Does receiving a pension affect Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

Yes, pension income can affect your Washington ESD benefits. If you receive a pension from a base period employer (someone you worked for during the time period used to establish your claim), they will deduct the weekly pension amount from your unemployment benefits. But if it's from an employer outside your base period, it might not affect your benefits at all.

i think any pension counts against you but im not sure. my dad had this problem last year and they kept asking him about it

I went through this exact situation last year. Had a small pension from a previous employer and was worried it would mess up my unemployment. Turns out the key is whether the pension is from a 'base period employer.' If it's not, you just report it but it doesn't reduce your benefits. The tricky part is getting through to Washington ESD to confirm this - their phone lines are always jammed.

ALWAYS report any income including pensions on your weekly claims! Even if it doesn't reduce your benefits, failing to report it can cause major problems later. Washington ESD will eventually find out and you could face an overpayment demand or even fraud charges.

This is so confusing!!! I'm in a similar situation and have been going crazy trying to figure this out. Why can't Washington ESD just have clear information on their website? Everything is buried in legal language that makes no sense.

The pension offset rules are in RCW 50.20.050 if anyone wants to read the actual law. Basically, if you receive a pension from employment during your base period, Washington ESD will reduce your weekly benefit by the prorated weekly pension amount. If the pension is from employment outside your base period, there's no reduction.

I had a pension from my old job and it didn't affect my unemployment at all. Just had to check the box on my weekly claim form.

Here's what I learned when I dealt with this: Your base period is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. So if you filed in January 2025, your base period would be January 2024 through September 2024. If your pension is from employment during that time, it counts against your benefits.

The whole system is designed to screw over working people. You work your whole life, pay into unemployment insurance, and then they want to take away benefits because you have a tiny pension? It's ridiculous.

Whatever you do, don't try to hide the pension. Washington ESD has access to all kinds of databases and they will find out eventually. Better to report it upfront and deal with any reduction than face fraud charges later.

I tried calling Washington ESD about this same question and spent 3 hours on hold before getting disconnected. Their phone system is absolutely horrible. How is anyone supposed to get answers?

Just to add another data point: I receive a small pension from the military (I'm a veteran) and it doesn't affect my Washington ESD benefits at all. Military pensions are treated differently than civilian employer pensions.

Pro tip: When you file your weekly claim, there's a specific question about pension income. Make sure you report the gross amount, not the net amount after taxes. Washington ESD wants to know the full pension amount before any deductions.

Has anyone here actually had their benefits reduced because of a pension? I'm curious what the actual impact is if it does count against you.

The key thing to remember is that Washington ESD will verify all your income sources eventually. They cross-reference with Social Security, IRS, and other databases. So even if you think they won't find out about a pension, they probably will.

I wish I had seen this thread before I started my claim. I've been reporting my pension for 6 weeks now and just realized I might not have needed to worry about it since it's from an old employer. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

For what it's worth, I called Washington ESD (after many attempts) and the agent told me that if my pension was from more than 18 months ago, it wouldn't affect my benefits. But I still have to report it every week. The reporting requirement is separate from whether it reduces your benefits.

Bottom line: Report the pension on your weekly claims no matter what. If it's from your base period, it will reduce your benefits. If it's from outside your base period, it won't reduce your benefits but you still have to report it. When in doubt, report it.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I feel like I have a much better understanding of how pensions affect unemployment benefits. I'll definitely report my pension but I'm optimistic it won't reduce my benefits since it's from an old employer.

I went through this exact same situation when I got laid off from Microsoft last year. Since your pension is from 5 years ago, it's almost certainly outside your base period and won't reduce your unemployment benefits. Washington ESD uses the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters to determine your base period, so a pension from 5 years ago definitely wouldn't fall within that timeframe. You'll still need to report it every week on your claims (I report mine as "other income"), but it shouldn't affect your benefit amount at all. The key is just being honest and reporting everything - Washington ESD will verify your income sources anyway, so transparency is always the best approach.