ESD claim showing only 80 hours worked when full-time for 9 months - how to fix?

This happens more often than you'd think. ESD is likely missing his wage information or the employer hasn't reported properly. He should: 1) Request a wage investigation through his eServices account, 2) Upload paystubs from the missing quarters to prove his work history, and 3) Call ESD directly to explain the situation. The wage investigation can take 3-4 weeks, but they'll backdate any benefits he's eligible for once it's resolved.

the same exact thing happened to me last year!!! my employer was reporting my wages to oregon instead of washington (i live in vancouver but worked in portland) and it was a NIGHTMARE to fix. took almost 2 months ugh

Tell him to check if his employer has actually been PAYING unemployment insurance taxes properly. My buddy went through this and found out his company hadn't been paying into the system at all even though they were taking deductions from his checks! Pure wage theft!! He should gather ALL his paystubs right now and also his W-2 from last year to prove employment. The system is BROKEN by design to deny benefits.

did he try calling them yet? they might be able to fix it right away if he can actually get someone on the phone

I had the EXACT same issue in January and spent 3 weeks trying to reach someone at ESD without success. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual ESD agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent was able to see that my employer had reported my wages to the wrong SSN somehow and fixed it right away. Saved me weeks of waiting for the wage investigation to complete.

Tell him to double check all the info he put in his application. I accidentally put my SSN wrong the first time and got a similar message. Just a thought.

This is likely a base year issue or a reporting error. When your son-in-law filed in May 2025, ESD is looking at his wages from January-December 2024 (the base year). If he started this job in August 2024, then only part of his employment would count. However, showing only 80 hours still seems low. He should: 1. Request a wage investigation through eServices (under "More Services" then "Submit Documents") 2. Upload PDF copies of all paystubs from 2024 3. Include his most recent W-2 4. Consider using the Claimyr service mentioned earlier to reach an agent who can review his file instantly If his wages truly aren't being properly reported, ESD will contact the employer for verification. He can also request a redetermination of his claim once the correct wages are in the system.

dont forget to tell him to KEEP FILING WEEKLY CLAIMS even while this is being fixed!! so many people stop filing during issues and then lose weeks of benefits

Just to follow up on this thread - your son-in-law should expect to receive a "Request for Information" notice in his eServices account once he initiates the wage investigation. Make sure he responds to this promptly with all the documentation everyone has mentioned. After the investigation is complete, he'll receive a "Redetermination of Benefit" notice that should show his corrected benefit amount. Good luck!