ESD waiting week question - how many work hours/holiday pay allowed?

For your waiting week, you need to report ALL hours worked and ANY holiday pay received. The rule is that you can work part-time and still qualify for partial benefits if you work less than 40 hours AND earn less than your weekly benefit amount + $5 (or 1/4 of your weekly benefit, whichever is greater). So as an example, if your weekly benefit amount is $500, you could earn up to $505 and still qualify for a valid waiting week. Just make sure to report everything accurately on your weekly claim for that week. Your holiday pay counts as income for the week it was paid.

idk why everyone makes this so complicated. i worked 30 hrs one week during my claim and still got paid something small but my waiting week was fine. just report what u made honestly and the esd computer figures it out for u. dont stress.

I had a similar situation last year! From my experience working with ESD, here's the straightforward answer: There's no specific HOUR limit, but rather an EARNINGS limit. You can work part-time during your waiting week as long as: 1. You work less than full-time (under 40 hours) 2. You earn less than your weekly benefit amount + $5 or 1/4 of your weekly benefit (whichever is greater) The holiday pay DOES count toward your earnings for that week. When you file your weekly claim, report both the hours worked at your part-time job and the holiday pay from your previous employer. If your total earnings (part-time work + holiday pay) exceed your weekly benefit amount + $5, your waiting week might not be approved and you'd need to serve it the following week. Be sure to continue filing weekly claims even if you think your earnings might be too high for that particular week!

If you're having trouble getting clear information from ESD about your waiting week, I'd recommend using Claimyr to get through to an ESD agent directly. I was stuck in a similar situation with confusion about holiday pay affecting my claim and couldn't get anyone on the phone for days. Used claimyr.com and got connected to an ESD rep in about 30 minutes who answered all my questions. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 - definitely worth it for peace of mind on something as important as your waiting week qualification.

To give you a more specific example that might help: I had a weekly benefit amount of $625. I worked 18 hours at my part-time job during my waiting week ($360) and also received a final holiday pay amount of $200. My total earnings for the week were $560, which was less than my WBA + $5 ($630), so my waiting week was approved without issues. Just make sure you report both income sources separately in your weekly claim - there's a specific section for "other income" where you'll report the holiday pay. ESD's system will calculate everything correctly if you input the information properly.

i think everyone here is forgetting that the waiting week means u dont get paid anyway lol. its just the first week that counts toward ur claim but u dont actually get money for it.

My cousin just went through this last month and his waiting week was rejected because he worked 32 hours at his part-time job even though he earned less than his benefit amount. The ESD rep told him its both hours AND earnings that matter. Has anyone else heard this?

Good luck getting a straight answer from ESD!!!! I've been on unemployment 3 different times in Washington and the rules seem to change depending on which agent you talk to! One told me 20 hours max for partial benefits, another said 30, and a third said there's no hour limit just earnings! The whole system is designed to CONFUSE US so we make mistakes and they can deny benefits!!!

Just wanted to share my recent experience since I went through this exact situation a few months ago! I was laid off from my job at a tech company and picked up some freelance work during my waiting week. Here's what I learned: The key thing is that your total earnings (part-time work + holiday pay) need to stay under your weekly benefit amount + $5. There's no specific hour limit - I worked 25 hours one week and still qualified because my earnings were low enough. For the holiday pay, make sure you report it for the week it was actually paid to you, not the week it represents. So if your Memorial Day holiday pay comes in this week, report it this week even though it was for a previous period. One tip: when you file your weekly claim, there are separate sections for "wages earned" and "other income." Put your part-time work in the wages section and the holiday pay in the other income section. This helps ESD categorize everything correctly. The waiting week approval is crucial because if it gets rejected, you have to serve another waiting week later, which means losing another week of benefits. Better to be conservative with your hours/earnings that first week if you're close to the threshold!

I went through this exact situation when I was laid off from my retail management job last year. The waiting week can definitely be confusing! Here's what I learned from my experience and from speaking with an ESD representative: You can work part-time during your waiting week as long as you meet two criteria: 1. Work less than 40 hours (full-time threshold) 2. Your total earnings (part-time wages + holiday pay) are less than your weekly benefit amount + $5 The holiday pay absolutely counts as income for the week it's paid to you, so you'll need to add that to your part-time earnings when calculating if you're under the threshold. I worked 22 hours at a temp job during my waiting week and received a small vacation payout. My total earnings were about $480, and my weekly benefit amount was $520, so I stayed under the $525 limit ($520 + $5) and my waiting week was approved. The most important thing is to report everything accurately on your weekly claim. There are separate sections for regular wages and "other income" - put your part-time job wages in the regular section and the holiday pay in the other income section. Don't stress too much about the exact numbers until you know your weekly benefit amount. ESD will send you that information after they process your initial claim. Just make sure to keep detailed records of all income during that first week!

I'm in almost the exact same situation - just got laid off from my job and filed my initial claim this week! I've been reading through all these responses and it's really helpful to see everyone's experiences. From what I'm understanding, the main thing is to make sure my total earnings (part-time work + any other income like holiday pay) stay under my weekly benefit amount + $5, and to work less than 40 hours. One question I have - when you report the holiday pay as "other income," do you need to specify what type of payment it is, or is there just a general dollar amount field? I'm expecting to receive some accrued PTO payout from my previous employer and want to make sure I categorize it correctly when I file my first weekly claim. Thanks to everyone who shared their actual experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decipher the ESD handbook!

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! The waiting week rules can definitely be confusing at first, but here's what I learned from my experience: You're on the right track thinking about both the part-time work and holiday pay. The rule is that you can work during your waiting week as long as you: 1. Work less than 40 hours total 2. Your combined earnings (part-time wages + holiday pay) are less than your weekly benefit amount + $5 So you'll need to wait until ESD processes your claim and tells you what your weekly benefit amount is, then you can calculate whether your total income for that week will be under the threshold. When I filed my waiting week claim, I worked 20 hours at a temporary job ($300) and received a final paycheck with holiday pay ($150). My weekly benefit amount ended up being $485, so my total earnings of $450 were well under the $490 limit ($485 + $5). The key is being completely honest when you file your weekly claim. Report your part-time hours and wages in the regular work section, and put the holiday pay in the "other income" section. ESD's system will do the math and determine if your waiting week qualifies. Don't stress too much about the exact numbers until you know your benefit amount - just keep good records of everything you earn that week!