Do you get paid every week on unemployment - Washington ESD payment schedule?
I just got approved for unemployment benefits through Washington ESD and I'm confused about when I actually receive payments. Do you get paid every week on unemployment or is it different? I filed my first weekly claim on Sunday but haven't seen any money yet. My claim shows as processed but no payment date. How long does it usually take to get your first payment after filing weekly claims?
57 comments


Sophia Gabriel
Yes, Washington ESD pays weekly but there's usually a waiting period for your first payment. You need to file your weekly claim every week to keep getting benefits. The payments typically come 2-3 business days after you file your weekly claim, but your very first payment might take longer.
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Vince Eh
•Thanks! So I need to keep filing every week even if I haven't gotten my first payment yet?
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Sophia Gabriel
•Exactly! Keep filing your weekly claims every week or you'll lose benefits for those weeks.
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Tobias Lancaster
Washington ESD payments come weekly but only if you file your weekly claim. I get mine every Tuesday usually, but the first one took almost 2 weeks to show up in my account.
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Vince Eh
•That's actually reassuring to hear it took 2 weeks for your first one. I was starting to worry something was wrong.
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Ezra Beard
The weekly payment schedule depends on when you file your claim. Washington ESD processes payments Monday through Friday, so if you file on Sunday, you'll typically see payment by Tuesday or Wednesday. But your first payment often has additional processing time for verification.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•I've been waiting 3 weeks for my first payment even though I keep filing weekly claims. Is this normal?
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Ezra Beard
•3 weeks is getting long for a first payment. You might want to check if there's an adjudication issue or if they need additional documentation.
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Reginald Blackwell
I had the same issue with my first payment taking forever. Couldn't get through to Washington ESD on the phone no matter how many times I tried. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Got my payment issue sorted out within a few days.
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Aria Khan
•Never heard of Claimyr before. Did they charge you anything for helping you get through?
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Reginald Blackwell
•Yeah there's a fee but honestly it was worth it to finally talk to someone at Washington ESD instead of sitting on hold for hours.
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Vince Eh
•I might try this if my payment doesn't come through this week. Getting really stressed about bills.
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Everett Tutum
ugh this is so frustrating!! I've been filing weekly claims for a month and still no payments. Washington ESD system is a joke
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Sophia Gabriel
•A month with no payments definitely means there's an issue. Check your account for any pending issues or adjudication.
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Everett Tutum
•it just says pending but doesn't tell me what's wrong. I hate this system
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Sunny Wang
Weekly payments are the norm but Washington ESD can hold them up for various reasons. Common issues include job search verification, identity verification, or if they think you might have earned wages that weren't reported. Check your online account for any action items.
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Hugh Intensity
•What if your account doesn't show any action items but payments are still held up?
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Sunny Wang
•Sometimes the system doesn't show all pending issues clearly. That's when you really need to talk to an agent to find out what's happening.
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Effie Alexander
I get paid every Tuesday like clockwork but it took about 10 days for my first payment to show up. Once the system gets you in the regular cycle, it's pretty consistent.
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Melissa Lin
•Same here, Tuesdays are my payment day. But that first payment was nerve-wracking waiting for it.
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Lydia Santiago
The weekly payment thing is true but Washington ESD has so many glitches. I missed one weekly claim filing and it took 3 weeks to get back on track. Don't miss your weekly claims whatever you do!
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Romeo Quest
•What happens if you miss filing a weekly claim? Can you file it late?
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Lydia Santiago
•You can file late but you'll lose benefits for that week unless you have a good reason. They're pretty strict about it.
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Val Rossi
Been on unemployment for 6 months now and yes, you get paid weekly but only if you file your weekly claim every single week. Payments usually hit my account on Tuesdays but sometimes Wednesday if there's a holiday.
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Eve Freeman
•6 months? I thought unemployment only lasted for a certain number of weeks?
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Val Rossi
•Regular unemployment is 26 weeks in Washington. I'm getting close to the end of my benefits.
