ESD deposited random payment after 2 years - should I be concerned?
I just checked my bank account this morning and noticed a deposit from WA Unemployment for $857. The weird thing is, I haven't filed for benefits in over 2 years (I was on unemployment back in 2023). Has anyone else experienced this? I'm honestly confused about what to do. Part of me wants to just keep it because hey, free money! But I'm worried this might be some kind of error that will come back to bite me. Will ESD eventually realize their mistake and demand the money back with penalties? Should I contact them proactively? Their phone lines are always impossible to get through anyway.
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Victoria Scott
DO NOT SPEND THAT MONEY!!! ESD made the exact same mistake with me last year and I spent it thinking it was mine. Six months later I got a notice of overpayment plus a 25% penalty!!! They said I should have known it wasn't mine and reported it. They're now taking 25% of my tax refunds until it's paid back.
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Ezra Collins
•Oh no, that's exactly what I was afraid of! Did they at least give you the option to set up a payment plan? I really don't have $857 to pay back right now.
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Benjamin Johnson
This happened to me too - it was a retroactive adjustment for a claim I filed years ago. They reviewed my case and found I was eligible for more money than I received. Check your eServices account, there should be a determination letter explaining the payment. If there's nothing there, definitely contact them.
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Ezra Collins
•That's interesting! I just logged into my eServices and don't see any new messages or determination letters. The last activity shows from 2023. I'm even more confused now.
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Zara Perez
sometimes they do audits and find they underpaid people. happened to my cousin. she got like $1200 out of nowhere last month. ended up being legit!
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Daniel Rogers
•This is sometimes correct, but please be careful with this advice. ESD does occasionally issue retroactive payments after reviews, but they ALWAYS send a determination letter explaining the payment. If there's no letter in eServices, it's likely an error that will need to be repaid.
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Aaliyah Reed
I'd recommend calling ESD immediately to clarify what's going on. It could be a legitimate adjustment or a system error. Either way, don't spend it until you know for sure. I had a similar situation where I needed to reach them quickly and couldn't get through on the regular line. I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected within 20 minutes instead of spending days calling. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. Definitely worth it for time-sensitive issues like this.
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Ezra Collins
•Thanks for the suggestion! I've literally never been able to get through to ESD when calling normally. I'll check out that service because I really need to get this sorted before I accidentally spend money I might have to pay back.
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Ella Russell
JUST DON'T TOUCH IT!!!! ESD computers are SO GLITCHY, they'll probably take it back automatically in a few days anyway. This happened to my roommate and the money disappeared from his account a week later with no explanation!!! The whole system is broken!!!
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Benjamin Johnson
•That's not typically how it works. If it's truly an error, ESD would issue an overpayment notice rather than automatically removing funds from someone's account. They don't have the authority to take money back without notification.
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Mohammed Khan
Former ESD employee here. This is likely one of three things: 1) A retroactive adjustment after a claim review (you would have a determination letter in eServices) 2) An identity theft situation where someone filed using your information (check if there are any recent weekly claims filed) 3) A system error during batch processing (these happen occasionally) DO NOT SPEND THE MONEY until you confirm with ESD. Put it in a separate account if possible. Contact ESD immediately and document all your attempts to reach them. If it's determined to be an error, you'll need to repay it, but showing good faith efforts to resolve it will help avoid penalties.
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Ezra Collins
•Thank you for such a detailed explanation! I checked and don't see any recent weekly claims filed, so hopefully it's not identity theft. I'll try calling first thing tomorrow morning and document everything. Really appreciate the expert advice.
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Daniel Rogers
Just an FYI - ESD recently completed a large audit of 2023 claims to ensure compliance with federal guidelines. Several people I know received retroactive payments as a result. Check if you had any pending issues or appeals from your previous claim that might have been resolved in your favor. If you can't reach ESD by phone, try emailing them through your eServices secure message center with specific details about the payment. They usually respond within 3-5 business days.
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Ezra Collins
•Oh that's really helpful context! I did have some confusion about my job search requirements back then, but I thought it was all resolved. I'll try the secure message option too - hadn't thought of that.
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