ESD questioning my claim after finding work but before first paycheck - felt like an interrogation

You're in a common situation many people face when transitioning back to work. Here's what you need to know: Once you start working, you must report ANY hours worked on your weekly claim, even if you haven't been paid yet. ESD calculates benefits based on hours worked, not when you receive payment. You may still qualify for partial benefits if your hours are low enough, but you MUST report accurately. The agent was likely doing their job trying to verify your reporting is correct, though their approach sounds unnecessarily aggressive. My suggestion is to keep filing your weekly claims, accurately report all hours worked, and when asked if you worked - say YES and report those hours, even before receiving a paycheck.

OMG they are THE WORST at that office!!! I had almost the exact same experience last year. The lady literally accused me of lying about my job search activities right to my face. I was like... excuse me??? I have documentation for everything! They act like we're all criminals. I ended up in tears in the parking lot.

To directly answer your question: With 35 hours per week at your new job, you likely won't qualify for partial benefits regardless of when you get paid. In Washington, once you work 40 hours or earn more than your weekly benefit amount, you're considered fully employed for unemployment purposes. However, it's still technically correct to file your weekly claims until you receive your first paycheck - just report all hours worked accurately. This maintains your claim as 'active' in case something happens with the new job. The system will automatically deny benefits for weeks where your reported hours exceed the threshold. The ESD representative should have explained this clearly rather than making you feel accused of something improper. Unfortunately, their training sometimes emphasizes fraud detection over customer service.

had the same problem last month they treted me like a criminal to and im a single dad with 3 kids! so rude and condecending. the whole system is rigged against regular poeple just trying to survive. its not like were getting rich off unemployment lol.

I worked at ESD for 3 years (left in 2023) and can give some insight. When someone has secured employment but hasn't received payment yet, it creates a flag in the system. The representatives are required to ask specific questions about this scenario because it's unfortunately a common area where people attempt to double-dip (collecting benefits while working). The interview process is standardized and can come across as accusatory even when that's not the intention. That said, there's NEVER an excuse for making a claimant feel criminalized. The correct approach is to explain that these are standard questions they must ask everyone in your situation. You absolutely did nothing wrong by inquiring about your options during the gap between starting work and receiving your first paycheck. For anyone facing this situation: keep filing weekly claims, accurately report all hours worked, and the system will automatically calculate if you qualify for partial benefits. Documentation is your friend - save emails with job offers showing start dates and first payment dates.

Try using Claimyr next time instead of going to the office in person. I was in a similar situation and couldn't get through on the phone for days, then found this service that got me connected to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes. The phone agents seemed way nicer than the office ones, and I got my question resolved quickly. You can see how it works at claimyr.com or check out their demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Seriously saved me so much stress compared to the office visit nightmare.

Something a lot of people don't realize is that ESD has specific rules about the transition back to work. When you accept a job offer, you're still eligible to claim until you start working. Once you start working, you report hours worked that week, even without pay. If you work less than full-time hours (less than 40 per week), you may qualify for partial benefits if your earnings for that week are less than your weekly benefit amount. What confuses many people is the difference between hours worked versus payment received. ESD only cares about when you performed the work, not when you got paid for it. This is actually designed to protect workers - imagine if you worked but then the employer went bankrupt before paying you. ESD's system ensures you're covered during the work period regardless of when payment arrives. The interview experience you had sounds unnecessarily harsh, but I would still recommend keeping your claim active by filing weekly (with accurate hours reported) until you're financially stable with the new job. Better safe than sorry if something unexpected happens.

A practical tip for anyone in this situation: take screenshots of your weekly claim submissions showing the hours you reported. I had an issue last year where ESD claimed I hadn't reported properly, but I had screenshots showing every submission with dates and confirmation numbers. Saved me from a potential overpayment nightmare.