Does Washington ESD contact your new employer when you find work?

You need to report your work immediately when you file your weekly claim. Washington ESD doesn't automatically contact employers unless there's a reason to verify something suspicious. As long as you're honest about your hours and wages, you should be fine.

Washington ESD typically only contacts employers during the initial claim filing process to verify your separation reason, or if there are discrepancies in reported wages. When you return to work, they rely on your weekly claim reporting. Just make sure you accurately report all hours worked and gross wages earned.

I had a similar worry when I started my new job last month. Never heard anything about Washington ESD contacting my employer. The key is just being accurate with your weekly reporting. If you work part-time while collecting, they might eventually do a wage audit, but that's different from contacting your employer about you specifically.

Actually had trouble reaching Washington ESD when I had questions about this exact situation. Kept getting busy signals and hung up on. Finally used claimyr.com to get through to an actual agent who explained the whole process. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made it so much easier to get answers about reporting work while on unemployment.

Washington ESD is swamped and they're not wasting time calling employers unless they have to. Your new boss won't even know you were on unemployment unless you tell them. Just keep filing your weekly claims accurately until your benefits end.

wait do i need to tell my employer i was on unemployment?? starting a new job next week and didn't even think about this

The only time I've heard of Washington ESD contacting an employer about someone returning to work is if there's suspected fraud - like if someone reports they're not working but the employer reports they're paying wages to that person. Otherwise they leave employers alone.

I've been on unemployment twice in the past 5 years and neither time did Washington ESD contact my new employers. They have bigger fish to fry than people who are honestly reporting their return to work.

Just make sure you understand the partial unemployment rules if you're working part-time. You can still collect some benefits if you're working reduced hours, but you have to report everything accurately.

The whole Washington ESD system is set up to catch people who aren't reporting work, not to verify every single person who returns to work honestly. You're overthinking this.

THEY DEFINITELY DO CONTACT EMPLOYERS! My friend's boss got a call from Washington ESD asking about her work schedule. Don't listen to these people saying they don't.

I work in HR and we occasionally get calls from Washington ESD, but it's usually about claim eligibility or separation reasons, not about people returning to work. The state relies on claimants to self-report their work status.

For what it's worth, when I used that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier, the Washington ESD agent I talked to confirmed that they don't routinely contact new employers. They focus their resources on fraud prevention and initial claim verification.

been collecting unemployment for 6 months and just got hired somewhere. worried about the same thing but sounds like as long as i report my work accurately i should be fine

The Washington ESD website has information about this in their FAQ section. They clearly state that they rely on claimant reporting for work activity. Employer contact is reserved for specific verification needs.

My sister went through this same situation last year. Washington ESD never contacted her new employer. She just stopped filing weekly claims once she was working full time and that was it.

I think people get confused because Washington ESD DOES contact employers, but usually it's about the claim establishment process or if there are red flags. Not routine return-to-work situations.

Bottom line: report your work accurately on your weekly claims and you'll be fine. Washington ESD has limited resources and they focus them on bigger issues than people honestly returning to work.

Just remember that if you work part-time, you might still be eligible for partial benefits. Don't assume you have to choose between working and collecting - you can do both legally as long as you report everything.

Reading all this makes me feel better. I've been putting off calling Washington ESD because I was worried they'd contact my new employer and make things weird. Sounds like that's not really a concern as long as I'm honest.

I went through this exact same worry when I started my new job last fall. Washington ESD never contacted my employer - they really do rely on your weekly claim reporting. The only time I heard from them after starting work was a routine letter confirming my benefit year had ended. As long as you're accurately reporting your hours and wages (which it sounds like you are), your new boss won't hear from them. Focus on your new job and don't stress about this!