How is unemployment calculated in Washington ESD - confused about benefit amounts

So they don't use my total annual earnings? Just one quarter?

Correct - just your highest earning quarter. That's why seasonal workers sometimes get surprised by lower benefits than expected.

Yeah it's confusing. If you had uneven earnings throughout the year, your benefit might be much lower than you'd expect from looking at your annual total.

This is so frustrating. I made decent money overall but had some slow quarters because of the industry I'm in.

I had the same problem until I discovered Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents automatically. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked - got connected within 2 hours instead of calling for days. Check out claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

How do I know which base period they used for my claim?

It should be on your monetary determination letter. If you don't have that or can't access it online, you'll need to contact Washington ESD directly.

I get the frustration but the quarterly system is designed to ensure benefits are based on recent work history, not just a good year from way back.

still doesn't make sense to me. if someone worked all year they should get benefits based on that full year not just 3 months

Oh great, another thing to worry about. Where can I find info about the earnings limits?

It's on the Washington ESD website under partial unemployment benefits. Generally you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount before they start deducting dollar for dollar.

How would I check if my wages were reported correctly?

You can request a wage transcript from Washington ESD or check with your employers to make sure they submitted their quarterly reports. If wages are missing you can appeal to get them added.

Yes, all taxable wages including bonuses and overtime are included in the quarterly totals used for calculating your benefit rate.

awesome, that explains why my benefits are higher than I expected then

Wait that doesn't sound right. Shouldn't it be more recent than that?

That's how the standard base period works - there's always a lag. If you want more recent wages you have to qualify for alternate base period which has different requirements.

How do you request alternate base period? Is it automatic or do you have to ask?

You have to request it specifically and meet certain criteria. I had to contact Washington ESD to get it reviewed, which was a nightmare until I used that calling service someone mentioned earlier.

What's the difference with standby? I thought the weekly amount was the same.

The calculation is the same but the eligibility rules are different. You don't have to do job searches on standby but you have to be available to return to your employer when called back.

I did work in Oregon for a few months last year. How does that process work?

You'll need to contact Washington ESD and provide documentation of your out-of-state wages. They can request the wage records from other states and recalculate your benefit if it results in a higher amount.

You should report all wages, including side gigs if you received W-2s or 1099s. If you left something out you might be able to appeal to get those wages added to your base period calculation.

ugh, I hope it's not too late to fix this. The side gig wages weren't huge but every little bit helps right now

I used that calculator and it was way off from my actual benefit amount. Turns out one of my employers hadn't reported wages yet when I filed.

Yeah that's the problem with the calculator - it can only work with the wage data Washington ESD has on file at the time you use it.

You can request a detailed breakdown from Washington ESD. I had to call to get mine but it shows which quarters they used and the exact calculation formula. Really helpful for understanding where the number comes from.

Thanks! I'll try calling. Hopefully I can get through without waiting hours.

Good luck with that. I mentioned earlier I've been trying for weeks. That Claimyr service someone mentioned might be worth checking out if you get frustrated with the phone lines.

That's good advice. I'll gather all my paperwork just in case there are issues with my claim.

Smart move. It's better to have it and not need it than the other way around, especially when dealing with unemployment claims.