How does Washington ESD calculate your weekly unemployment pay amount?

That makes sense! My highest quarter was around $12,600 so the math checks out. Thanks for explaining it clearly.

Wait is it really that simple? I thought there were other factors involved.

What if you worked multiple jobs during that quarter? Do they count all the wages together?

Yes, all covered wages from all employers in that quarter count toward your total quarterly earnings.

How does that service work exactly? I might need to call about my calculation too.

It basically navigates the phone system for you and gets you to a real person. Way better than trying to call repeatedly yourself.

Interesting, never heard of that before but calling Washington ESD is definitely a nightmare.

18,000 divided by 26 is about $692, so that sounds correct. Remember it's not an exact division - Washington ESD rounds to the nearest dollar.

Ah okay that makes sense. I was doing the math wrong thinking it should be exactly $700.

Unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have 10% federal tax withheld when you file your weekly claims, or you can pay taxes when you file your annual return.

Good to know. I'll probably have them withhold taxes to avoid a big bill later.

Self-employment income usually doesn't count toward regular UI benefits. You'd need to have W-2 wages from covered employment. Commission income that was reported on W-2 forms would count though.

Got it, so it's only W-2 wages that matter for the calculation.

The base period is determined by when you file your claim. It's typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. So if you filed in February 2025, your base period would be October 2023 through September 2024.

That helps explain why my calculation seemed weird. I was looking at the wrong quarters.

Yeah the base period thing trips up a lot of people. It's not intuitive at all.

Yes, there's a minimum weekly benefit of $295 in Washington state as of 2025. But you still need to meet the earnings requirements to qualify in the first place.

Okay good to know there's at least a floor. Thanks!

Overtime pay is treated the same as regular wages - it all counts toward your quarterly earnings if it was reported on your W-2.

Perfect, that's what I hoped. Had a lot of overtime in my highest quarter.

Yes, you can appeal your monetary determination if you believe there's an error. You have 30 days from the date of the determination to file an appeal with Washington ESD.

Good to know. I want to double-check my wages before I decide if I need to appeal.

If you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your calculation, definitely try claimyr.com. Saved me so much time compared to calling repeatedly.

Bonuses count if they were included in your W-2 wages and reported in the quarter they were paid, not necessarily the quarter they were earned.

Ah that timing distinction is important. My year-end bonus was paid in January so it would be in Q1.

If you don't qualify using the standard base period, Washington ESD can look at an alternative base period which uses the most recent 4 completed quarters. This helps people who worked more recently but didn't have enough earnings in the standard base period.

That's exactly my situation! I should ask about that when I call.

Yeah definitely ask about it. A lot of people don't know that option exists.

No, the weekly benefit calculation is the same whether you're on standby or regular UI. Standby just means you expect to return to your job within a specific timeframe.

Got it, thanks. I wasn't sure if standby had different rules.

Washington ESD can combine wages from other states through interstate wage transfers. You'd need to provide information about your out-of-state employment when you file your claim.

Okay that's good to know. I worked in Oregon for part of my base period.

There's typically a one-week waiting period for the first week you file, but Washington has suspended this in recent years. Check your current claim status to see if it applies to your situation.

Thanks, I'll check my account to see what the current policy is.

Washington ESD updates the maximum weekly benefit amount annually, usually effective the first Sunday in July. It's based on the state's average weekly wage.

So if you're already on benefits when it changes, do you get the new amount?

Your benefit amount is locked in when your claim is established. You don't get increases during your benefit year even if the maximum goes up.

If there's a wage dispute, Washington ESD will investigate and make a determination. Both you and your employer have appeal rights if you disagree with their decision.

Hopefully it doesn't come to that but good to know there's a process.

Vacation pay and severance don't affect your benefit calculation since they're not regular wages, but they can affect when you're eligible to start receiving benefits. There may be a waiting period depending on how much you received.

Ah that makes sense. The timing matters more than the calculation itself.

I had questions about severance too and used claimyr.com to get through to someone at Washington ESD. They explained exactly how it would affect my claim timeline.

Yes, your monetary determination notice shows your wages for each quarter in your base period and identifies which quarter was your highest. If you need more detail, you can request wage records from Washington ESD.

Perfect, I'll look at my determination more carefully. Thanks for all the helpful info!

This whole thread has been super helpful for understanding the calculation. I was totally confused before.