How does unemployment work in Washington State - confused first-timer needs help

Sorry to hear about your job loss. The Washington ESD system can be confusing at first but it's not too bad once you understand the basics. You'll file your initial claim online at esd.wa.gov, then file weekly claims every week to keep getting benefits. You'll need your Social Security number, employment history for the past 18 months, and your separation information from your employer.

The whole process is pretty straightforward once you get started. After you file your initial claim, you'll get a determination letter in about a week telling you if you're approved and how much your weekly benefit amount will be. Then you just file your weekly claims every Sunday.

One thing that saved me a lot of hassle was using Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD when I had questions about my claim. The phone lines are always busy and I was spending hours trying to call. Claimyr (claimyr.com) basically calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really helped when I needed to check on my claim status.

Make sure you understand the job search requirements too. You'll need to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and keep a log of them. This trips up a lot of people.

ugh the whole system is such a nightmare. took me 6 weeks to get my first payment because they put my claim in adjudication for no reason. good luck getting anyone on the phone to explain what's happening

The weekly claim questions are pretty straightforward - did you work, did you look for work, are you able and available to work. Just answer honestly and you'll be fine.

One more tip - set up your SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account early if you don't have one already. That's how you'll access your unemployment account online. Sometimes it takes a day or two to get verified.

Don't stress too much about making mistakes. The system is designed to help people and most issues can be fixed. Just file your claim as soon as possible because there's a waiting week before you can start getting payments.

I remember being just as confused when I first filed. The Washington ESD website has some good tutorial videos that walk you through the whole process step by step. Check those out before you start filing.

Also keep in mind that your benefit amount is based on your earnings from the past year, not just your most recent job. So if you had other jobs in the past 18 months, make sure you include all that information when you file.

Just to follow up on my earlier comment about Claimyr - I ended up using them again when I had issues with my job search log getting rejected. The agent was able to explain exactly what I was doing wrong and how to fix it. Definitely worth it if you run into problems and can't get through on the phone.

Make sure you file your claim on the right day of the week based on your Social Security number. Washington ESD has specific days for filing to spread out the load on their system.

been through this whole process twice now and the key is just being patient and following the rules exactly. Don't try to game the system or leave anything out - they will find out and it just creates more problems

The good news is that once you get your first payment, the rest usually goes pretty smoothly as long as you keep up with your weekly claims and job search requirements. It's just that initial setup and first few weeks that can be confusing.

One thing I wish someone had told me - keep records of EVERYTHING. Save all your determination letters, correspondence from Washington ESD, job search logs, everything. You never know when you might need to reference something.

The Washington ESD customer service is actually pretty helpful once you get through to them. The problem is just getting through. That's where services like Claimyr come in handy - they handle the waiting and calling for you.

Don't forget that you can also visit a WorkSource office in person if you need help with your claim or job search. Sometimes face-to-face help is easier than trying to figure everything out online.

The most important thing is to file your initial claim as soon as possible after you lose your job. You can't get benefits for weeks before you file, so don't wait around thinking about it.

Also remember that unemployment benefits are taxable income, so you might want to have taxes withheld from your payments to avoid owing money at tax time.

One last tip - if your claim gets denied for any reason, don't panic. You have the right to appeal and lots of denials get overturned if you provide the right information or documentation.