How do I know how much unemployment I will get in Washington?
I just filed my initial unemployment claim last week but I can't figure out where to find how much my weekly benefit amount will be. I made about $52,000 last year working at a retail store but got laid off due to company downsizing. When I look at my Washington ESD account online it just shows my claim is pending but doesn't give me any dollar amounts. Does anyone know where I can see what my weekly UI payment will be or do I have to wait until it's approved?
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Harper Collins
Your weekly benefit amount (WBA) is calculated based on your highest earning quarter from the past 18 months. Washington ESD takes that quarter's earnings and divides by 26 to get your weekly amount. The maximum is currently $999 per week. You won't see the exact amount until your claim is fully processed and approved.
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Donna Cline
•Thanks! So if my highest quarter was around $15,000 that would put me at about $577 per week? That seems pretty good actually.
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Kelsey Hawkins
•Yeah that sounds about right, though they might deduct taxes if you chose to have them withheld.
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Dylan Fisher
The benefit calculator on Washington ESD's website can give you an estimate before your claim is approved. Go to esd.wa.gov and look for the benefit calculator tool. You'll need your wage information from the past 18 months to get an accurate estimate.
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Donna Cline
•I didn't know there was a calculator! I'll check that out right now.
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Edwards Hugo
•That calculator is pretty accurate. I used it when I filed and my actual benefit was within $10 of what it estimated.
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Gianna Scott
Just went through this myself. Had trouble getting through to Washington ESD for weeks to check my claim status. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual agent. They have this video demo (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ) that shows how it works. Way easier than trying to call yourself and getting busy signals all day.
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Alfredo Lugo
•How much does that service cost? I'm already worried about money obviously lol
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Gianna Scott
•It's worth it when you need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD. Saved me so much time and frustration.
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Sydney Torres
•Never heard of this but might try it if I can't get through on my own.
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Kelsey Hawkins
you have to wait until adjudication is done before you see your weekly amount. took about 3 weeks for mine to show up in my account. the waiting is the worst part honestly
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Donna Cline
•Ugh 3 weeks? I was hoping it would be faster than that. Did you have any issues with your claim?
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Kelsey Hawkins
•nah no issues just slow processing. yours might be faster since its not as busy as it was during covid
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Harper Collins
Make sure you're filing your weekly claims even while your initial claim is pending. You can't get paid for weeks you don't file for, even if your claim gets approved later. This is a common mistake people make.
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
•Wait really? I thought you couldn't file weekly claims until the initial claim was approved!
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Harper Collins
•Nope, you should start filing weekly claims immediately after submitting your initial application. Washington ESD will backpay you for those weeks once approved.
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Donna Cline
•Good to know! I haven't filed any weekly claims yet so I better get on that.
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Dylan Fisher
Your benefit year lasts 52 weeks but you can only collect up to 26 weeks of benefits (unless there are federal extensions). The total amount you can receive is also capped - it's usually 30% of your total wages from your base period.
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Edwards Hugo
•Is the base period different from the past 18 months they use for calculating the weekly amount?
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Dylan Fisher
•Yes, the base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. It's a bit confusing but Washington ESD uses this to calculate both your weekly amount and maximum benefits.
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Alfredo Lugo
I'm so confused by all this base period stuff. Why can't they just make it simple and tell you upfront what you'll get? The whole system seems designed to confuse people on purpose.
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Sydney Torres
•I know right? It took me forever to figure out how they calculated mine. The worst part is trying to call them for clarification.
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Caleb Bell
•The system is definitely not user-friendly. I ended up having to use one of those callback services just to get answers about my benefit calculation.
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Danielle Campbell
Check your Secure Access Washington account regularly. Once your claim is processed, all the benefit information shows up there including your weekly amount, maximum benefits, and benefit year dates. Takes some time to update though.
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Donna Cline
•I check it every day but still just shows pending. Getting anxious about when it will actually process.
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Rhett Bowman
•Mine took 2 weeks to process with no issues. If it goes longer than that you might want to call and check if there are any problems.
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Abigail Patel
Just remember the amount they calculate is before taxes. If you choose to have federal and state taxes withheld, your actual payment will be less. I think it's 10% federal and 7% state tax withholding.
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Donna Cline
•Oh man I didn't even think about taxes! So if my weekly amount is $577 I'd actually get like $478 after taxes?
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Abigail Patel
•Something like that, yeah. You can change your tax withholding settings in your Washington ESD account if you want.
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Daniel White
•I recommend having taxes withheld unless you're good about saving money for tax season. Unemployment benefits are fully taxable.
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Nolan Carter
The benefit estimator tool is pretty accurate but remember it's just an estimate. Your actual amount might be slightly different based on exactly which quarters they use and any wage corrections. Don't count on the exact penny amount until it's official.
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Natalia Stone
•This is good advice. Mine ended up being $30 less per week than the estimator said because they had to adjust some wage information from one of my previous employers.
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Donna Cline
•That's concerning... how do I make sure they have all my correct wage info?
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Tasia Synder
If you worked for multiple employers in the past year, make sure Washington ESD has wage records from all of them. Sometimes smaller companies are slow to report wages and it can affect your benefit calculation. You can request a wage transcript to verify.
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Donna Cline
•I only worked at one place for the past 2 years so hopefully that makes it simpler.
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Selena Bautista
•That definitely makes it easier. Single employer claims usually process faster too.
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Mohamed Anderson
•Yeah but make sure that employer actually reported your wages correctly. I had issues with a previous job not reporting my overtime pay properly.
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Ellie Perry
Been dealing with Washington ESD for months on various issues. Pro tip: if you need to actually speak with someone about your benefit calculation or any problems, try Claimyr. They help you get through to agents without sitting on hold forever. Made a huge difference for me when I had questions about my claim.
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Landon Morgan
•Is that the callback service people keep mentioning? Might be worth it if my claim takes too long to process.
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Ellie Perry
•Yeah exactly. Way better than trying to call during their busy hours and getting disconnected. They have a demo video that explains how it works.
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Teresa Boyd
Don't forget you'll also need to meet the job search requirements to keep getting benefits. In Washington you need to make 3 job contacts per week and keep a log. This doesn't affect your benefit amount but you won't get paid if you don't comply.
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Donna Cline
•3 job contacts per week seems like a lot when I'm just trying to figure out my benefit amount first!
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Lourdes Fox
•You have to do both - the job search starts right away even while your claim is processing. Better to start early so you don't miss any weeks.
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Bruno Simmons
•The job search requirement info is all on WorkSourceWA website. You'll need to register there anyway.
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Aileen Rodriguez
One thing to watch out for - if you had any pension or retirement account withdrawals in the past year, that might affect your benefit calculation. Washington ESD counts certain types of retirement income when determining your weekly amount.
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Donna Cline
•I'm only 28 so no retirement stuff to worry about thankfully.
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Zane Gray
•Good! That's one less complication. The younger you are the more straightforward the benefit calculation usually is.
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Maggie Martinez
Just wanted to add that once you do find out your weekly benefit amount, that's the maximum you can get each week. If you work part-time while on unemployment, they'll reduce your weekly payment based on how much you earn. It's not dollar for dollar though - there's some formula they use.
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Donna Cline
•I wasn't planning to work part-time but good to know in case I need to pick up some hours somewhere.
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Alejandro Castro
•Yeah you can earn up to like $200 or something before they start reducing your benefits. Don't quote me on the exact amount though.
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Monique Byrd
•It's actually more complicated than that. They have worksheets and everything. Best to check with Washington ESD directly if you're planning to work while collecting.
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