How are unemployment benefits paid by Washington ESD - direct deposit vs check?

Thanks! I'll check my account online. Do they send any kind of confirmation when they process the payment?

Yes, you'll see it in your payment history section and they usually send an email notification too if you have that set up.

Oh no, how do I double check that my banking info is right? Can I update it if needed?

Log into your ESD account and go to the payment method section. You can update it there but it might delay your next payment while they verify the new info.

I had to call Washington ESD to update my bank info and it was impossible to get through. Spent hours on hold just to talk to someone for 5 minutes.

Never heard of that. Does it actually work or is it some kind of scam?

It's legit. They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual Washington ESD agent. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.

Interesting, I might try that if I can't get through the normal way. The hold times are ridiculous.

Is there any fee for using the debit card? I'd rather just have it go to my regular bank account.

There are some fees for certain transactions like out-of-network ATM withdrawals. Direct deposit is definitely the cheapest option.

Good to know! I was starting to worry something went wrong.

Mine always comes on Tuesdays like clockwork. As long as you file your weekly claim by Sunday night you should get paid that week.

Yes I've been doing that. The website reminds you but it's easy to forget if you're not checking regularly.

I set up a calendar reminder every Sunday to file my weekly claim. Never want to miss a week by accident.

Smart! Missing even one week can mess up your whole payment schedule.

This happened to me! My credit union held the deposit for 3 business days the first time. After a few payments they stopped doing that.

I'll call my bank to ask about their policy. Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah the system upgrades always mess things up for a few days but overall it works fine.

Good to hear! I was worried about reliability after reading some horror stories online.

Most of those stories are from people who had issues with their claims or didn't follow the rules properly. If your claim is straightforward the payments are pretty consistent.

I'm not working right now but that's good to know for the future. How do you report part time work?

When you file your weekly claim there's a section asking about any work you did that week. You have to report gross earnings, not take home pay.

Great advice! I always screenshot the confirmation page after I submit my weekly claim.

I'll start doing that. Better safe than sorry with this stuff.

Exactly. The Washington ESD website can be glitchy sometimes so having your own documentation is crucial.

I might bookmark that for future reference. Hopefully I won't need it but good to know it exists.

I used Claimyr too when my payments got stopped for some verification issue. Agent was able to sort it out right away.

Yeah they're really helpful for those situations where you need to actually talk to a human being instead of just navigating the website.

Oh right, unemployment is taxable income. Do they withhold taxes automatically or do I need to set that up?

You can choose to have federal taxes withheld when you set up your claim. It's optional but saves you from owing a big tax bill later.

I wish I had done tax withholding from the start. Ended up owing like $800 at tax time last year.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I feel much more confident about the process now.

No problem! This stuff can be confusing at first but you'll get the hang of it.