How are unemployment benefits calculated in Washington state?

So they don't use my total annual income? Just one quarter?

Right, just your highest quarter. But you still need to meet the minimum earnings requirement across the entire base period to qualify.

The maximum weekly benefit in Washington is $999 for 2025, but most people get way less than that. It's not meant to replace your full income.

That makes sense I guess. Still feels like a huge drop from what I was earning.

So if my highest quarter was $18,000, that would be about $415 per week at 60%? That seems higher than I expected.

Close, but it's actually calculated as: (highest quarter earnings ÷ 26) × 0.60. So $18,000 ÷ 26 = $692, then $692 × 0.60 = $415. But there's also a maximum weekly benefit amount that changes each year.

How long does it usually take to get that monetary determination? I filed my claim last week.

Usually within 7-10 business days if there are no issues with your claim. Sometimes longer if they need to verify wages with employers.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr (claimyr.com). They actually got me through to a Washington ESD agent in like 20 minutes. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Worth checking out if you're stuck in phone hell.

Really? That sounds too good to be true. How much does it cost?

I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They handle all the calling and waiting for you. Way better than spending hours on hold.

Is that $3,800 total or per quarter? I'm worried I might not qualify because I only worked part of last year.

That's total across all four quarters in your base period. As long as you earned at least $3,800 total and have wages in at least two quarters, you should meet the monetary requirements.

How much does that service cost? I've been trying to call Washington ESD for two weeks about my calculation.

I don't remember the exact cost but it was worth it to actually talk to someone. Way better than calling the regular number and getting hung up on.

I might try that if I don't get my determination letter soon. Thanks for the tip!

It's based on when you filed your claim. If you filed in January 2025, your base period would be October 2023 through September 2024. They use completed quarters to make sure all wage reporting is finalized.

That's so weird that they go back that far. What if I was making more money recently?

You might be able to use the alternate base period if your recent wages are higher. That uses the last 4 completed quarters instead.

You're mixing up the calculation. It should be ($13,000 ÷ 26) × 0.385, not 0.038. That gives you about $480 which matches your $487 benefit amount.

Ah okay that makes way more sense! Thanks for catching my math error.

Yes, Washington adds $26 per dependent child up to 5 children. So if you have 2 kids, you'd get an extra $52 per week on top of your base benefit amount.

Perfect, that explains the extra amount I'm seeing. Good to know it's calculated separately.

No, they only use wages from your base period quarters, not your full year. And they specifically use your highest earning quarter to determine the weekly amount.

thats weird, seems like it would make more sense to use everything

You'll need to combine wages from all states where you worked during your base period. Washington ESD can help you get wage records from other states, but it might take longer to process your claim.

That sounds complicated. Do I need to file in Oregon instead?

No, you file where you live now. Washington ESD will handle combining the wages from different states for your benefit calculation.

Same here. I gave up trying to understand the exact calculation and just accepted whatever they gave me. As long as it's helping pay the bills!

Yeah exactly. Better to focus on the job search requirements anyway.

That's good to know. I started my full-time job in March last year so maybe that would help.

Definitely worth asking about if your standard base period doesn't give you a high enough benefit amount.

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. Saved me so much time and stress.

I'll look into that, thanks. This is ridiculous.

I only worked in Washington so that shouldn't be an issue for me.

I had to deal with interstate wages and it took forever to get sorted out. The different states don't communicate well.

The part-time work doesn't affect how they calculate your base benefit amount, but it will reduce your weekly payment. You need to report all earnings when you file your weekly claim.

Good to know, thanks. I wasn't sure if I should report those earnings or not.

Seasonal work counts the same as any other employment for benefit calculations. The key is having enough total wages and wages in at least two quarters of your base period.

That's reassuring. I worked construction which is pretty seasonal by nature.

Construction workers qualify all the time. The seasonal nature shouldn't hurt you as long as you met the wage requirements.

All wages reported to Washington ESD count the same, including overtime, bonuses, and commissions. As long as it shows up on your wage records, it's included in the calculation.

Good to know. I was worried they might cap it somehow.

If you filed in February 2025, your base period would be October 2023 through September 2024. It's the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters.

That makes sense now, thank you!

I mentioned this earlier but Claimyr really helped me get through to someone at Washington ESD. They handle all the calling and waiting so you don't have to sit on hold for hours.

I'll definitely look into that. Three hours on hold is ridiculous.

The phone system is the worst part of dealing with Washington ESD. Anything that can bypass that hassle is worth trying.

The minimum weekly benefit amount is $295 for 2025, you're correct. Maximum is $999.

Thanks for confirming!

The quarter system is supposed to be more accurate for people with irregular work patterns, but I agree it's confusing.

I guess that makes sense but it's still hard to understand.

How do you request a redetermination? Is there a specific form?

You can call them or submit a request through your online account. Make sure you have documentation of the missing wages.

How quickly were you able to get connected?

It was pretty fast, maybe 5-10 minutes total. Way better than the hours I spent trying to call directly.

Good point, I'll make sure to set aside money for taxes.

I learned this the hard way and owed a bunch of money at tax time. Definitely have them withhold taxes.

That's a good point about the effective rate after taxes.

If you're really anxious about it, you can call and ask for an estimate based on your wages. Though getting through can be challenging.

Maybe I'll try that Claimyr service people mentioned.

Same here! Really appreciate all the detailed explanations.

So I could potentially get benefits for 26 weeks total?

Up to 26 weeks in most cases, yes. But it depends on your work history and the state's unemployment rate.

Glad we could help! The calculation method is confusing at first but makes sense once you understand the base period concept.

That probably means they received additional wage information after your initial calculation. Sometimes employers are late reporting wages or there are corrections made.

That makes sense. I did have a small side job that might not have been reported initially.

Only reported tips count toward your benefit calculation. If your employer properly reported your tips to Washington ESD, they'll be included. Cash tips that weren't reported won't show up in your wage records.

Figures. Probably missing out on some benefit money because of unreported cash tips.

That's why it's important to report all tips even if it means paying more taxes. Helps with unemployment benefits later.

A quarter is just a 3-month period. Q1 is January-March, Q2 is April-June, Q3 is July-September, Q4 is October-December. Your base period is 4 consecutive quarters.

Oh that's way simpler than I thought. I was imagining some complicated government calendar.

Your weekly benefit amount stays the same throughout your claim year unless there are corrections to your wage records. The only thing that changes is how much you receive if you have part-time work that affects your weekly payment.

Got it. So if I work part-time while on unemployment, it doesn't change my base benefit amount, just that week's payment.

Exactly. Your base weekly benefit amount is locked in for the entire benefit year.

Agreed! At least once you understand the basics it makes more sense. The hardest part is just getting accurate information.

True. Forums like this are way more helpful than trying to navigate the Washington ESD website.

You can use the formula if you know your quarterly wages: take your highest quarter, divide by 26, multiply by 0.385. That should give you a rough estimate of your weekly benefit amount.

Perfect. I'll try to dig up my old pay stubs and see what I can calculate.

You can also check your wage records on the Washington ESD website once you create an account. That might be easier than finding old pay stubs.

Definitely saving this thread for future reference. Really good breakdown of how the benefit calculations work.

Same here. Nice to have real explanations instead of government jargon.