Does contract work affect unemployment benefits with Washington ESD?

Thanks for the quick response! Do you know if they'll reduce my benefits dollar for dollar or is there some kind of formula they use?

They use a formula based on your weekly benefit amount. If you earn less than your weekly benefit amount, you might still get partial benefits. But if you earn more than your weekly benefit amount, you won't get any UI for that week.

Oh no, that sounds terrible. How long did the investigation take? I definitely don't want to go through that.

like 3 weeks of no payments while they reviewed everything. had to provide bank statements and all kinds of documentation

That's interesting, I didn't know services like that existed. Have you actually used it successfully?

Yeah, used it twice now. First time to ask about my job search requirements and second time about some weird payment issue. Both times got through to an actual person within like 20 minutes instead of spending all day redialing.

Hmm, not sure I trust third-party services with my unemployment stuff. Seems sketchy to me.

Wait, so if I work on the project for 2 weeks but don't get paid until the end, I report the earnings split across those 2 weeks?

Exactly! You report based on when you performed the work, not when the check arrives. This is where a lot of people mess up their claims.

I know right? The whole system seems designed to trip people up. I've been afraid to take any side work because I don't want to accidentally mess something up.

same! like just tell us exactly what to do instead of making us guess

That makes sense about splitting it. I'll definitely try to call them, though I know it's nearly impossible to get through.

That's why I mentioned Claimyr earlier - worth checking out if you can't get through the normal way. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual person to get clarity on these situations.

Did you still get partial benefits when you reported the contract income?

Yeah, as long as my weekly earnings were less than my weekly benefit amount, I got partial payments. It's actually not too bad if you're just doing occasional contract work.

That's terrifying. What finally got your adjudication resolved?

Had to provide like 15 different documents proving I reported everything correctly. Total nightmare. They eventually approved everything but I was without benefits for months.

That sounds like an unusual situation. Most people who report contract work properly don't run into major issues like that.

Yes, all work income counts the same whether it's W-2 or 1099. Washington ESD doesn't distinguish between employee vs contractor income when calculating benefit reductions.

good to know, thanks!

Yeah I mentioned it earlier - it's definitely legit. I was skeptical at first too but it actually works. Way better than spending hours redialing Washington ESD.

I used it last month when I had questions about my job search log. Got through to someone pretty quickly and they were super helpful. Worth it if you really need to talk to someone.

Still seems weird to me to use a third party service for this stuff. Can't you just email Washington ESD?

Good point about keeping records. I'll make sure to document everything carefully.

yeah learned that lesson the hard way when they questioned some of my reporting from months earlier

That's a good way to look at it. I was worried it might hurt my job search requirements somehow.

Nope, if anything it shows you're actively trying to work. Washington ESD generally views that positively as long as you're still looking for permanent employment.

Yes, you still need to meet the work search requirements even if you're doing contract work. The contract work doesn't count toward your required job search activities.

ugh ok thanks for clarifying that

That's reassuring to hear from someone who's actually done similar work. Did you have any issues with the income calculations?

No issues at all. The system automatically calculated my partial benefits based on what I reported. Pretty seamless actually.

You're right, $800 is definitely worth it either way. I think I'm overthinking this.

exactly. just be honest about everything and take the money

Good advice. I'll make sure to keep copies of everything related to this project.

Yeah, they randomly audit people and having good records makes it much easier if they pick you.

Glad we could help! You're definitely on the right track thinking about it carefully upfront.

And remember, if you need to talk to Washington ESD about anything specific, that Claimyr service is there if you can't get through the regular way.

Will definitely keep that in mind. Thanks again everyone!