ESD benefits calculator? Considering unemployment - quit or wait to be laid off?

DON'T QUIT YOUR JOB! You'll almost certainly be denied benefits if you voluntarily quit without good cause. If your hours are reduced, you might already qualify for partial unemployment benefits without quitting. ESD has a benefit calculator on their website where you can estimate your weekly benefit amount. It's based on your highest-earning quarters from the past year or so. With your reduced hours, you should apply now and report your current earnings each week. If you earn less than your weekly benefit amount, you'll receive partial benefits to help make up the difference.

i was in the same situation last yr... construction slowed way down. boss kept saying more projects coming but nothing happened. ended up filing for partial unemployment and it helped alot. just make sure u report ANY hours u work each week when filing ur weekly claim or theyll hit u with an overpayment later

To directly answer your questions: 1. ESD's benefit estimator is here: https://esd.wa.gov/unemployment/calculate-your-benefit 2. Yes, you likely qualify for partial benefits now with your reduced hours. If your weekly earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount, you can receive the difference (minus 25% of what you earn). 3. NEVER quit if you want benefits. That's considered voluntary separation and typically disqualifies you unless you can prove "good cause" (which is very difficult). Reduced hours or a layoff would keep you eligible. Start by applying now. Report your reduced hours and earnings accurately each week. Your claim will establish a weekly benefit amount based on your previous earnings history. Then when you submit weekly claims, you'll report your current part-time earnings. One important note - you must be able, available, and actively seeking work each week. This means completing at least 3 job search activities weekly and documenting them.

Yes, you still need to complete the job search requirements even with partial unemployment - unless you can get approved for "standby" status, which means you're expected to return to full-time work with your current employer soon. To get standby status, your employer would need to verify that they plan to bring you back to full-time work within 4 weeks (can sometimes be extended to 8 or 12 weeks in certain circumstances). You'd request this when you file your initial claim.

I was in this exact situation last year with my retail job. DEFINITELY apply for partial unemployment while keeping your job. Here's what I learned: - Your benefit amount is roughly 60-70% of your average weekly wage (up to the maximum) - You report your hours worked each week when filing claims - They subtract some of your earned income from your benefit amount - You still get something as long as you earn less than your weekly benefit amount I will say trying to reach ESD by phone to ask questions was IMPOSSIBLE. I spent weeks trying to get through. Eventually I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 It made a huge difference being able to actually talk to someone who explained exactly how partial benefits work with my specific situation.

Be super careful with partial unemployment! My brother did this and didn't realize he had to report a one-time bonus he got. ESD came after him for overpayment plus penalties 6 months later! Also, don't your benefits get taxed? I think you can choose whether to have taxes withheld or not when you apply, but if you don't, you'll owe it at tax time. Just something else to consider in your calculations.

Just wanted to mention something important - even if you don't quit and they reduce your hours, you still might have issues qualifying if their system flags it as "lack of work." When I applied in a similar situation last year, ESD put my claim into adjudication for weeks because they needed to verify with my employer that the reduction was due to lack of work and not performance issues. Make sure your employer knows you're applying and will confirm it's a legitimate reduction in hours due to business slowdown. Otherwise you could be waiting weeks or months for benefits while they investigate.

Unfortunately there's not much you can do to prevent adjudication if it happens. But giving your boss a heads-up is helpful. Let them know you're applying for partial benefits due to reduced hours and ask if they'll respond promptly to any ESD inquiries. You might also want to get something in writing (email is fine) from your boss acknowledging your hours have been reduced due to business slowdown. Having documentation ready if ESD asks for it can sometimes speed things up.

Do you have enough savings to cover you for a few months? The reason I ask is because even IF you qualify, the process can take FOREVER especially if your claim goes to adjudication. I waited 11 weeks last year before seeing a penny from ESD. Just want you to have realistic expectations about timing.

Based on everything in this thread, here's what I recommend: 1. Apply for partial unemployment immediately 2. Talk to your boss and get written confirmation that your hours were reduced due to business slowdown 3. Request standby status if your boss believes you'll return to full-time within 4-8 weeks 4. If standby is denied, complete your 3 job search activities each week 5. Report all earnings accurately when filing weekly claims You're doing the right thing by exploring your options rather than just quitting. The system is designed to help in exactly your situation - when work slows down but hasn't completely stopped.