ESD intercepted part of my UI payment - what does 'intercept' mean if I don't owe anything?

'Intercept' usually means they're taking money to pay a debt you owe to a government agency. Could be old student loans, court fines, or even a previous overpayment from ESD that you might not know about. It's definitely NOT normal tax withholding - that would show up as 'federal taxes' on your payment summary. Have you checked your credit report recently? Or maybe you had UI benefits in the past that had an issue?

check if u owe back taxes maybe?? my cousin had this happen and it was from a tax lien from like 5 years ago he forgot about. also did u get any letters in the mail from esd? sometimes they tell u but sometimes they dont lol

This happened to me too!!! I freaked out thinking I did something wrong. Turns out I had a parking ticket from 3 years ago that went to collections without me knowing. The government can intercept your unemployment benefits to pay off certain types of debt. It's actually pretty scary they can just take money without really telling you why upfront.

The intercept program is governed by Washington State's debt recovery laws. ESD is required to withhold benefits to satisfy debts you owe to certain government agencies. These include: 1. Child support (which you said isn't applicable) 2. Food stamp or public assistance overpayments 3. Previous unemployment benefit overpayments (from any state) 4. Certain federal debts (student loans in default, tax liens) 5. Some court-ordered payments (fines or restitution) You should contact ESD directly to find out which agency is receiving the intercepted funds. They're obligated to tell you. Unfortunately, getting through to ESD can be incredibly difficult. You can try their website's secure message system, but response times can be very slow in my experience.

I had the exact same problem last month! Turns out it was for a hospital bill I didn't know went to collections and somehow became a government debt. I spent DAYS trying to get through to ESD by phone to figure it out. Absolutely maddening. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me through to a live agent in about 20 minutes. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Not sure if you've tried it, but it saved me from endless frustration. The agent was able to tell me exactly which agency the intercept was for and gave me their contact info so I could dispute it.

Benefits intercepts are governed by state and federal law. ESD is required to send you a Notice of Benefits Withholding that explains the reason for the intercept, which agency requested it, and your appeal rights. This notice is typically mailed separately from your payment details. You should receive it within 5-7 business days of the payment being processed. If you haven't received the notice after a week, you should contact the Office of Financial Recovery at DSHS (they manage many intercepts) at 1-800-562-6114 to see if they have any record of a debt in your name. Sometimes these can be cases of mistaken identity or old debts you were unaware of. Also, check if your address is current with ESD. If they're sending notices to an old address, you won't receive the explanation.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!!! They take money without even telling you why first!!!! I had almost $600 "intercepted" last year and it took me MONTHS to find out it was for a supposed overpayment from 2019 that I NEVER EVEN KNEW ABOUT!!! And by the time I found out, the appeal deadline had passed!!!!! TYPICAL GOVERNMENT THEFT!!!!!

my friend had money taken and it was for some random hospital bill from like 2017 that went to collections?? idk how they can just take money for that but i guess if it got sent to the state collections agency maybe?? the whole system is weird tbh

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! The intercept was for an unpaid vehicle registration renewal fee from 2020 that I completely forgot about. It went to collections with the Department of Revenue. The amount was only $129 plus some penalty fees, so I'm just going to let them take it rather than fight it. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! For anyone else dealing with this, definitely wait for the notice in the mail like many of you suggested, but also try calling ESD directly to get the fastest answer.