Does Uber driving affect Washington ESD unemployment benefits?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now and things are getting tight financially. I'm thinking about doing some Uber driving on weekends to make extra money while I look for full-time work. Does anyone know if this will mess up my Washington ESD claim? I don't want to lose my benefits but I really need the extra income right now. Do I have to report gig work like Uber when I file my weekly claims?
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CyberNinja
Yes, you absolutely have to report ALL income when you file your weekly claims, including Uber earnings. Washington ESD considers this self-employment income and it will affect your benefit amount. The good news is they don't automatically disqualify you - they just reduce your weekly benefit based on how much you earn.
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Nia Johnson
•Thanks for the info! Do you know what the threshold is? Like if I only make $50 in a week will that completely wipe out my benefits?
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CyberNinja
•No, $50 won't wipe you out completely. Washington ESD has a partial benefit formula - they reduce your weekly benefit dollar for dollar after you earn more than your weekly benefit amount divided by 4. So if your weekly benefit is $400, you can earn up to $100 before any reduction kicks in.
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Mateo Lopez
I tried calling Washington ESD last month to ask about this exact same thing and could never get through. Spent literally hours on hold just to get disconnected. The phone system is absolutely terrible.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Have you tried using Claimyr? I found out about it from someone on here and it actually got me through to a real person at Washington ESD. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much time and frustration.
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Ethan Davis
wait so if I do doordash and uber eats I have to report that too?? I thought gig work didn't count as regular employment
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CyberNinja
•ALL income counts when you're on unemployment. Doesn't matter if it's W-2 employment, 1099 contractor work, gig work, selling stuff online - Washington ESD wants to know about every penny you earn.
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Yuki Tanaka
•This is exactly why I stopped doing Instacart when I was on unemployment. Too much hassle trying to track everything and report it correctly.
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Carmen Ortiz
I've been driving for Uber while on unemployment for 3 months now. You have to report it as self-employment income on your weekly claim. Keep detailed records of your gross earnings because that's what Washington ESD cares about, not what you get after Uber's fees. Also make sure you're still meeting the work search requirements - just driving Uber doesn't count as job searching.
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Nia Johnson
•Good point about the work search requirements! I've been applying to jobs but haven't found anything yet. How many work search activities do we need to do each week?
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Carmen Ortiz
•You need to complete at least 3 work search activities per week and log them in your WorkSourceWA account. Job applications count, but so do things like attending job fairs, networking events, or career workshops.
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MidnightRider
THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST US! They want us to report every dollar but then they cut our benefits. Meanwhile people are gaming the system left and right and nothing happens to them. I'm so tired of jumping through hoops for Washington ESD.
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Mateo Lopez
•I feel you on the frustration but honestly the rules are pretty clear about reporting income. It's not like they're trying to trick us.
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MidnightRider
•Clear?? Have you tried reading their website? Half the information is outdated and the other half contradicts itself. I've gotten three different answers from three different Washington ESD reps about the same question.
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Andre Laurent
Just be honest and report everything. I know someone who didn't report their Uber income and Washington ESD found out later during an audit. They had to pay back months of benefits plus penalties. Not worth the risk.
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Nia Johnson
•How did they find out? Do they cross-reference with tax records or something?
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Andre Laurent
•I'm not sure exactly how they found out but Washington ESD does have ways to verify income. They can cross-check with other agencies and databases. Better to be upfront from the beginning.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
I started doing Uber Eats last week and made $180. When I reported it on my weekly claim, my benefits got reduced by like $120. So I basically worked for $60 after losing benefits. Feels like I'm being punished for trying to work.
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CyberNinja
•That sounds wrong. If you made $180 and your benefits were reduced by $120, that suggests your weekly benefit amount is around $160. With partial benefits, you should only lose benefits dollar-for-dollar after earning more than $40 (which is $160 divided by 4). You might want to double-check your calculation or contact Washington ESD.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•My weekly benefit is $164 so that math sounds about right. I guess I earned way more than the $41 threshold. Still feels unfair though.
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Jamal Washington
Pro tip: if you're going to do gig work, try to keep your weekly earnings below 25% of your weekly benefit amount. That way you won't lose any benefits and you'll still have some extra income. Takes discipline but it's doable.
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Nia Johnson
•That's smart! So if my weekly benefit is $350, I could earn up to about $87 per week without any reduction?
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Jamal Washington
•Exactly! $350 divided by 4 is $87.50. Stay under that and you keep your full benefits plus the extra income.
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Mei Wong
Does anyone know if the mileage deduction affects how much we have to report? Like if I drive 100 miles for Uber and can deduct 65 cents per mile, do I report gross earnings minus mileage?
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CyberNinja
•No, Washington ESD wants gross earnings before any deductions. The mileage deduction is for tax purposes, not for unemployment reporting. You report what Uber shows as your total earnings before their fees.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•This is confusing. I've been reporting my net earnings after Uber's service fee. Am I doing it wrong?
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PixelWarrior
I had to call Washington ESD about this same question last month and finally got through using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. The rep confirmed that you report gross earnings and that all gig work counts as self-employment income. Super helpful to actually talk to a real person instead of guessing.
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Nia Johnson
•How long did it take to get through with Claimyr? I might try that if I have more questions.
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PixelWarrior
•It took about 2 hours for them to get me a callback, which is way better than the 4+ hours I was spending on hold before. Definitely worth checking out if you need to talk to Washington ESD about anything.
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Amara Adebayo
make sure you keep track of your expenses too even if you cant deduct them from unemployment reporting. youll need them for taxes next year and uber drivers can deduct a lot of stuff
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Giovanni Rossi
•Good point! Gas, car maintenance, phone bills, even car washes can be deductible for tax purposes. Just not for unemployment reporting.
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Fatima Al-Mansour
I did Lyft for a few weeks and it was more trouble than it was worth. Between reporting the income, tracking expenses, and dealing with wear and tear on my car, I barely broke even. Ended up stopping and focusing on my job search instead.
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Nia Johnson
•That's a good perspective. I'm worried about the wear and tear on my car too. Maybe it's better to just focus on finding a permanent job.
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Dylan Evans
•It really depends on your situation. If you have a newer car and live in a busy area, gig work can be decent supplemental income. But if you're driving an older car in a slow market, probably not worth it.
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Sofia Gomez
The key thing is to be consistent with your reporting. I know people who got in trouble because they reported income some weeks but not others. Washington ESD notices patterns and inconsistencies.
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StormChaser
•Absolutely true. My cousin got flagged for an audit because his reported income was all over the place. Turned out he was just being inconsistent with what he reported, not trying to cheat, but it caused months of headaches.
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Dmitry Petrov
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Sounds like I need to be really careful about tracking and reporting everything. Better to be safe than sorry with Washington ESD.
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CyberNinja
•Smart approach! Just remember to report gross earnings, keep detailed records, and don't let the gig work interfere with your job search requirements. Good luck!
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Ava Williams
•And if you do need to talk to Washington ESD about anything, definitely try that Claimyr service. So much easier than sitting on hold for hours.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
I was in a similar situation a few months ago and ended up doing DoorDash on weekends. Here's what I learned: 1) You absolutely must report ALL earnings as gross income before any fees or deductions, 2) Keep a spreadsheet with dates, hours worked, and earnings for each week - it makes reporting so much easier, 3) The partial benefit formula actually isn't too bad if you stay strategic about your hours. I found that working Friday and Saturday nights for about 4-5 hours each gave me around $80-90 per week, which kept me under my benefit threshold. Just make sure you're still doing your required job search activities - gig work doesn't count toward those requirements. The extra income really helped with groceries and gas money while I was looking for full-time work.
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