How does Washington ESD unemployment get paid - confused about payment methods
I just got approved for unemployment benefits after waiting 6 weeks for adjudication to finish. Washington ESD says my weekly benefit amount is $487 but I have no idea how I'm supposed to actually receive the money. Do they mail checks? Direct deposit? The website isn't clear and I can't get through on the phone. I've been filing my weekly claims but haven't seen any payments yet. This is my first time on unemployment so I'm completely lost on how the payment process works.
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Javier Garcia
Washington ESD uses direct deposit by default now. You should have set up your banking info when you first applied. Check your account profile on the secure website to make sure your bank account details are correct.
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NebulaNomad
•I think I did enter my bank info but I'm not 100% sure. Where exactly do I find that on the Washington ESD website?
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Javier Garcia
•Log into your account and look for 'Payment Information' or 'Direct Deposit' in the account settings section.
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Emma Taylor
payments usually come tuesday or wednesday if you file your weekly claim by sunday. but if its your first payment after adjudication it might take longer
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NebulaNomad
•Good to know about the timing. I filed this week's claim on Sunday so hopefully I'll see something by Wednesday.
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Malik Robinson
If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD to verify your payment setup, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really helped me resolve my payment issues when I couldn't get through the regular phone lines.
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NebulaNomad
•Never heard of that service before. Is it legit? I'm desperate to talk to someone at this point.
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Malik Robinson
•Yeah it's legitimate. Basically helps you get connected when the phone lines are busy. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.
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Isabella Silva
•I used Claimyr too when I had direct deposit problems. Much easier than trying to call Washington ESD directly.
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Ravi Choudhury
The first payment after adjudication can take 7-10 business days even after you start filing weekly claims. Washington ESD has to process all the back payments from when your claim was pending. Make sure you keep filing every week even if you don't see payments yet.
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NebulaNomad
•That makes sense. I was worried I was doing something wrong. So I should get back pay for all those weeks during adjudication?
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Ravi Choudhury
•Yes, as long as you were filing weekly claims during adjudication, you should get paid for all those weeks retroactively.
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CosmosCaptain
ugh the washington esd payment system is so confusing!! took me forever to figure out where to update my direct deposit info when i changed banks
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Freya Johansen
•Where did you find it? I've been looking all over the website and can't locate the payment settings.
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CosmosCaptain
•i think its under account maintenance or something like that. not very obvious!
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Javier Garcia
Just to clarify the timing - Washington ESD processes payments on Tuesdays for claims filed by Sunday midnight. If you have direct deposit, the money usually shows up Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. If you don't have direct deposit set up, they'll mail a debit card which takes longer.
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NebulaNomad
•Wait, they use debit cards now instead of checks? That's news to me.
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Javier Garcia
•Yes, Washington ESD switched to debit cards for people without direct deposit a few years ago. The card comes from KeyBank.
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Omar Fawzi
•The KeyBank debit card is actually pretty convenient once you get it. No fees for most ATM withdrawals.
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Isabella Silva
I'm still waiting for my first payment too after 4 weeks of filing weekly claims. Starting to think something is wrong with my account setup.
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Ravi Choudhury
•4 weeks is definitely too long. You should check if there are any unresolved issues on your account or contact Washington ESD to see what's holding up your payments.
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Malik Robinson
•That's exactly the kind of situation where Claimyr helped me. I was in the same boat - weeks of filing with no payments. Turned out there was a verification issue that Washington ESD never told me about.
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Freya Johansen
Does anyone know if you can change from the debit card to direct deposit after you've already started receiving payments? My bank account situation changed and direct deposit would be easier now.
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Javier Garcia
•Yes, you can change payment methods through your online account. Just update your banking information and it should take effect for future payments.
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Freya Johansen
•Thanks! I'll try to find that setting on the website.
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Emma Taylor
pro tip - if you get the keybank debit card make sure to activate it right away. mine sat in my mailbox for a week before i realized what it was
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Chloe Wilson
•Same thing happened to me! I thought it was junk mail at first.
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Omar Fawzi
The payment delays are getting ridiculous lately. I know Washington ESD is overwhelmed but people need their money to survive. At least the direct deposit is reliable once it gets going.
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CosmosCaptain
•tell me about it! waited 2 months for my first payment last year. thankfully things seem faster now
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Ravi Choudhury
•The system has definitely improved since the worst of the pandemic backlog, but there are still delays for complex cases.
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NebulaNomad
Update - I found the payment information section on the Washington ESD website and my direct deposit info looks correct. Hopefully I'll see my first payment this week. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Javier Garcia
•Great! Keep filing those weekly claims and you should start seeing regular payments soon.
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Malik Robinson
•Glad you got it sorted out. If you run into any other issues, remember that Claimyr option for getting through to Washington ESD quickly.
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Diego Mendoza
Just wanted to add that Washington ESD sends an email notification when payments are processed, so check your email (including spam folder) for payment confirmations.
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NebulaNomad
•Good point! I should probably check my spam folder more regularly.
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Isabella Silva
Follow-up question - do the payments include the $487 weekly benefit plus any back pay from the adjudication period all at once, or do they come separately?
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Ravi Choudhury
•Usually Washington ESD processes all the back payments in one lump sum, then regular weekly payments after that. But sometimes they spread it out over a few payments if there are multiple weeks involved.
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Isabella Silva
•That makes sense. I'm hoping to get a decent chunk of back pay since my adjudication took so long.
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Anastasia Romanov
The Washington ESD payment system used to be much worse. At least now you can track payment status online instead of just waiting and hoping.
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Omar Fawzi
•True, the online tracking has made things more transparent. Still wish the payments were faster though.
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Freya Johansen
I successfully changed my payment method from the debit card to direct deposit through the website. Took about 10 minutes to find the right section but it was pretty straightforward once I located it.
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NebulaNomad
•That's good to know for future reference. Hopefully I won't need to change mine but good to know it's possible.
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Malik Robinson
For anyone still struggling with payment issues or need to speak with Washington ESD about payment problems, I can't recommend Claimyr enough. Their service at claimyr.com really works for getting through when you need actual help from an agent.
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Emma Taylor
•how much does something like that cost? seems like it might be worth it if youre really stuck
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Malik Robinson
•I found it worthwhile given how much time it saved me. Check out their demo video to see if it's right for your situation.
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StellarSurfer
Washington ESD payments have been pretty reliable for me once everything got set up. The key is making sure all your information is correct from the start.
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NebulaNomad
•That seems to be the consensus - get everything set up correctly at the beginning and then it runs smoothly.
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Chloe Wilson
One thing to watch out for - if you move or change banks, update your information with Washington ESD immediately. I had a friend whose payments got delayed for weeks because of an old address.
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Javier Garcia
•Excellent point. Any changes to personal information should be updated promptly to avoid payment disruptions.
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Sean Kelly
Final tip - keep records of all your weekly claim filings and payment confirmations. If there are ever disputes or issues, having documentation helps resolve things faster with Washington ESD.
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NebulaNomad
•Great advice. I'll start keeping better records from now on.
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Ravi Choudhury
•Yes, documentation is crucial when dealing with any government benefit program. Screenshot everything important.
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NebulaNomad
Thanks again everyone! This thread has been incredibly helpful. I feel much more confident about the payment process now and know what to expect.
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Javier Garcia
•Glad we could help! Feel free to post updates once your payments start coming through.
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Malik Robinson
•Best of luck! Remember that Claimyr resource if you need to reach Washington ESD for any payment issues.
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