Does the company pay unemployment benefits - Washington ESD confusion

Your employer doesn't write a check when you file for unemployment. They pay into the unemployment insurance system through payroll taxes throughout the year, kind of like how Social Security works. When you file with Washington ESD, the benefits come from that insurance fund, not directly from your employer's bank account.

Think of it like car insurance - you pay premiums all year, then if you need to file a claim, the insurance company pays out. Same deal with unemployment insurance. Your employer has been paying premiums to Washington ESD the whole time you worked there.

Just to add some detail - employers in Washington pay unemployment taxes based on their payroll and their experience rating. Companies with more layoffs pay higher rates over time, but they're not paying your specific claim amount directly. The Washington ESD manages the whole fund and pays out benefits from there.

I had the same worry when I got laid off last year! My manager actually told me to file for unemployment because they knew I'd earned it. Most decent employers understand it's part of the system. The only time they might contest it is if they think you quit or were fired for misconduct, but even then they're not paying out of pocket.

Been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks about my claim status. The phone system is absolutely ridiculous - I've called hundreds of times and either get busy signals or get hung up on after waiting for hours. Has anyone found a way to actually reach a human there?

The employer pays unemployment insurance taxes, not unemployment benefits directly. It's funded by employer contributions to the state unemployment insurance fund. Your benefits come from that fund, administered by Washington ESD.

just file already, your employer expects it when they lay people off. mine told me to apply the same day they let me go

I manage a small business and we pay unemployment insurance taxes quarterly. When an employee files for benefits, we get notified but we don't pay anything extra at that time. The taxes we've already paid cover it. The only thing that changes is our future tax rate might go up slightly if we have a lot of claims.

I was scared to file too because my supervisor made some comment about it costing the company money. But then I looked it up and realized they were just trying to discourage me from filing. The money comes from taxes they already paid, not from their operating budget.

Quick clarification - while employers don't pay your specific claim amount, they do get charged back for benefits paid to their former employees through what's called 'experience rating.' But this happens over time through adjusted tax rates, not as immediate payments.

OP, definitely file your claim ASAP. You can't get benefits for weeks before you filed, so every day you wait is potentially money lost. The Washington ESD website has all the info you need to get started.

Been dealing with Washington ESD for months now and still can't get anyone on the phone to answer questions about my claim. The automated system is useless and the callback option never works.

The whole unemployment system is funded by employer payroll taxes. In Washington, only employers pay into the unemployment insurance fund - employees don't have unemployment taxes deducted from their paychecks like they do for Social Security.

Filing for unemployment when you're eligible isn't charity - it's an earned benefit. Your employer has been paying unemployment insurance premiums specifically so this coverage would be available if you lost your job.

I work in HR and can confirm that we budget for unemployment insurance taxes as part of our regular payroll expenses. When someone files a claim, we're notified but there's no immediate financial impact - we've already paid our quarterly taxes to cover it.

Just wanted to add that some employers might seem upset when you file, but that's usually because they're worried about their future tax rates, not because they're paying out of pocket right now. Don't let that discourage you from filing if you're entitled to benefits.

The Washington ESD phone system is seriously broken. I gave up trying to call and used one of those callback services - Claimyr I think it was called. Finally got through to an agent who cleared up my adjudication issue in 10 minutes.

Bottom line: your employer has already paid for unemployment insurance coverage through their taxes. When you file for benefits, you're using insurance that's already been paid for, not asking your employer to write a check. File your claim and don't feel guilty about it.