ESD weekly claim filing confusion - approved for standby but can't file online or by phone
I'm completely frustrated with trying to file my weekly claim! I got approved for unemployment benefits last week and even got confirmation that I'm approved for standby status (which is a huge relief). But now I can't figure out how to actually FILE my weekly claim. When I call the claims center number, there's no option in the menu for filing weekly claims. I've spent hours clicking around the eServices website and can't find where to submit my weekly claim either. The dashboard shows I'm approved but gives me no clear next steps. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm worried I'll miss my filing window and lose a week of benefits. This system is so confusing!
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Dylan Campbell
you probably need to wait 1 more day. the system is weird like that. sometimes it takes a full 24hrs after approval before the weekly claim option shows up on your eservices account. check again tomorrow morning and look for a big button that says 'file weekly claim' on your dashboard.
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StarStrider
•Thanks for responding! I'll try again tomorrow morning. It's been about 18 hours since I got the approval letter. Do you remember where exactly on the dashboard that button appears? I feel like I've clicked every possible link...
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Sofia Torres
The weekly claim filing option should be prominently displayed on your eServices dashboard, usually as a button labeled "File Weekly Claim" near the top of the page. If you don't see it after being approved, try these troubleshooting steps: 1. Clear your browser cache and cookies, then log out and back in 2. Try using a different browser (Chrome works best with ESD's system) 3. Check if you're looking at the correct week - the system won't let you file for the current week until Sunday 4. Make sure you're logging into the correct portal - sometimes people confuse SecureAccess Washington (SAW) login with the actual ESD eServices portal For phone claims, you need to call the weekly claims line at 800-318-6022, not the regular claims center number. The weekly claims line is available Sunday 12:01am to Saturday 4:00pm. Let us know if any of this helps!
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StarStrider
•Thank you SO much for the detailed help! I was definitely using the wrong phone number. And I didn't realize I can't file until Sunday for this week - that explains a lot. I'll try logging in with Chrome too since I was using Safari. Really appreciate the clear steps!
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Dmitry Sokolov
when i was on standby last year i had the EXACT same problem!! turns out i was using my old password from when i filed unemployment back in 2022. i reset my password and suddenly the claim button appeared. might be worth a try???
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StarStrider
•That's interesting! I did recently reset my password but maybe something got messed up in the process. I'll try creating a brand new password again just to make sure. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Ava Martinez
A couple important things to note about standby status and weekly claims: 1. If you were just approved for standby, you still need to wait until your first eligible week to file (Sunday-Saturday). You can't file mid-week for a partial week. 2. Even on standby status, you must still file weekly claims. The main difference is you won't have to do the three job search activities. 3. For phone filing, make sure you're calling the weekly claims line (800-318-6022) and not the general ESD number. 4. Online filing through eServices is usually available 24/7, but system maintenance sometimes happens late Saturday night through early Sunday. 5. Double-check that you completed your initial application entirely - sometimes people miss the final submission step and think they're approved when they're not. If you still can't see the weekly claim option by Sunday, there might be an issue with your claim that needs addressing.
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StarStrider
•Thank you for all this information! I didn't realize there was a specific weekly claims phone number different from the main ESD line. That was definitely part of my confusion. And I'll double-check that I fully completed the application process. I got an approval letter, but maybe there's still something pending I missed.
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Miguel Ramos
have u tried calling early in the morning? i had to call at like 7:01am to get through to an actual person who fixed my account. the whole system is a mess tbh
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StarStrider
•I haven't tried super early morning yet - that's a good tip. Do you know if they open at 7am every day or just certain days? I'm willing to set an alarm if it means getting this fixed!
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QuantumQuasar
I had such a nightmare trying to get through to ESD last month when I had a similar issue with my weekly claims not showing up. After 3 days of constant calling and getting hung up on, I found out about Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it was seriously a lifesaver. They have this system that holds your place in line and calls you when an ESD agent is available. Saved me literally hours of redial hell. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 My issue ended up being that there was a flag on my account that needed to be cleared by a human agent. Once I got through to someone, they fixed it in like 2 minutes. Sometimes these technical glitches just need a real person to reset something on their end.
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Zainab Omar
•Does that Claimyr thing actually work? I'm always skeptical of these services but man I've wasted SO many hours trying to reach ESD. Might be worth trying if I can actually get through to a real person.
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QuantumQuasar
•@profile5 Totally worked for me! Instead of hitting redial for hours, they basically hold your place in line. I got through to an agent in about 45 minutes while I was doing other things. The video demo shows exactly how it works. For me it was worth it just for the time saved.
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Sofia Torres
UPDATE: Based on what everyone's shared, here's a checklist for the original poster: 1. Wait until Sunday to try filing your weekly claim (that's when the new week starts for ESD) 2. Use the correct weekly claims phone number: 800-318-6022 3. Look for the weekly claim button on eServices after logging in through SAW 4. Remember that standby status just means you don't need to do job searches, but you still must file weekly 5. Make sure you're using a supported browser (Chrome or Edge work best) If none of this works by Monday, you probably need to speak with an agent directly to check if there's a flag or issue with your account that's preventing weekly claims from appearing.
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StarStrider
•THANK YOU!! This is super helpful. I'm going to follow this checklist exactly. I'll wait until Sunday to try again with the correct phone number and Chrome browser. If that doesn't work, I'll try to reach an agent on Monday morning. I'll update here with what works in case it helps someone else!
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StarStrider
UPDATE: I got it working! Turns out I needed to wait until Sunday like everyone suggested. The weekly claim button appeared right on my dashboard this morning. I also realized I was confusing the SecureAccess Washington login with the actual ESD portal - rookie mistake! Thanks everyone for your help!
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Zainab Omar
the ESD system is the absolute WORST. they seriously need to hire some decent tech people to fix their website. glad you got it figured out but it shouldn't be this complicated!!!
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