Does your employer have to pay Washington ESD unemployment benefits when you file?

Your employer doesn't pay your benefits directly. They pay into the unemployment insurance fund through quarterly taxes based on their payroll. The fund pays your benefits, not your individual employer.

Washington employers pay unemployment insurance taxes quarterly to Washington ESD. The rate depends on their experience rating - companies with more former employees collecting benefits pay higher rates. But your weekly benefit comes from the state fund, not directly from your old job.

I had the same confusion when I got fired last year! My employer contested my claim saying I was terminated for misconduct but Washington ESD still approved me after adjudication. The benefits came from the state fund the whole time, not from my former company's bank account.

Getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about employer taxes and benefit funding can be really frustrating with their phone system. I discovered Claimyr last month when I needed to talk to someone about my claim status. You can check out their demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ - they help you actually reach an agent instead of getting stuck in phone loops. Made a huge difference for getting my questions answered quickly.

the whole system is set up to screw over workers anyway, employers barely pay anything compared to what we need when we lose our jobs

To clarify the employer tax structure: in Washington, employers pay both state unemployment insurance (SUI) and federal unemployment tax (FUTA). The SUI rate varies from 0.3% to 6.0% of wages depending on the employer's experience rating. New employers start at 2.7%. The fund these taxes create is what pays your benefits.

One more question - if my employer tries to contest my claim, does that mean they think they'll have to pay more immediately?

wait so if I quit can my employer still get charged for my unemployment?

My company's HR person told me they pay like $200 per employee per year into unemployment insurance. Seemed pretty reasonable when I was getting laid off with 50 other people.

The system makes more sense when you realize it's insurance that employers buy for their workforce, not a direct payment when someone files.

I work in payroll and can confirm we pay unemployment taxes every quarter to Washington ESD. It's calculated automatically in our payroll software based on total wages and our assigned rate. The state handles all the benefit payments from their fund.

Another thing - when I had trouble reaching Washington ESD about my employer's contest, I ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Really helped me get through and understand the process better than trying to navigate their phone system alone.

Bottom line: your employer already paid into the system through quarterly taxes. Your benefits come from that pooled fund managed by Washington ESD, not from your specific employer's current account. They might contest to protect their future tax rates, but they're not writing you a check each week.

just filed my claim last week too and was wondering the same thing! glad I found this thread

I remember being confused about this when I first filed years ago. The key thing to understand is that unemployment insurance is exactly that - insurance. Employers pay premiums (taxes) and the insurance fund (managed by Washington ESD) pays claims. Your specific employer doesn't pay your specific benefits.

For anyone still struggling to get information directly from Washington ESD, that Claimyr service I mentioned really does help. I used it twice now when I needed to speak with an actual person about my claim details. Check claimyr.com if the regular phone lines aren't working for you.

employers hate paying unemployment taxes but its literally the cost of doing business if you're going to hire and fire people

The Washington ESD website has a section for employers that explains the tax rates and how they're calculated if anyone wants to dig deeper into how the funding works.

Thanks everyone for explaining this! I was literally losing sleep thinking my old boss would have to pay my benefits directly. Knowing it comes from the insurance fund they already paid into makes me feel so much better about filing.

One last thing to remember - even if your employer contests your claim, Washington ESD makes the final decision based on the facts and state law. The employer's preference doesn't automatically disqualify you from benefits you're entitled to receive.