How do you know how much unemployment you will get from Washington ESD?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest quarter earnings during your base period. They take your highest quarter wages and divide by 26. So if your highest quarter was $18,500, your weekly benefit would be around $711 before taxes. The maximum weekly benefit amount in Washington is currently $999.

You should get a monetary determination letter from Washington ESD within 1-2 weeks of filing that shows your exact weekly benefit amount. It'll break down all your wages from each quarter in your base period and show the calculation. You can also check your eServices account online to see if it's posted there yet.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check on your monetary determination, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get connected to actual ESD agents without waiting on hold for hours. I used it when I needed to verify my benefit amount and got through in about 20 minutes. Check out claimyr.com - they even have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

The formula is actually a bit more complex than just dividing by 26. Washington ESD uses your TWO highest quarters, not just one. They add your two highest quarters together, divide by 2 to get an average, then divide that by 26. So if your highest was $18,500 and second highest was $16,200, it would be ($18,500 + $16,200) / 2 = $17,350, then $17,350 / 26 = $667 per week.

You guys are overcomplicating this. Just wait for your monetary determination letter. It'll show exactly how much you'll get and you don't have to guess. Mine came in like 8 days.

There's definitely some confusion here about the calculation. From what I understand, Washington state uses the highest quarter method, not an average of two quarters. The weekly benefit amount is calculated as your highest quarter earnings divided by 26, up to the maximum. But there might be minimum thresholds too.

This is why I hate dealing with government websites. The information should be clearer. I've been trying to call Washington ESD for three weeks to ask about my benefit amount and can never get through.

For what it's worth, I just went through this process. Washington ESD uses your highest quarter wages divided by 26. My highest quarter was $19,800 and my weekly benefit is $761. They also sent me a breakdown showing all four quarters of my base period wages.

Don't forget they'll also take out taxes if you elect to have them withheld. I think it's 10% federal tax that gets taken out automatically if you choose that option. So your actual deposit will be less than your weekly benefit amount.

The maximum weekly benefit amount in Washington is $999 as of 2025, but you have to have pretty high earnings to qualify for that. Most people get somewhere between $300-700 per week depending on their wages.

I'm still confused about base period vs benefit year. Are they the same thing? And when does the base period start and end?

If you filed recently, you should also check if your wages are all reported correctly in your monetary determination when you get it. Sometimes employers don't report wages properly and it can affect your benefit amount.

Honestly the whole process is confusing. I wish there was just a simple calculator on the Washington ESD website where you could enter your wages and see what you'd get.

I had to use Claimyr too when I couldn't get through to ESD. Got connected to an agent who explained my whole monetary determination over the phone. Worth it when you're stressed about money and can't get answers.

Just remember that even after you get your monetary determination, you still have to file weekly claims and meet all the job search requirements to actually receive payments. The benefit amount is just your potential weekly payment.

For budgeting purposes, I'd estimate on the lower side until you get your official determination. Better to be pleasantly surprised than counting on money that might not come.

The monetary determination should come pretty quickly. I filed on a Tuesday and got mine the following Monday in the mail. It shows everything - your base period wages, weekly benefit amount, and maximum benefit amount for the year.

Based on your $18,500 highest quarter, you're looking at around $711 per week before taxes. That's assuming Washington still uses the simple highest quarter divided by 26 formula. Should be a decent amount to help with expenses while you're job searching.