Do holidays affect Washington ESD unemployment direct deposit timing?

Yes, federal holidays can delay your Washington ESD direct deposit by 1-2 business days. Banks don't process ACH transfers on federal holidays, so if your normal deposit day falls on a holiday, it usually comes the next business day.

So I should expect it Tuesday instead of Monday then? That's not too bad I guess.

sometimes it takes longer depending on your bank too, mine always seems to be a day behind everyone else's

The Washington ESD processes payments on their normal schedule, but the banking system is what gets delayed. Your payment shows as 'paid' in your account on the regular day, but the actual deposit depends on your bank's processing schedule around holidays.

That makes sense. So I can check my ESD account to see if it shows as paid even if I don't see it in my bank account yet?

Exactly. Log into your Washington ESD account and check your payment history. If it shows 'Paid' with yesterday's date, then it's just a banking delay.

I've been dealing with this for months and holidays always mess up my timing. What's really frustrating is when you can't get through to Washington ESD to ask about delays because their phone lines are even more jammed up after holiday weekends.

Have you tried Claimyr? I found it at claimyr.com and it actually got me through to a Washington ESD agent when I couldn't get through myself. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Never heard of that, how does it work exactly?

It basically keeps calling Washington ESD for you and connects you when an agent picks up. Saved me hours of redialing.

HOLIDAYS ALWAYS SCREW UP EVERYTHING WITH WASHINGTON ESD!!! I missed paying my rent last month because of some random federal holiday I didn't even know about. They should warn people about this stuff.

I understand the frustration, but this is pretty standard with all government payments and banking. It's not specific to Washington ESD.

well they could at least send an email or something when there's going to be delays

my credit union actually posts unemployment deposits a day early sometimes, maybe try switching banks if yours is always slow?

Which credit union do you use? My bank is always the last to post anything.

BECU, they're pretty good with electronic deposits

For future reference, here's the general rule: if your normal deposit day falls on a federal holiday, expect it the next business day. If the holiday is on a Friday, you might not see it until Tuesday. Washington ESD can't control banking processing times.

This is really helpful, I wish they put this information somewhere obvious on the website.

They do mention it in the payment FAQ section, but it's buried pretty deep in their site.

Update: Just checked my Washington ESD account and it shows 'Paid' for yesterday, so it's definitely just a banking delay like you all said. Thanks for the help!

Glad you got that figured out! Should hit your bank account tomorrow morning.

good to know the system is working normally at least

Actually tried that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier. Got through to Washington ESD in about 20 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hours of calling. Pretty impressed honestly.

Told you it works! I've used it a few times now when I need to talk to someone about my claim status.

Is it expensive to use?

Way cheaper than taking time off work to sit on hold all day, that's for sure.

Pro tip: if you're worried about holiday delays, file your weekly claim as early in the week as possible. Gives you more buffer time if there are processing delays.

That's smart, I usually wait until Sunday night to file mine.

Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way. Now I file every Tuesday morning right after the new week opens up.

Does this affect the Washington ESD debit card too or just direct deposit?

The debit card (KeyBank) can have similar delays since it's still processed through the banking system. Direct deposit is usually faster though.

Good to know, I was thinking about switching to the card but maybe I'll stick with direct deposit.

This reminds me of when I had to call Washington ESD about a payment that was 5 days late after Thanksgiving. Turned out there was an issue with my claim that nobody told me about. Sometimes it's not just holiday delays.

How did you find out there was an issue? Did they send you a notice?

No notice at all, I only found out when I finally got through on the phone. That's why I always check my account online first before assuming it's just a holiday delay.

This is exactly why services like Claimyr are useful - getting through to actually talk to someone when you need answers.

thanksgiving week was the worst, had like a 4 day delay because of the long weekend

Christmas week can be even worse if you're not prepared for it. Plan ahead for those longer holiday weekends.

I keep a little calendar with all the federal holidays marked so I know when to expect delays. Helps with budgeting around those weeks.

That's actually really smart, I should do that too.

Same here, I use my phone calendar and set reminders a week before each holiday.

still think washington esd should send automatic emails about holiday delays but whatever

You can sign up for text alerts on their website that sometimes include information about processing delays.

Final update: Money hit my account this morning (Tuesday) just like everyone predicted. Thanks again for all the helpful info, especially about Claimyr for future reference!

Perfect! Glad it worked out and you know what to expect next time.

Bookmark this thread for future holiday weeks lol