ESD charged me a late fee despite paying my overpayment on time - can't reach anyone!

omg the EXACT same thing happened to me last month!! i paid my overpayment ($740) a week before the deadline and they still charged me a late fee. tried calling for TWO WEEKS and never got through. finally had to send like 5 messages through eServices before someone finally fixed it. their system is completely broken

Take screenshots of everything RIGHT NOW - your bank account showing the money is still there, the confirmation page from when you paid, and the new notice with the late fee. You're going to need all of this documented when you finally reach someone. Also, their payment system has been glitchy since they updated it in November. Sometimes payments show as "processing" on their end but don't actually go through for 5-7 business days. It's ridiculous but happens a lot.

I went through something similar with an overpayment issue last year. The regular ESD phone lines are completely useless for this type of problem. You need to specifically reach the Collections Unit at 360-486-5817, but even that number is usually swamped. Have you tried contacting your state representative's office? I know it sounds extreme, but after 3 weeks of getting nowhere, I reached out to my district rep's constituent services team. They have special channels to ESD and got my issue resolved within 48 hours. Seriously worth a try.

just wait till they start garnishing ur wages lol thats when the real fun begins... ESD is a joke, they overpaid me by like $240 last year and somehow that turned into a $1200 overpayment notice?? makes zero sense and nobody will explain it

I work with unemployment claims regularly, and this is actually a known issue with their payment processing system. What likely happened is that your payment was flagged for additional verification (which happens randomly) but the system still sent out the automated late notice. You need to reach a claims specialist who can manually verify your payment and remove the late fee. Unfortunately, as you've discovered, reaching an actual person at ESD is extremely difficult right now. They're severely understaffed after budget cuts last quarter. I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that helps you get through to ESD agents much faster than calling directly. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. For overpayment issues specifically, you need to talk to a human as soon as possible before more fees accumulate.

Has anyone else noticed that the ESD online payment system has been extra glitchy lately? I was helping my mom with her claim last week and we kept getting error messages but then it would show a confirmation? Then the payment went through TWICE and now she's fighting to get the duplicate payment refunded. Their whole system needs a complete overhaul.

Not sure if this helps, but I had a similar issue and found out you can email the overpayment unit directly at esdbcp@esd.wa.gov - put your claim ID in the subject line. I got a response within 3 days and they fixed my account. Worth a try while you're also trying to call!

Quick update - I checked with a colleague who works with ESD claims. The Collections Unit has special hours on Thursdays where they take calls about overpayment issues from 1:30-3:30pm. The wait times are still long, but supposedly they prioritize cases with payment discrepancies during this window. Might be worth trying tomorrow afternoon.

I had an overpayment issue too when I was on unemployment in 2023... took me FOREVER to reach anyone. When I finally did, they told me they had my payment but it was applied to the wrong quarter or something ridiculous like that. Make sure when you finally reach someone that they check ALL parts of your account, not just the current balance!

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! Used the special Thursday window that someone mentioned here AND had sent an email with all my documentation. The agent confirmed exactly what someone here suggested - my payment got flagged for "verification" because it was made from a new bank account (I switched banks in December). They found my payment in their system, removed the late fee, and said it should be properly applied to my account within 3-5 business days. They're also putting a note that no additional fees should be added while this is processing. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help and suggestions. This community saved me from completely losing my mind this week!