Does DoorDash affect Washington ESD unemployment benefits - confused about gig work reporting

So even if I only make like $50 in a week doing DoorDash, I have to report that?

Yes, any amount needs to be reported. Washington ESD has a partial benefit formula where they deduct a portion of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount.

Did you have any problems with Washington ESD when you were doing this? I'm worried they'll think I'm trying to hide income or something.

nah as long as you report it honestly youre fine. just make sure you keep track of your earnings

Thank you for the specific details! So if I make $100 doing DoorDash in a week, they'd reduce my benefits by $71.25 (75% of $95 after the $5 deduction)?

Exactly right. And remember to keep detailed records of your DoorDash earnings and expenses for tax purposes.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I discovered it recently when I was having the same problem getting through to Washington ESD. It's a service that helps you actually reach an agent by phone. Check out claimyr.com - they even have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

Never heard of that before. Does it actually work? I'm getting desperate trying to reach someone at Washington ESD.

Yeah it worked for me. I was able to speak with a Washington ESD agent within a couple days instead of trying to call for weeks.

The information is actually on their website under the 'Reporting Work and Earnings' section, but I agree it could be clearer about gig work specifically.

I looked there and it just talks about 'employment' - doesn't specifically mention DoorDash or gig apps.

This is terrible advice. Washington ESD can and does cross-reference income from various sources. Getting caught not reporting income can result in overpayment penalties and potential fraud charges.

Absolutely do NOT follow this advice. The consequences of not reporting income far outweigh any short-term benefit.

ok ok i was just saying, dont need to lecture me about it

You report gig work earnings in the self-employment section of your weekly claim, not as wages from an employer.

Perfect, that makes sense since DoorDash sends a 1099 not a W2.

That's reassuring to hear! Did you find that doing DoorDash interfered with your job search requirements at all?

Nah, I just made sure to still apply for jobs and do my job search activities. DoorDash was flexible enough that I could do it around interviews and stuff.

That's not correct. Gig work is considered self-employment, and you can still collect partial unemployment benefits as long as you report your earnings properly and they don't exceed your weekly benefit amount plus the earnings disregard.

Oh ok, I was confused about that. Thanks for clarifying!

Yikes, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. How did they find out he wasn't reporting?

I think they do some kind of income matching with tax records or something. Not really sure but they figured it out somehow.

That's a good way to think about it. I was worried they'd be upset if I started earning money, but you're right that they want people to work.

Exactly. The goal is to help you transition back to full employment, and gig work can be a stepping stone to that.

You report your total gross earnings from DoorDash, which includes base pay, tips, and any bonuses. Washington ESD doesn't need a breakdown of the different components.

Good to know, thanks! That makes it easier to track.

Yes, all gig work platforms follow the same reporting requirements - Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, Instacart, etc. Any income from these apps needs to be reported on your weekly claim.

Thanks for confirming that. I'll make sure to report my Uber Eats earnings.

Yes! That seems to be the consensus from everyone here. Just be upfront about all earnings and you should be fine.

Definitely. Better to be overly cautious than to risk getting in trouble later.

Good point! I hadn't even thought about the tax implications yet.

Yeah, I had to scramble to pay taxes on my gig work income. Set aside like 25-30% of what you earn to be safe.

The interface can be a bit clunky. If you're having technical issues with the weekly claim filing, you might need to contact Washington ESD for assistance.

I had similar problems and ended up using Claimyr to get through to someone at Washington ESD who walked me through the reporting process. Much easier than trying to figure it out on my own.

I'll check out Claimyr if I keep having issues. Thanks for the suggestion!

Message received loud and clear! Definitely going to report everything accurately.

Good! It's just not worth the risk of trying to hide income from Washington ESD.

Same here! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge.

Glad we could help. Remember to keep detailed records and when in doubt, contact Washington ESD for clarification.

Will do. Having that extra income while job searching will definitely help with bills.

That's a great point! I hadn't thought about the mental health benefits of staying busy.

Yeah, it definitely helped with the depression that can come with being unemployed. Plus the extra money was nice!

Absolutely! I plan to continue my job search activities while doing some deliveries on the side.

Perfect. As long as you're actively looking for full-time employment, the gig work is just supplemental income.

You're so welcome, Emily! I'm glad this discussion helped clarify things for you too. Instacart is a great option - I actually did that along with DoorDash when I was between jobs. The key thing I learned is to track everything in a simple spreadsheet with the date, platform, and total earnings for each day. Makes it much easier when you're filling out your weekly claims. And you're absolutely right about honesty being the best policy - the peace of mind is worth way more than trying to hide a few dollars. Good luck with the gig work and your job search!

That spreadsheet idea is brilliant! I was wondering how to keep track of everything efficiently. One question though - do you report the earnings for the week you actually worked or the week you got paid? I know someone mentioned this earlier but want to make sure I understand correctly since gig apps sometimes have delays in payment processing.

You report the earnings for the week you actually performed the work, not when you received payment. So if you did Instacart deliveries from Monday to Sunday, you report those earnings on your claim for that same week, even if the payment doesn't hit your account until the following Tuesday. Washington ESD is very clear about this - it's based on when the work was performed, not when payment is processed. This is especially important for gig work since there can be delays between completing deliveries and getting paid. Keep track of your daily earnings as you work rather than waiting for the payment to arrive!

This is such valuable insight, Joy! I love how you broke down the strategic approach to maximizing total income with the partial benefit system. Your point about still coming out ahead even after the 75% reduction is really encouraging. I'm curious - do you find it challenging to manage the reporting for multiple gig apps, or does your Google Sheets system make it pretty straightforward? I'm thinking about starting with just DoorDash but might branch out to other platforms if it goes well. Also, have you noticed any differences in how the different apps handle earnings reporting (like timing of payments or 1099s)? Thanks for sharing such detailed real-world experience!

The Google Sheets system actually makes it super easy! I have columns for Date, Platform, Hours Worked, Gross Earnings, and then a weekly total that I use for my ESD claim. The hardest part was just getting into the habit of logging everything immediately after each shift. As for the different apps - DoorDash and Uber Eats pay pretty quickly (usually next day), while Grubhub can take 2-3 days. But since you report based on when you worked (not when paid), the payment timing doesn't really matter for ESD reporting. All three send 1099s at tax time if you earn over $600. One tip: start with just one app to get comfortable with the reporting process, then add others once you have a good system down. The income potential definitely increases when you can cherry-pick the best orders across multiple platforms!