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Clarissa Flair
For anyone still having trouble reaching Washington ESD about payment delays, I used Claimyr recently and it actually worked. Found out my payments were held up because of a job search verification issue that wasn't showing up in my online account. Worth checking out if you're stuck.
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Caden Turner
•How long did it take them to get you through to an agent?
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Clarissa Flair
•They called me back within a few hours and had me connected to Washington ESD the same day. Much better than trying to call myself.
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McKenzie Shade
The payment schedule is weekly but there's always some delay. First payments take longer because they verify everything. After that it's pretty regular as long as you keep filing your weekly claims on time.
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Harmony Love
•What's considered 'on time' for weekly claims? I usually file mine on Sunday.
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McKenzie Shade
•Sunday is perfect. You can file Saturday through Friday but most people do Sunday so payments come Tuesday/Wednesday.
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Rudy Cenizo
Washington ESD payments are weekly but they can stop them for any reason without warning. I had mine stopped for 2 weeks because they thought I wasn't looking for work hard enough. Had to appeal and everything.
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Natalie Khan
•How did they determine you weren't looking for work hard enough? Were you not doing enough job searches?
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Rudy Cenizo
•They said my job search log wasn't detailed enough. Now I document everything extensively.
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Daryl Bright
Yes weekly payments but make sure your bank info is correct in the system. I had a typo in my routing number and it delayed my first payment by almost a month.
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Sienna Gomez
•How did you fix the bank info? Can you change it online?
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Daryl Bright
•You can update it online but it takes a few days to process. Better to double-check it before you file your first claim.
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
Weekly payments are the standard but Washington ESD's system is so slow. I've been getting mine on Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays lately. Not sure if that's normal or if there are processing delays.
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Abigail bergen
•Mine shifted to Wednesdays too. I think they're just processing more claims now so everything takes an extra day.
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Ahooker-Equator
The weekly payment thing is true but you have to stay on top of it. I almost lost 2 weeks of benefits because I forgot to file one weekly claim. Washington ESD doesn't remind you or anything.
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Anderson Prospero
•I set a reminder on my phone for every Sunday to file my weekly claim. Helps me remember.
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Ahooker-Equator
•That's smart. I should do that too.
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Tyrone Hill
Had major issues with my payments being delayed and couldn't get through to Washington ESD for weeks. Finally tried Claimyr and they got me connected to an agent who found the problem - my account was flagged for identity verification but it never showed up in my online account. Problem solved in one call.
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Toot-n-Mighty
•That's crazy that the identity verification issue didn't show up online. How are we supposed to know about these problems?
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Tyrone Hill
•Exactly! The system is terrible at showing what's actually wrong. Sometimes you just have to talk to a real person.
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Lena Kowalski
Weekly payments are standard but they can take up to 3 business days to hit your account after you file your weekly claim. First payments always take longer because they do additional verification. Just be patient and keep filing your claims every week.
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DeShawn Washington
•What if it's been more than 3 business days and still no payment?
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Lena Kowalski
•Then you probably have an issue that needs to be resolved. Check your account for pending issues or call Washington ESD.
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Mei-Ling Chen
Yeah it's weekly but Washington ESD can be really slow with processing. My first payment took 2 weeks and I was freaking out thinking I did something wrong. Turns out it was just normal processing time.
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Sofía Rodríguez
•2 weeks seems like a long time for normal processing. Did they explain why it took so long?
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Mei-Ling Chen
•They said it was because I was a new claimant and they had to verify my employment history. After that first payment everything was normal.
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Aiden O'Connor
The weekly payment schedule is consistent once you get in the system, but that first payment can be anxiety-inducing. Washington ESD doesn't communicate well about delays so you're left wondering if something's wrong.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•The lack of communication is the worst part. They should at least tell you if there's going to be a delay.
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Aiden O'Connor
•Agreed. A simple 'your payment is processing' message would help so much.
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Jamal Brown
Weekly payments but you have to file every single week even if you haven't gotten paid yet. I made the mistake of not filing one week because I hadn't gotten any money and lost benefits for that week. Don't make my mistake!
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Fatima Al-Rashid
•That's a good reminder. Keep filing even if payments are delayed.
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