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!!!