How do you know how much unemployment you get - Washington ESD benefit calculation help

Washington ESD uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed). They take that amount and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit. Maximum is currently $999/week in WA. They'll use earnings from all jobs during that period, not just one.

Thanks! So if my highest quarter was $18,000 total from both jobs, I'd get about $692 per week? That seems really high compared to what I expected.

That sounds about right! Washington has one of the higher maximum benefit amounts in the country. You should get a monetary determination letter once your claim is processed that breaks down the exact calculation.

i think theres also a minimum you have to earn in your base period to qualify at all, like $3800 or something? not sure of exact amount but they look at total earnings not just one quarter

Yes, you need at least $3,850 in your base period AND earnings in at least two quarters. Plus your highest quarter has to be at least 1.5 times what you earned in your lowest quarter.

Wow there are so many requirements! Good thing I worked consistently at both jobs. Hope I meet all the criteria.

I've been trying to call Washington ESD for three days to ask about my benefit calculation because my online account isn't showing the breakdown properly. Every time I call I either get busy signals or get disconnected after waiting an hour. Has anyone found a way to actually reach them?

I had the same issue last month! I found this service called Claimyr that actually gets you through to Washington ESD agents. You go to claimyr.com and they handle the calling for you. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much time and frustration.

Interesting, never heard of that. Does it actually work? I'm getting desperate here.

Yeah it worked great for me. I was able to get my benefit calculation explained and resolve an issue with my job separation reason all in one call. Way better than spending hours redialing.

The calculation is more complicated than just dividing by 26. There's also something about using 3.85% of total base period wages if that's higher than the quarterly method. Anyone know how that works?

You're thinking of the alternative calculation method. They calculate both ways and give you whichever is higher. So they'll do highest quarter ÷ 26 AND total base period wages × 0.0385 ÷ 52, then use the higher amount.

Ah that makes sense! So if you had really consistent earnings across all quarters the alternative method might give you more.

JUST A WARNING - make sure all your employers reported your wages correctly to Washington ESD! I found out one of my previous jobs had the wrong SSN on file and it took 6 weeks to fix. My benefit amount was way lower than it should have been until they corrected it.

Oh no, how do you check if wages were reported correctly? Both my jobs were pretty big companies so hopefully they did it right.

You can see your wage history in your eServices account once your claim is processed. If something looks wrong you'll need to contact Washington ESD to investigate. And good luck getting through on the phone!

Does anyone know if bonuses count toward the base period wages? I got a pretty big year-end bonus in December that would really help my benefit calculation if it counts.

Yes, all wages subject to unemployment taxes count, including bonuses, commissions, tips, etc. As long as your employer paid UI taxes on it, it should be included in your base period wages.

Awesome, that's great news! My bonus was definitely taxed so it should boost my weekly amount significantly.

ugh this is all so confusing. why cant they just tell you upfront what youll get instead of making you wait for some determination letter that might take weeks?? the whole system is ridiculous

i totally agree, the waiting is the worst part especially when you need to budget and plan

Yeah I wish there was like a calculator or something where you could estimate it yourself beforehand.

There actually used to be a benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website but they removed it a few years ago. I think because too many people were confused when their actual amount was different due to wage reporting issues or other factors.

That makes sense. The calculation seems straightforward but there are so many variables that can affect it - wage corrections, appeals, alternative base periods, etc.

Pro tip: if your benefit amount seems too low when you get your determination, you can request to use an alternative base period. This uses more recent quarters and can help if you had a pay increase or started a new job recently.

Good to know! I did get a raise at my main job about 8 months ago so that might help if the standard calculation doesn't include those higher wages.

Exactly! The alternative base period uses the most recent 4 completed quarters instead of the first 4 of the last 5. Can make a big difference for people with recent wage increases.

I'm still waiting on my monetary determination after 2 weeks. Called multiple times and keep getting told it's 'processing' with no timeline. This is ridiculous when people need to know their benefit amount to budget.

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr when I had issues. Being able to actually talk to someone and get real answers instead of generic 'it's processing' responses was worth it.

I might have to look into that. This whole process is way more stressful than it needs to be.

One thing to remember is that your benefit amount also affects how long you can collect. In Washington you get up to 26 weeks but the total amount is capped at 26 times your weekly benefit or 30% of your base period wages, whichever is less.

Wait, so even if you qualify for 26 weeks you might not get the full 26 weeks if your wages weren't high enough?

Exactly. If 30% of your base period wages is less than 26 weeks worth of benefits, you'll exhaust your claim early. It's another reason why having higher base period wages matters.

Does Washington ESD count overtime pay differently than regular wages for the calculation? I worked a ton of overtime last year and want to make sure it's all included properly.

Overtime is treated the same as regular wages - it all counts toward your base period earnings as long as UI taxes were paid on it. The calculation doesn't distinguish between regular time and overtime.

just got my determination letter and my amount is way different than i calculated. apparently one of my employers didnt report Q3 wages correctly and now i have to wait for them to investigate. so frustrating!!

That's exactly what happened to me! The investigation took forever but they did fix it eventually and gave me back pay for the difference.

How long did your investigation take? I can't afford to wait months for this to get sorted out.

For anyone still confused about the calculation, I found this helpful: Washington ESD looks at your earnings in each quarter of your base period, finds the highest quarter, then divides by 26. BUT they also calculate 3.85% of your total base period wages divided by 52 weeks. You get whichever amount is higher. Maximum is $999/week, minimum is $295/week.

This is super helpful! So with my numbers, highest quarter of $18k ÷ 26 = $692, but if my total base period was like $65k, then $65k × 0.0385 ÷ 52 = $48 per week which is way lower. So I'd get the $692.

You've got it! The alternative calculation rarely gives you more unless your earnings were very evenly distributed across all quarters.

important reminder that if you worked in multiple states you might need to file in the state where you worked most or earned the most. washington esd can only use wages from washington employers for the calculation unless you combine claims

Good point! Luckily both my jobs were in Washington so I don't have to worry about that complication.

The whole system would be so much easier if they just had live chat or something instead of making everyone call. I spent literally 6 hours over 3 days trying to get through about my benefit calculation.

That's the beauty of services like Claimyr - they handle all that calling frustration for you. I used to waste entire days trying to get through and now I just let them deal with it.

Just want to add that if you're denied or get a low benefit amount, don't give up! You can appeal within 30 days of your determination. I appealed mine last year because they missed wages from a previous employer and ended up getting $200 more per week after it was resolved.

That's encouraging! I'll definitely appeal if something seems wrong with my calculation. Thanks for all the helpful info everyone!

No problem! The key is keeping good records of all your employment and wages so you can prove your case if needed.