Can you get unemployment while working part-time in Washington?

Yes, you can absolutely collect partial unemployment benefits while working part-time in Washington! This is called 'partial unemployment' and it's designed exactly for situations like yours. You just need to report your part-time earnings when you file your weekly claims. Washington ESD will reduce your benefit amount based on how much you earn, but you'll still get some benefits as long as you're earning less than your full weekly benefit amount plus $5.

This is one of those things Washington ESD doesn't explain very well on their website. I was in a similar situation last year - lost my main job but kept doing some freelance work. You definitely qualify for partial benefits. Just make sure you report ALL your earnings, even small amounts. They cross-reference with employers so any unreported income will cause problems later.

I struggled with this exact question for weeks before I found Claimyr. Couldn't get through to Washington ESD on the phone to ask about partial unemployment rules. Claimyr helped me get connected to an actual agent who explained everything clearly. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really saved me a lot of stress trying to figure this out on my own.

The partial unemployment thing is great but be prepared for the job search requirements. You still need to do your job searches every week even if you're working part-time. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week. Don't forget to log them in your WorkSourceWA account!

Been doing partial unemployment for 3 months now. Works pretty well once you get the hang of it. Just be super careful about reporting your hours and earnings correctly each week. I made a mistake once and reported my gross instead of net earnings - caused a whole mess with overpayment notices.

The whole system is set up to confuse people. I swear Washington ESD makes this stuff complicated on purpose. Why can't they just have clear answers on their website instead of making everyone call or figure it out through trial and error?

I tried calling Washington ESD about this exact question last week and gave up after being on hold for 2 hours. Ended up just filing my claim and hoping for the best. Probably not the smartest approach but what else can you do when you can't reach anyone?

One thing to watch out for - if your part-time earnings get too high, you might not qualify for any benefits that week. There's a threshold where if you earn more than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you get zero. But you can still file your weekly claim to keep your claim active.

Does anyone know if tips count as earnings? I work at a restaurant part-time and get tips that vary week to week. Do I need to estimate those or what?

I've been on partial unemployment for 6 weeks now. The process is pretty smooth once you understand it. Just make sure you're available for full-time work and actively job searching. Washington ESD can audit your job search activities so keep good records.

Pro tip: keep detailed records of everything. Your work hours, earnings, job search activities, everything. Washington ESD can request documentation at any time and you don't want to be scrambling to find records from weeks ago.

The partial unemployment thing is actually pretty helpful. It encourages people to take part-time work instead of just sitting around waiting for full-time jobs. Better than some other states that make it harder to work while collecting benefits.

Been there! Filed my first partial claim last month. The hardest part was figuring out the WorkSourceWA job search logging system. Make sure you create an account there and log your searches properly. Washington ESD checks that system.

Quick question - if I get called in for extra shifts at my part-time job, can I turn them down to stay eligible for benefits? Or do I have to accept all available work?

I used Claimyr a few months ago when I had questions about partial benefits and working. Really helpful to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD who knew what they were talking about. The website info is so vague compared to getting real answers from an agent.

One more thing to remember - your benefit year is still limited to 26 weeks total, even if you're doing partial unemployment. So if you're working part-time for several months while collecting, those weeks still count toward your total entitlement.

The system actually works pretty well for encouraging people to take whatever work they can find while still looking for something better. Just wish Washington ESD made the rules clearer upfront instead of people having to figure it out through forums like this.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I'm definitely going to file my claim and report my part-time earnings. Sounds like as long as I'm honest about everything and keep looking for full-time work, I should be fine.