How does unemployment quarters work with Washington ESD benefits?

Okay that makes more sense. So if I file in February 2025, they look at Oct 2023 through Sept 2024?

Exactly! That would be your base period. You need at least $1,000 in your highest quarter and total wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter amount in the entire base period.

Oh no, I did work in Oregon for 3 months last year. Does that complicate things?

it can, but washington esd can usually combine wages from other states. you'll just need to provide documentation from oregon too

Have you tried calling right when they open? I found that helps sometimes but even then it's hit or miss.

I actually found something that helped me get through to Washington ESD faster. There's this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically handles the calling for you. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. I was skeptical at first but it actually got me connected to a real person who could explain my quarter situation properly.

Interesting, I'll check that out. At this point I'm willing to try anything to avoid those endless hold times.

That's really helpful to know! I was worried because most of my work was more recent.

Wait, do you automatically get the alternate base period or do you have to request it?

Washington ESD should automatically check the alternate base period if you don't qualify with the regular one, but sometimes you need to specifically ask for it or appeal if they miss it.

Good point, all my work was W-2 employment so I should be okay there.

Yeah the 1099 thing caught me off guard when I first filed. Had to explain to the Washington ESD rep why I had earnings that didn't show up in their system.

It's based on earnings, not weeks worked. As long as you have wages reported in that quarter, it counts toward your base period calculation.

That's right - even if you only worked one day in a quarter, if you earned money that was reported to Washington ESD, it counts for that quarter.

Exactly! And that $6000 total needs to be outside of your highest quarter. So in your example, you'd need the $4000 high quarter plus at least $6000 in the other 3 quarters combined.

Oh wow, that's actually harder than I thought. I might be cutting it close.

Do you happen to have a direct link? I always get lost navigating their site.

I don't have it handy but if you search 'Washington ESD benefit calculator' it should come up. You'll need your wage information from each quarter.

I feel you. The whole system is designed to be confusing. Have you tried just filing anyway? Sometimes it's easier to let Washington ESD tell you if you qualify rather than trying to figure it out yourself.

That's what I did. Filed first, asked questions later. Turned out I qualified even though I was sure I didn't have enough quarters.

Really? I had no idea military service could count. That might help my brother who just got out of the Army.

Yeah, it's called UCX (Unemployment Compensation for Ex-service members). The rules are different but it can definitely help with qualifying.

How much did it cost? I'm tempted to try it but don't want to spend a fortune just to talk to someone.

It was worth it for me to avoid the hassle, but you can check their site for current pricing. The time saved alone made it worthwhile.

That's great news! How long did it take to hear back about your approval?

Only took about 3 days for the initial determination. Now I just need to start filing my weekly claims.

That's a really important distinction. I think that might have affected my calculation when I filed.

Yeah, payroll timing can definitely shift which quarter your wages count in. It's another reason why the whole system is so confusing.

Agreed. I spent weeks trying to figure it out myself when I should have just filed from the start.

Thanks everyone for all the help! I think I'll just go ahead and file and see what happens. This thread has been really helpful.