How are ESD benefit quarters calculated for unemployment? (Not months?)

A quarter is definitely 3 months, not 4. ESD uses calendar quarters: Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, and Oct-Dec. Your base year is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. So they're looking at a 12-month period, but not the most recent 3 months. For example, if you filed in May 2025, they'd look at Jan-Dec 2024 (not Jan-Mar 2025). They calculate your weekly benefit amount based on the two highest-earning quarters in that base year period. The formula is complicated but generally around 1/25 of your earnings in those two highest quarters.

Yeah i was totally confused by this too when i filed!! its frustrating cause your most recent income dosnt even count sometimes. when i applied in february they didnt even look at november-january which was when i had my highest paying job. i think they do it this way to have complete tax records or something. but yeah its 3 month chunks not 4.

ESD ALWAYS FINDS A WAY TO PAY YOU LESS!!! They purposely use old earnings and ignore your recent higher pay. That's how they keep their fund full while we struggle. I earned twice as much in my last 2 months compared to the previous year but they ignored it completely when calculating my benefits. The system is RIGGED against workers!!

If you're in a situation where your recent earnings are significantly higher than your base year earnings, you might qualify for what's called an "alternative base year" claim. In Washington, if your regular base year doesn't qualify you for benefits or results in a significantly lower weekly amount, you can request that ESD use your most recently completed quarters instead. You usually need to specifically ask for this review though - they won't automatically do it. I've helped several people navigate this process. If you're having trouble connecting with ESD to discuss this option, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get through to an ESD agent without waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Getting an actual agent on the phone is the fastest way to request the alternative base year calculation.

my cousin works for esd and he told me they do it this way because they need fully reported quarters with all employer tax info submitted which takes time. thats why theres a lag. its not to screw people over like some say, its just how the system works with reporting periods.

In my experience, you can get a rough estimate of your weekly benefit amount by taking your highest two quarters, adding them together, and dividing by 50. Washington's maximum weekly benefit is $992 in 2025, so you can't get more than that regardless of your earnings. If your benefit seems too low based on recent work, definitely pursue that alternative base year option mentioned above. And just so you know, they'll also look at your hours worked to determine if you've worked enough to qualify - you need at least 680 hours in your base year. Make sure you meet that requirement too!

Thanks everyone for the helpful info! I finally got through to ESD today and they confirmed I can request the alternative base year since I had higher earnings recently. They're recalculating my weekly benefit amount and said it should increase by about $175 per week! That makes a huge difference for me. The quarters system is still confusing but at least there's a way to use more recent earnings when it makes sense.

I tried calling directly for 2 days with no luck - just kept getting the "high call volume" message and disconnects. I ended up using the Claimyr service mentioned above and got through to a real person in about 20 minutes. Worth it for the peace of mind and getting my calculation fixed before bills are due!