Do you have to claim Washington ESD unemployment benefits on taxes?

Thanks! I haven't gotten any 1099-G form yet though. When are those supposed to come out?

They should have been mailed by the end of January. You can also access it online through your SecureAccess Washington account if you haven't received the paper copy.

I know it seems unfair, but unemployment benefits are considered a replacement for wages, so they're taxed the same way regular income would be. You can actually elect to have taxes withheld when you file your weekly claims to avoid owing a big amount at tax time.

wish someone had told me that earlier, now i probably owe a bunch

Good to know! I'll check my online account right now. Did you owe a lot when you filed?

I ended up owing about $600 because I didn't have any taxes withheld. Next time I'll definitely opt for the withholding option when filing weekly claims.

How much does something like that cost? Seems expensive for just getting a tax form.

It was totally worth it for me. The regular phone system was impossible and I needed that form to file my taxes on time. Much better than spending hours trying to call myself.

interesting, never heard of that before but sounds useful for dealing with ESD phone issues

What's the withholding rate if you choose to have taxes taken out?

Washington ESD withholds 10% for federal taxes if you elect that option when filing your weekly claims. You can start or stop the withholding at any time.

Yes, the full amount is taxable income. But remember you'll get standard deductions and possibly other deductions that reduce your taxable income. It's not like you'll pay taxes on the full $12,000.

ok that makes me feel a little better i guess, still sucks though

Thanks for this! I was having issues logging in and clearing my cache fixed it.

Yes, you need to report both. The W-2 for your part-time work and the 1099-G for unemployment benefits. They're separate income sources and both are taxable.

Got it, thanks. This tax stuff is so confusing when you have multiple income sources.

You report it for the year you actually received the payments. So if you got payments in both 2024 and January 2025, you'll get separate 1099-G forms for each year.

That makes sense. So I'll need to wait for the 2025 form next year for that January payment.

Definitely recommend it. I was in the same boat trying to reach someone about my 1099-G. Claimyr got me through to an actual ESD representative within a reasonable time instead of the endless busy signals.

I've heard good things about services like that for dealing with government phone systems. The regular ESD number is basically useless.

Good point! I forgot to update my address and had to track down my tax form at my old apartment.

What's that number? I've only been calling the main ESD line.

It's on the Washington ESD website under tax information. Look for the 1099-G section and they list a specific number for tax document questions.

If your tax situation is relatively simple (just unemployment income and maybe a W-2), you can probably handle it yourself with free tax software. The 1099-G makes it pretty straightforward to report.

That's reassuring. I was worried it would be super complicated but it sounds manageable.

This is important! A lot of people don't realize they might qualify for additional credits even when receiving unemployment.

How long did it take them to get you connected?

Much faster than I expected. Instead of spending hours redialing busy signals, I got through to an actual person who could help with my tax questions.