Does unemployment pay weekly biweekly in Washington - confused about payment schedule

That's a relief! I was worried I'd have to wait two weeks between payments. So if I file every Sunday I should see money by Wednesday?

Exactly. As long as there are no issues with your claim, it's a weekly cycle. File Sunday, get paid by Wednesday typically.

Good to know about the delays. I guess I should plan for the worst case scenario timing wise.

Holidays definitely mess things up. Memorial Day week took forever to get my payment last year.

Never heard of that service but the phone situation with Washington ESD is terrible. How does it work exactly?

You put in your info on claimyr.com and they call you back when they get through to Washington ESD. Saves you from having to sit there hitting redial all day.

Interesting, might have to try that next time I need to call them about something.

You're thinking of something else. Washington ESD is weekly claims and weekly payments. Some other states might do biweekly but Washington is definitely weekly.

oh ok that makes sense. i was reading about other states online and got mixed up

Yeah I'm glad it's weekly. I don't know how I'd manage bills if I had to wait two weeks between payments.

Definitely. Weekly is way more manageable when you're trying to keep up with rent and utilities.

What's the deadline? I thought you had until the end of the week?

You have to file by the Saturday of the week you're claiming for. So if you're claiming for the week ending January 11th, you need to file by January 11th.

Actually you get a little more time than that. You can file up until the following Saturday in most cases, but it's best to file as soon as possible after the week ends.

That's reassuring to hear from someone with longer experience. Thanks for sharing your timeline.

Same experience here. Sunday filing, Wednesday deposit has been my routine for months.

Good point about banks. I have a credit union so hopefully they're quick about processing it.

Credit unions are usually pretty fast with ACH deposits in my experience.

That's helpful! I'll set a reminder for Sunday mornings to file my claim.

Yeah I do the same thing. Sunday morning coffee and weekly claim filing has become my routine.

I was wondering about that requirement. What counts as a job search activity?

Applying for jobs, attending job fairs, networking events, informational interviews. Washington ESD has a list on their website of what qualifies.

You can also register with WorkSource for additional activities. That helps fill out your weekly requirement.

Tell me about it. I tried calling 47 times last week before I got through to anyone.

That's exactly why I started using Claimyr. So much easier than the phone marathon. They handle all the calling and just connect you when they get through.

I might have to look into that service. The calling situation is absolutely ridiculous.

Identity verification can definitely delay payments. That's separate from the normal weekly payment schedule. You won't get any payments until the ID verification is complete.

Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. The waiting is killing me financially.

I went through ID verification last year and it took about a month. But once it's done you get all the back payments in one lump sum.

That's smart planning. I'll use Wednesday as my expected date and hope for Tuesday.

Same strategy here. Wednesday is my budget day even if the money usually shows up Tuesday.

I can't imagine waiting two weeks between payments when you're already financially stressed.

Yeah Washington's system has its problems but the weekly payments are definitely a good feature.

Already set up direct deposit when I filed my initial claim. Glad I did based on what you're saying about the timing.

Good call. Direct deposit makes the whole process much smoother.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep that in mind for my first payment.

Same thing happened to me. First payment was delayed but then everything normalized to the weekly schedule.

Got it. File weekly, get paid weekly, as long as I stay on top of everything.

Exactly. It becomes routine after a few weeks.

Good to know! I'll remember that if I run into any problems.

Or use that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Way less frustrating than trying to time your calls perfectly.

True, that's probably easier than playing the timing game with the phone lines.

This has been super helpful! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips.

Glad we could help. The unemployment system is confusing enough without having to guess about basic stuff like payment timing.