Does Washington ESD unemployment count as income for food stamps application?

Yes, unemployment benefits from Washington ESD absolutely count as income for SNAP (food stamps). You'll need to report your weekly benefit amount when you apply. The good news is that unemployment income is often lower than regular wages, so you might still qualify for benefits.

I went through this exact situation last year when I was on unemployment. Washington ESD benefits definitely count as income for SNAP. When I applied, I had to provide my benefit determination letter from Washington ESD showing my weekly amount. The DSHS office needed proof of my unemployment income just like they would for a regular job.

Just to add - make sure you keep reporting your unemployment income to SNAP even if your benefit amount changes. When Washington ESD does their annual benefit year updates or if your weekly amount gets adjusted, you need to report those changes to DSHS within 10 days.

I had trouble getting through to DSHS to ask questions about my SNAP application while I was dealing with unemployment stuff. If you're having issues reaching them by phone, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to government agencies. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. It was really helpful when I needed to talk to someone about my benefit calculations.

wait i thought unemployment was tax free so how can it count as income??

One thing to watch out for - if your unemployment claim goes into adjudication and your payments stop temporarily, you should report that change to SNAP right away. Your food stamp amount might increase while you're not receiving unemployment income.

This whole system is so confusing! I'm on unemployment too and trying to figure out if I should apply for food stamps. My weekly benefit is only $423 so maybe I'd qualify for more SNAP benefits than someone getting $547?

I've been on both unemployment and food stamps before. The key is being totally honest about your Washington ESD income on the SNAP application. They can verify your unemployment benefits anyway, so there's no point in trying to hide or underreport it.

Does anyone know if the job search requirements for Washington ESD affect your SNAP benefits at all? Like do you have to be looking for work to get food stamps too?

Just applied for SNAP last month while on unemployment. The process was pretty straightforward - I uploaded my Washington ESD benefit determination letter and my recent payment history from my SecureAccess Washington account. Got approved within 2 weeks.

Remember that if you're getting any other benefits like housing assistance, you'll need to report your unemployment income to those programs too. Everything is connected when it comes to income reporting.

The income limits for SNAP are pretty reasonable. Even with unemployment benefits, you might be surprised at how much you can still qualify for in food assistance. Don't assume you make too much without actually applying.

If anyone needs help getting through to DSHS to ask questions about SNAP applications, I mentioned Claimyr earlier - they really helped me when I was stuck in phone queues trying to get answers about my benefits. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to sort things out.

One more tip - keep good records of all your unemployment payments from Washington ESD. SNAP might ask for additional documentation during your certification periods, so having everything organized helps a lot.

I was worried about the same thing when I first applied. The SNAP worker explained that they look at all sources of income, including unemployment, Social Security, part-time work, everything. It's better to report it all accurately.

Just want to echo what others have said - yes, report your Washington ESD unemployment income on your SNAP application. The income verification process will catch it anyway, so being upfront from the start makes everything smoother.