ESD overpayment waiver approved but no refund yet - how long to wait?

congrats on the waiver! ESD is sooooo slow with refunds tho. took me almost 2 months to get mine back after waiver approval. just wait

I went through this exact situation last year. ESD does NOT automatically process refunds after waiver approvals - you need to specifically request it. Call the main ESD number and ask to speak with someone in the overpayment/collections department. Make sure you have your waiver approval letter handy with the case number. They'll likely tell you to email a refund request with a copy of the approval letter to a specific overpayment email address. If you paid by check originally, you'll get a paper check back. If you paid electronically, they can direct deposit but you might need to provide your banking info again. In my case, it took about 3-4 weeks after submitting the refund request.

I had a waiver approved in January and still waiting for my money back!!! ESD is a JOKE. They take your money immediately but when they owe YOU??? Good luck!!! I've called like 15 times and get different answers every time. One rep told me 6-8 weeks, another said I need to submit a written request, and a third one claimed they had no record of my waiver even though I was READING THE LETTER TO THEM!!!! Complete disaster of an agency.

Have you tried using Claimyr to reach an ESD agent? After days of calling and getting nowhere with the overpayment department, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to someone in under 20 minutes who actually helped with my refund issue. They basically call ESD for you and connect you when an agent answers. Saved me days of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent I spoke with confirmed that refunds after overpayment waivers aren't automatic and walked me through exactly what documentation to submit.

This is a common misconception. The overpayment waiver process and the refund process are actually two separate things in the ESD system. The waiver simply eliminates the debt from your account, but to get previously paid money returned, you need to submit a refund request. For overpayment refunds, you'll need to: 1. Call the ESD collections unit at their direct number (not the main ESD line) 2. Reference your waiver approval letter and date 3. Request a refund request form OR ask for the email address to send your request 4. Submit a written request with copies of: the waiver approval, proof of your prior payments, and your current contact information 5. Include your preferred refund method (direct deposit or check) The current processing time for refunds after approval is approximately 4-6 weeks. This is separate from the waiver processing time. Keep all documentation and get the name of any representative you speak with.

The collections unit direct line is 855-829-9243. Call early in the morning (right when they open at 8am) for the shortest wait times. Make sure to have your ESD claim ID number and the waiver confirmation number from your approval letter ready before calling.

this happened to my brother last year and he waited 6 months thinking theyd just send him his money back but they never did! he finally called and they said he needed to file some special request. got his money like 3 weeks after that. definitely call them asap!!!

Wait so they made you pay back the money and then 3 years later decided you didn't need to pay it after all??? That's crazy! I'm dealing with an overpayment notice right now but haven't paid anything yet. Hope your refund comes through soon!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Got my waiver approval last week after paying $2800 last year. Called this morning and was told I need to email overpayment@esd.wa.gov with my approval letter, claimant ID, and proof of payment. The rep said it would take "at least 8 weeks" for processing after they receive the email. This whole system is just designed to make it as difficult as possible to get your own money back!