Do they take child support from unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

I'm current on my payments though. Does that make a difference?

If you're current and there's no garnishment order, you should receive the full amount. But check with DSHS child support division to be sure.

Wow that's a big chunk. Did you try to contest it or anything?

Yeah I tried calling Washington ESD but couldn't get through. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected.

I had the same problem reaching Washington ESD by phone. Found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to an agent in like 10 minutes. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Might be worth trying if you need to sort this out quickly.

So Washington ESD just follows whatever DCS tells them to do?

Exactly. ESD has to comply with garnishment orders just like any employer would.

Unfortunately no, unemployment benefits can be garnished for certain debts including child support, taxes, and court-ordered restitution.

well that sucks. guess nothing is safe from garnishment these days

Good idea, I'll check both accounts. Do you know if the garnishment shows up before the first payment or only after?

In my experience it showed up after the first payment was processed. They don't always notify you in advance.

I feel you on this. The stress of not knowing exactly what you'll get is terrible when you're already dealing with being unemployed.

Try that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier. I used it last week to get through to an actual Washington ESD person who could tell me exactly what was being deducted and why.

50-60%?! That would leave me with almost nothing to live on.

That's the federal maximum but every state handles it differently. Washington might have different rules for unemployment benefits specifically.

For unemployment benefits in Washington, they typically can't take more than 50% and they have to leave you with at least some minimum amount to live on.

Did you get any advance notice or did it just start happening?

I got a notice from DCS about 2 weeks before my first UI payment, but it was kind of buried in a bunch of other paperwork I wasn't paying attention to.

That's a great point. I should probably call them proactively instead of waiting to see what happens.

Exactly. Being proactive can save you a lot of headaches later.

Unemployment benefits are taxable income, so if you're having taxes withheld, the child support usually comes out of your gross benefit amount before taxes.

Thanks, that helps with my budgeting calculations.

Right? And good luck getting anyone on the phone to explain any of it clearly.

That's why I ended up using Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual person who can look at your specific case.

Fortunately I don't have any back support, but that's scary for people who do.

Yeah it can really hurt when you're already struggling financially from losing your job.

Good point, I should dig out those papers and review them.

That would be confusing if the amount suddenly changed without warning.

Yeah that's exactly what happened to me. First payment was full amount, then they started taking money.

Thanks for the encouragement. I guess I just need to get the facts and adjust my budget from there.

You'd need to dispute it through the Division of Child Support, not Washington ESD. ESD just follows whatever DCS tells them to do.

Makes sense. I figured ESD was just the middleman in this situation.

You're right. Better to face reality than get surprised by a smaller deposit than expected.

Good tip! I'll definitely remember that for when I find another job.

Yeah the system doesn't always communicate between agencies as well as it should.

That's the smart approach. Getting the facts upfront will save you stress later.

Definitely try Claimyr if you can't get through to Washington ESD the normal way. Made a huge difference for me in getting actual answers instead of just waiting on hold forever.