Do churches pay unemployment tax in Washington ESD system?

So there's no way for me to get benefits from that job? That's really frustrating since I worked there for over a year.

Unfortunately not from that specific employment. However, if you had other covered employment in the base period, you might still qualify based on those wages.

It depends on whether your specific church elected to participate in the unemployment insurance program. You'd need to check with Washington ESD or ask your employer directly.

ugh this is so confusing. why don't they have to pay like everyone else?

Yeah I've been trying to call for days and either get a busy signal or get hung up on after waiting forever.

I had the same phone problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an actual person. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works. Saved me hours of frustration.

I mean, I get the frustration, but it's been this way for decades. It's written into the law because of separation of church and state issues.

Separation of church and state should mean they don't get special privileges either. If they're going to operate like businesses they should follow the same rules.

Some churches do choose to participate voluntarily. Mine did when I worked there as a bookkeeper.

I did have a retail job before the church but that was almost 2 years ago. Would that still count?

It depends on exactly when you worked there and when you filed your claim. Washington ESD has specific rules about the base period. You should definitely mention all your employment history when you talk to them.

You can ask your employer, or you can check with Washington ESD. They should be able to tell you if your employer is in their system.

If you need to talk to Washington ESD about this, seriously consider using Claimyr. I wasted so much time trying to get through on my own before I discovered that service.

That's nice that some churches do that voluntarily. Mine definitely didn't and I'm paying the price now.

Yeah it's unfortunate. You might want to ask them about it directly - sometimes smaller churches just don't know they have the option.

Good point. I guess I was just thinking about churches because that's where I worked.

That's a more complex situation that depends on how the organization is structured and whether they've elected coverage. You'd need to check with Washington ESD specifically about your employer.

Great, another thing to worry about. Why can't they just make this stuff simple?

Did anything come of that? I'm thinking about doing the same thing.

they told her they would 'consider it for the future' but nothing changed. at least she tried though

I didn't know about the alternate base period thing. How do I ask about that?

When you talk to Washington ESD, just ask them to check both the regular and alternate base periods to see if you qualify under either one.

Workers comp is separate from unemployment insurance. Religious organizations still generally have to carry workers compensation coverage for their employees.

ok good to know. the whole thing is confusing with all these different programs

That's what I'm hoping for. Did you end up qualifying based on other work?

Actually yes, I had some temp work from a few years earlier that I totally forgot about. The Washington ESD system found it when they did the wage search.

I keep hearing about this Claimyr thing. Does it actually work?

Worked for me. Got connected within an hour when I'd been trying on my own for weeks. They have a demo video that explains it all.

You're absolutely right. I never thought to ask about it when I started working there.

Same here. Most people assume all employers pay into unemployment but that's not always true.

Thanks, that does make me feel a bit better. I'm going to keep pursuing this and see what they find.

They're not required to specifically tell you, but you'd see unemployment taxes being deducted from your paychecks if they're participating in the system.

Ah okay, that makes sense. I should probably check my old pay stubs then.

Exactly! It's a huge loophole that screws over workers.

I get the frustration but it's been established law for decades. First Amendment protections and all that.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to file and see what happens. Worst case scenario they just deny it, but at least I'll know for sure.

That's the right attitude. You've got nothing to lose by trying.