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 anissue?

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.

Glad you got it resolved! Vehicle registration fees can definitely slip through the cracks, especially if you moved or changed addresses around that time. It's actually pretty common for these types of state debts to end up in the intercept program. For anyone else reading this - it's worth checking your state's online portal for any outstanding debts or fees you might have forgotten about, especially if you've moved recently. Sometimes a simple online search of your name on the Department of Revenue or licensing websites can reveal old obligations before they become intercepts.

Thanks for sharing your update! This is really helpful for others who might face the same situation. Vehicle registration fees are so easy to forget about, especially during stressful times like job loss. It's frustrating that these small debts can snowball into collections without better notice, but I'm glad yours was relatively minor. Did ESD mention if there's a way to check for other potential debts before they intercept future payments? It would be nice to know if there are any other surprises waiting!

Washington State doesn't have one central database, but you can check a few key places: the Department of Revenue website has a "Check Your Account" feature where you can look up tax debts, vehicle registration issues, and business license problems. For court-related debts, you can search county court records online. The Department of Social and Health Services also has an online portal for benefit overpayments. I'd also recommend pulling your credit report from annualcreditreport.com - while not all government debts show up there, many collection agencies do report them. It's worth spending an hour checking these different sites to avoid future intercept surprises!

Great advice from everyone here! Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble getting through to ESD by phone, you can also try their secure messaging system through your eServices account. It's not as fast as talking to someone directly, but I've had decent luck getting responses within 3-5 business days for account-specific questions like intercepts. They'll usually tell you exactly which agency requested the intercept and provide contact information so you can follow up directly with them. It's definitely frustrating when money gets taken without clear upfront explanation, but at least there are multiple ways to track down the answers!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar intercept situation right now and was panicking thinking I'd done something wrong. Reading through everyone's experiences and the detailed explanations about what can cause intercepts has really calmed my nerves. It's frustrating that the system doesn't provide clearer upfront communication about these deductions, but at least now I know it's probably some forgotten debt rather than a mistake on my part. I'm going to try the secure messaging approach through eServices first, and if that doesn't work quickly enough, I might look into that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and advice - this community is a lifesaver for navigating the ESD maze!

I'm new to unemployment benefits and just got my first payment, but I'm seeing a small "intercept" deduction too. Reading through this thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there were so many different types of old debts that could cause this! I'm definitely going to check the Department of Revenue website first since it sounds like vehicle registration fees and tax issues are pretty common causes. It's kind of scary how easy it is to forget about these small government fees over the years, especially if you've moved around. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and the specific resources to check - this community is amazing for helping navigate these confusing situations!