How can I be eligible for unemployment benefits in Washington state?

The basic requirements for Washington unemployment are pretty straightforward. You need to have earned enough wages in your base period (first 4 of the last 5 quarters before you filed) and you must be unemployed through no fault of your own. Since your restaurant closed, that should count as a qualifying separation. You also need to be able and available for work and actively searching for new employment.

sounds like you should qualify no problem. i was in a similar situation when my store closed down last year. the hardest part honestly is getting through to someone at washington esd when you have questions about your claim

You'll definitely want to apply as soon as possible since benefits don't start until the week you file your claim. The Washington ESD system will automatically calculate your base period wages when you apply online. Make sure you have your employment history ready including dates, employer names, and approximate earnings for each job.

One thing that really helped me when I was dealing with Washington ESD was using Claimyr to actually get through to a representative. I was stuck trying to verify some employment information and couldn't reach anyone for weeks. Found out about claimyr.com from someone here and it actually worked - they got me connected to an agent who cleared everything up in like 10 minutes. There's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

make sure you start filing your weekly claims right away even if your initial claim is still processing. i made that mistake and lost a week of benefits

The job search requirement is 3 contacts per week once you start receiving benefits. Keep detailed records because Washington ESD does audit these periodically. You can use WorkSourceWA to track your searches automatically.

Since your restaurant closed permanently, that's clearly a qualifying reason. You won't have to worry about any misconduct issues or voluntary quit problems. Just be honest about everything when you apply and you should be fine.

THE WASHINGTON ESD SYSTEM IS A NIGHTMARE TO NAVIGATE!!! I've been waiting 6 weeks for my adjudication to complete and nobody can tell me what's going on. The online system shows nothing and calling is impossible. This whole process is designed to make people give up.

i qualified right away when my hours got cut to basically nothing. restaurant industry is tough right now, lots of people applying for UI benefits

Make sure you understand the difference between 'able and available' versus being on standby. If you're truly unemployed and looking for work, you're able and available. Standby is for temporary layoffs where you expect to return to the same employer.

One more tip - if you run into any problems with your claim, don't wait around hoping it resolves itself. I wasted months trying to get help through normal channels. Someone mentioned Claimyr earlier and I finally tried it last week. Got connected to a Washington ESD agent in about 20 minutes and sorted out my whole mess. Wish I'd known about it sooner.

Your situation sounds pretty standard for unemployment eligibility. Restaurant closures are happening a lot lately and Washington ESD is used to processing these types of claims. Just gather your employment info and apply online at esd.wa.gov.

just wanted to add that if you worked in multiple states in the past year, you might need to file in a different state. but sounds like all your work was in washington so you should be good to file here

The monetary determination letter you'll get after applying will show exactly how much you qualify for and for how many weeks. Don't panic if it takes a few days to arrive - that's normal processing time.

Remember you can also appeal any determination if you disagree with Washington ESD's decision. You have 30 days from the date of any notice to file an appeal. Hopefully you won't need that information but it's good to know your rights.

Last thing - when you do your weekly claims, be completely honest about any work you do or money you earn, even if it's just a few hours. Washington ESD will find out eventually and it's better to report it upfront than deal with an overpayment later.