Does Washington ESD get notified when you get a job - worried about reporting requirements

Washington ESD doesn't automatically know when you start working unless your employer reports it through their quarterly wage reports, which happens months later. You're required to report all work and earnings on your weekly claim when you file. Report your gross pay (before taxes) for the week you worked, not when you got paid.

i had the same worry when i started my part time gig. washington esd only knows what you report unless your employer screws up and reports wrong info to the state. just be honest about your hours and pay each week

The key thing is Washington ESD gets employer wage reports quarterly, so there's definitely a paper trail eventually. If there's a mismatch between what you reported and what your employer reported, that's when you get an overpayment notice or worse. I learned this the hard way when I forgot to report some cash work I did.

I've been dealing with Washington ESD for months and honestly the hardest part is just getting through to talk to someone when you have questions like this. I spent literally hours trying to call last week about my adjudication status. Luckily I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically calls for you and gets you connected to an actual person. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration.

Make sure you understand the earnings deduction formula too. Washington ESD subtracts your gross weekly earnings from your weekly benefit amount, but only if you earn more than 1/4 of your weekly benefit. So if your weekly benefit is $400 and you earn $95, you still get your full $400.

honestly the whole system is so confusing!! i never know if im reporting things right and then i panic that washington esd is gonna come after me for money

I work in HR and can tell you that employers are required to report new hires to the state within 20 days for child support enforcement purposes. But that database isn't directly connected to Washington ESD unemployment. The quarterly wage reports are the main way ESD tracks employment.

THE STATE KNOWS EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY! They have so many databases now that track employment, wages, everything. Just report what you're supposed to report and don't try to game the system because they WILL catch you.

Pro tip: always report work for the week you performed it, not the week you got paid. That trips up a lot of people especially with part-time jobs that pay weekly.

i messed up my reporting once and had to call washington esd to fix it. took forever to get through but when i finally did talk to someone they were actually pretty helpful about correcting the mistake

Don't stress too much about minor mistakes. Washington ESD deals with thousands of claims and they know people make honest errors. Just be consistent with your reporting and keep good records. If you do get an overpayment notice later you can usually work out a payment plan.

Another thing to remember is that even if you're working part-time, you still have to do your job search activities and report them. Working doesn't exempt you from the job search requirements unless you're working enough hours to be considered not unemployed.

I had a friend who got caught not reporting cash work from cleaning houses. Washington ESD found out through a tax audit and she had to pay back like $4000 plus penalties. Not worth the risk!

If you're really worried about getting it right, you could try using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to get through to Washington ESD and ask them directly about your specific situation. Sometimes it's worth it to get official guidance.

just remember to screenshot or print your weekly claim confirmations every time you file. if there's ever a dispute you'll have proof of what you reported and when

The bottom line is Washington ESD will eventually know about all your employment through various reporting mechanisms. Your best protection is accurate reporting from day one. It's really not that complicated once you get in the habit.

One more tip - if your employer uses a payroll service like ADP or Paychex, those companies automatically report wages to the state. So there's definitely going to be a record of your employment even beyond what your employer directly reports.

I used Claimyr last month when I had questions about my standby status and it was totally worth it. Got through to Washington ESD in like 15 minutes instead of spending my whole day calling. The agent was able to explain exactly how to report my callback work correctly.

Thanks for asking this question OP! I'm starting a new job next week and was wondering the same thing. This thread has been super helpful for understanding the reporting requirements.

Just wanted to add that you can also check your eServices account on the Washington ESD website to see exactly what information they have on file for you. It shows your quarterly wage reports from employers, so you can see what gets reported and when. This helped me understand the timeline better - there's definitely a delay between when you work and when it shows up in their system through employer reporting.