Do you have to pay back unemployment benefits from Washington ESD?
I'm getting conflicting information about whether I need to pay back my unemployment benefits. I received regular UI from Washington ESD for about 6 months last year after my company downsized. Now I'm hearing from some people that you always have to pay it back eventually, like a loan, but others say it's not something you repay unless there was an overpayment. Can someone clarify this? I'm worried I'm supposed to be setting money aside for repayment but nobody ever told me that when I was approved.
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Lia Quinn
No, regular unemployment benefits from Washington ESD are not loans that you have to pay back. These are benefits you earned through your previous employment when you and your employer paid into the unemployment insurance system. You only have to pay money back if Washington ESD determines there was an overpayment due to fraud, unreported income, or some other eligibility issue.
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Jackie Martinez
•That's such a relief! I was really starting to panic about having to come up with thousands of dollars. So as long as I reported everything correctly, I'm good?
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Lia Quinn
•Exactly. If you were honest about your job search efforts and reported any work income during your weekly claims, you shouldn't have any issues. The confusion might come from people who had to pay back pandemic benefits like PUA if they weren't actually eligible.
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Haley Stokes
Yeah unemployment isn't a loan, whoever told you that was wrong. I've collected UI twice in the past 10 years and never had to pay anything back. Just make sure you kept records of your job search activities in case they ever audit you.
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Asher Levin
•What kind of records should we keep? I just realized I didn't save much documentation from when I was on benefits last year.
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Haley Stokes
•Job applications, interview confirmations, networking contacts - basically anything that proves you were actively looking for work. Washington ESD can ask for this stuff even years later if they do a random audit.
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Serene Snow
The only time you'd have to pay back unemployment is if there was an overpayment. This happens when Washington ESD finds out you worked during a week you claimed benefits but didn't report it, or if you weren't actually eligible for some reason. They'll send you an official notice if this happens - it's not something you'd have to guess about.
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Issac Nightingale
•This happened to my neighbor - she forgot to report some part-time work and had to pay back like $1,200. But that was her mistake, not just normal repayment.
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Serene Snow
•Exactly. And even then, Washington ESD usually offers payment plans if you can't pay the overpayment back all at once. It's not like they expect a lump sum immediately.
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Romeo Barrett
If you're worried about reaching Washington ESD to double-check your account status, I had good luck with Claimyr recently. It's a service that helps you get through to an actual agent - saved me hours of trying to call. Check out claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Jackie Martinez
•How much does something like that cost? I'm still trying to get back on my feet financially.
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Romeo Barrett
•It's worth checking their site for current info, but for me it was worth it just to get peace of mind about my claim status without spending my whole day redialing.
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Marina Hendrix
ugh this is exactly why the whole system is so confusing! they should make this stuff clearer when you first apply. i spent months worried about the same thing
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Justin Trejo
•Right?? Like why isn't there just a simple FAQ that explains whether benefits are loans or not. Would save everyone so much stress.
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Lia Quinn
•There actually is information on the Washington ESD website about this, but I agree it could be more prominent. The confusion often comes from mixing up regular UI with other types of assistance.
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Asher Levin
I think some of the confusion comes from people who had issues with pandemic benefits. Those were different rules and some people did have to pay things back if they weren't eligible. But regular state unemployment that you earned through work? No, that's yours.
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Jackie Martinez
•Oh that makes sense! I wasn't on any pandemic benefits, just regular unemployment after my layoff. Good to know those had different rules.
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Issac Nightingale
•Yeah PUA and some of those other programs had tons of people who had to pay money back when they found out they weren't actually eligible. Created a lot of confusion about how regular UI works.
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Haley Stokes
Another thing to remember is that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You don't have to 'pay them back' but you might owe taxes on them when you file your return. Washington ESD should have sent you a 1099-G form.
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Jackie Martinez
•Oh right, I did get that tax form. So I need to claim the benefits as income but I don't owe the money back to Washington ESD itself?
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Haley Stokes
•Correct! You report it to the IRS/state tax agency as income, but you don't owe Washington ESD anything back (unless there was an overpayment for other reasons).
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Serene Snow
Just to be crystal clear for anyone reading this: Regular Washington ESD unemployment benefits are NOT loans. You earned these benefits through your work history and the taxes you and your employer paid into the system. The only scenarios where you'd owe money back are fraud, unreported income during your claim period, or other overpayment situations that Washington ESD would notify you about officially.
