reported. Only the actual cash payments count as wages for Washington ESD purposes.

The key thing everyone's missing is that you need to be available for work to collect unemployment. If your severance comes with a non-compete or you're not actively job searching, that could affect your eligibility even after severance ends.

Just to add another data point - I received 12 weeks severance and filed immediately. Washington ESD processed my claim quickly and I was able to start benefits right when severance ended. No adjudication, no delays. Being proactive definitely paid off.

For anyone still reading this thread - the Washington ESD handbook is really clear about this. You should file immediately after job loss regardless of severance. The system is designed to handle these situations and will calculate your eligibility week by week based on what you report.