ESD waiting week delay after approval - when do payments actually start?
My unemployment claim was finally approved on 11/21 (after waiting FOREVER in adjudication) but I still haven't received any money. The ESD website mentions something about a 'waiting week' but doesn't explain how long that actually takes? It's been 8 days already and I'm getting worried because rent is due soon. Does the waiting week mean I don't get paid for the first week after approval, or does it mean there's another delay before payments start? Has anyone gone through this recently? How long did you wait after approval before seeing your first payment hit your bank account?
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Steven Adams
congrats on getting approved! the waiting week means you dont get paid for the first week you file claims. its not another delay, its just they dont pay u for week 1. so if u got approved on 11/21 and filed for that week, that would be ur waiting week. then u should get paid for any weeks after that u file for
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Grace Durand
•So does that mean I'll never get paid for that first week? That sucks, I was counting on that money. I've filed for two weeks since then, so they should have paid me for at least one week by now?
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Alice Fleming
The waiting week is actually a statutory requirement in Washington state. It means the first eligible week of your claim is not paid - it's essentially a deductible week. Once you've served this waiting week and filed your weekly claims correctly, payments for subsequent weeks should arrive within 2-3 business days after you file your weekly claim. If it's been more than 3 business days since you filed a weekly claim after your waiting week, I'd recommend checking if there are any alerts or issues on your eServices account. Sometimes there can be payment holds for identity verification or other issues that need to be resolved.
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Grace Durand
•Thank you for explaining! I just checked my eServices account and there's something that says "payment pending" for last week. Does that mean it's still processing or is there a problem? It's been 4 business days already.
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Hassan Khoury
when i got approved last year i had the same thing happen!!!! "payment pending" sat there for like 12 days and i was freaking OUT. i called esd like 50 times and couldn't get through then my friend told me they had to do extra verification on his first payment too. i think they're just extra careful with the first one after the waiting week???
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Victoria Stark
•This is partly correct, but "payment pending" for that long usually indicates an issue that needs resolution. The system should automatically process payments within 48-72 hours unless there's a flag or verification need. Sometimes these resolve automatically, but often they require contact with an ESD agent to clear the hold.
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Benjamin Kim
To add on to what others have said, the waiting week is mandatory in WA - you don't get paid for your first week, but you MUST claim it to establish your claim. After that, payments should process quickly. If you're seeing "payment pending" for 4+ business days, there's likely a verification hold. I had this exact situation in February 2025 and needed to speak with ESD directly. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent after failing to connect for days. They have a system that holds your place in line and calls when an agent is available - saved me hours of redial frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 When I finally spoke with an agent, they cleared the verification hold in minutes, and my payment processed overnight.
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Grace Durand
•Thank you! I didn't realize I might need to talk to someone to get the payment released. I'll check out that service - I've been trying to call for days with no luck. At this point I just need to get this resolved before I'm late on bills.
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Samantha Howard
I went thru this in January. Lost my job right after New Years (great timing right??). The waiting week is just the first week that you don't get paid for. But here's the thing - if your claim was "approved" but you still had to do identity verification or something after that, there might be ANOTHER hold. Check your eServices notifications tab to see if there's anything you missed. Sometimes they send important messages there but don't email you about them!
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Grace Durand
•I just checked and you're right! There's a notice I completely missed asking for additional employment verification. It was sent 3 days ago. Ugh, no wonder it's pending. Thank you so much for pointing this out!
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Megan D'Acosta
SURPRISE SURPRISE the ESD system is confusing everyone again! 🙄 The waiting week is a total scam if you ask me. You're already waiting weeks to get approved and then they make you wait ANOTHER week without pay? The whole system is designed to make people give up. And then they hide important notices in that awful eServices portal instead of just EMAILING people like a normal organization would. I waited 9 weeks for my first payment earlier this year because of these ridiculous verification loops.
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Alice Fleming
•While the frustration is understandable, the waiting week is actually a standard practice in most state unemployment systems. It's set by state law, not an ESD policy decision. You're right that notification systems could be improved though - many people miss important communications because they're only posted in eServices.
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Sarah Ali
update? did u get it figured out? hope u got paid!
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Grace Durand
•Yes! I submitted the employment verification docs they wanted and called ESD using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Got through to an agent who confirmed everything looks good now. They said payment should process in the next 24-48 hours. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Aisha Jackson
Glad to hear you got it sorted out! For anyone else reading this thread - the key takeaways are: 1) The waiting week means no payment for your first eligible week (it's WA state law), 2) Always check your eServices notifications tab for important messages, and 3) "Payment pending" for more than 3 business days usually means there's a verification hold that needs to be cleared by speaking with an ESD agent. The system can be frustrating but most issues get resolved once you know what to look for!
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Lukas Fitzgerald
•This is such a helpful summary! I'm new to this whole unemployment process and this thread really cleared up a lot of confusion I had about the waiting week. I was worried I'd never get paid for that first week, but now I understand it's just how the system works. The tip about checking notifications in eServices is gold - I bet a lot of people miss important stuff there. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!
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Omar Farouk
Just wanted to add my experience from getting approved in October - the waiting week thing caught me off guard too! What really helped me was setting up text alerts in eServices so I got notified immediately when there were new messages or updates. Also, if you're still waiting on payments after resolving any holds, they typically process overnight on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from what I've observed. Keep checking your account balance in the morning on those days. The whole process is stressful but once it starts flowing it's pretty reliable. Hang in there!
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Mia Rodriguez
•Thanks for mentioning the text alerts! I had no idea you could set those up in eServices - that would have saved me so much stress checking the portal constantly. The Tuesday/Wednesday processing pattern is really helpful to know too. It's amazing how much easier this whole process becomes once you understand the system better. Wish they made this information more obvious upfront instead of having to figure it out through trial and error (or helpful community threads like this one)!
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