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Marina Hendrix
•thank you for spelling this out so clearly! i'm saving this comment for future reference
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Alana Willis
•This should be pinned somewhere. So many people stress about this unnecessarily.
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Tyler Murphy
I was in a similar situation last year and used one of those callback services to reach Washington ESD directly. Worth every penny to talk to an actual person who could confirm my account was in good standing. Much better than wondering and worrying.
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Jackie Martinez
•Which service did you use? I might want to call just to make sure everything looks right on my account.
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Tyler Murphy
•I used Claimyr - they got me connected within like 20 minutes instead of me spending all day redialing. Really straightforward process.
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Sara Unger
My brother had to pay back some unemployment but that was because he was working under the table while collecting benefits. If you followed all the rules and reported everything honestly, you're fine. The system isn't designed to trick people into owing money later.
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Butch Sledgehammer
•Exactly! It's not like a surprise gotcha situation. If there's an issue, Washington ESD will contact you with official paperwork explaining exactly what happened and what you owe.
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Jackie Martinez
•That's reassuring. I definitely reported everything and did my job searches properly, so I should be good.
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Issac Nightingale
People also get confused because some other types of assistance (like certain grants or advances) do have to be paid back. But unemployment insurance is exactly that - insurance that you paid into while working. It's your benefit, not a loan.
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Freya Ross
•This is a really good point. There are so many different programs and they all have different rules. No wonder people get mixed up.
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Lia Quinn
•Right, and even within unemployment there are different types - regular UI, extended benefits, standby status, etc. But none of the legitimate Washington ESD programs are loans that require repayment.
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Leslie Parker
If you're really worried, you could always call Washington ESD to confirm your account status. Though good luck getting through - I tried for three days straight last month before giving up.
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Romeo Barrett
•That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. The regular phone lines are just impossible. At least with their service you know you'll actually talk to someone.
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Leslie Parker
•Might have to look into that. I hate paying for something that should be free, but if it actually works...
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Romeo Barrett
•I thought the same thing but honestly my time is worth something too. And the peace of mind was worth it.
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Justin Trejo
wait so if i got unemployment 2 years ago i don't need to worry about paying it back now?? someone at work told me the state comes after you for it eventually
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Lia Quinn
•No, that person gave you wrong information. If there were no issues with your claim at the time, you're not going to suddenly owe money back years later. Your coworker might be thinking of tax debts or some other type of assistance.
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Justin Trejo
•omg thank you!! i've been low key stressed about this for months
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Sergio Neal
The key thing is keeping good records in case there's ever a question. I keep all my job search logs and correspondence with Washington ESD just in case. Better safe than sorry, but no, regular UI benefits are not something you pay back under normal circumstances.
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Jackie Martinez
•How long should we keep those records? Like is there a statute of limitations or something?
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Sergio Neal
•I keep mine for at least 3 years to be safe. That covers most audit periods. But honestly, if you followed the rules during your claim, audits are pretty rare.
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Savanna Franklin
Just adding my voice to confirm - unemployment benefits are NOT loans. I've been through this system multiple times over the years and have never had to pay anything back. The people telling you otherwise are misinformed or thinking of completely different programs.
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Jackie Martinez
•Thank you everyone! This thread has been so helpful. I feel much better now knowing I don't have some hidden debt hanging over my head.
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Juan Moreno
•Glad we could help clear this up! Misinformation about unemployment benefits causes so much unnecessary stress.
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Amy Fleming
The confusion might also come from people who've dealt with other government assistance that does have repayment requirements. But unemployment insurance is fundamentally different - you and your employer paid premiums for this coverage through payroll taxes.
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Alice Pierce
•This is such an important distinction that more people need to understand. UI is insurance you paid for, not welfare or a loan.
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Lia Quinn
•Exactly. It's literally called unemployment INSURANCE for a reason. You're collecting on a policy you paid into.
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Esteban Tate
Bottom line: if Washington ESD approved your benefits and you followed all the rules (reported income, did job searches, etc.), those benefits are yours to keep. The only exception would be if they later discovered fraud or unreported income, and they'd notify you officially if that happened.
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Jackie Martinez
•Perfect summary! I'm definitely saving this thread for future reference. Thanks everyone for taking the time to explain this clearly.
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•Same here! This should be required reading for anyone who's ever worried about this issue.
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