How is unemployment calculated in Washington state - confused about WBA formula

Washington ESD uses your base year earnings to calculate benefits. They look at the four quarters before you filed your claim, find your two highest quarters, and use 3.85% of that amount as your weekly benefit. There's also a maximum weekly amount - I think it's around $999 for 2025.

So it's not based on just one quarter? That makes more sense. Where can I find my base year earnings breakdown?

Yes, it's your two highest quarters combined. You should be able to see the breakdown in your eServices account under 'Monetary Determination' or it was in the letter they mailed you.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my calculation because the numbers don't match what I expected either. The phone system is impossible - I either get disconnected or sit on hold for hours. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there?

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to an actual Washington ESD agent who explained my benefit calculation in detail. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Really? How does that work exactly? I'm desperate at this point.

Basically they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when they get through to a real person. Saved me hours of frustration.

wait so if I made $45k last year but it was mostly in the first half of the year and then I got laid off, does that affect my calculation? I'm worried they're only looking at recent quarters where I made less money

The base year is the first four of the last five completed quarters before you filed. So if you filed in January 2025, they'd look at quarters from October 2023 through September 2024. Recent layoff timing shouldn't hurt you if your high earnings were in that period.

OK that actually makes me feel better, my highest earnings were definitely in that timeframe

The whole system is confusing as hell. I made $60k last year and only get $425 a week which is barely half my regular pay. Meanwhile my rent is $1800 and bills don't stop coming. The percentage seems way lower than what they advertise.

Unfortunately unemployment typically replaces about 40-50% of your average weekly wage, not your full income. It's designed as temporary assistance, not full income replacement.

That's still better than nothing though. I know people who don't qualify at all because they were contractors or didn't work enough quarters.

True, I'm grateful to have something, just wish it was enough to actually live on

Here's the actual formula Washington ESD uses: They take your two highest quarters of base year earnings, multiply by 0.0385 (3.85%), and that's your weekly benefit amount. But there's a minimum of $295 and maximum of $999 per week for 2025. Your total benefit amount is usually 26 times your weekly amount, but can't exceed 30% of your total base year earnings.

This is exactly what I needed! So if my two highest quarters were $15,000 and $14,000, that's $29,000 x 0.0385 = $1,116.50, but capped at $999?

Exactly right. You'd get the maximum $999 per week in that case.

Wow I didn't realize there was a cap. That explains why some people seem to max out regardless of how much they made.

Does anyone know if overtime pay counts toward the calculation? I worked a ton of OT in my highest quarters

Yes, overtime counts as regular wages for benefit calculation purposes. Any W-2 wages reported to Washington ESD by your employer count.

Good to know, thanks! That probably helped bump up my benefit amount then

I think there might be different rules if you're on standby vs regular unemployment? My union rep mentioned something about that but I wasn't really paying attention at the time

Standby benefits use the same calculation formula, but you might have different eligibility requirements. The weekly benefit amount calculation is the same across all UI programs in Washington.

Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying

Just wanted to add that if you think your calculation is wrong, you can appeal it. I had an issue where one of my employers didn't report wages correctly and it affected my benefit amount. Had to provide pay stubs to prove my actual earnings.

How long did the appeal process take? I'm starting to think one of my employers might not have reported everything correctly either.

Mine took about 6 weeks but that was during COVID when everything was backed up. Probably faster now. You have to file the appeal within 30 days of your monetary determination though.

The calculation seems fair enough but the real problem is trying to get help when you have questions. I spent 4 hours on hold yesterday just to ask about one line item on my determination letter

Have you tried the Claimyr service? My coworker used it last month when she had benefit calculation questions. They got her through to someone at Washington ESD same day.

Never heard of it, is it legit?

Yeah it's real, check out claimyr.com. Basically they do the waiting and calling for you. Way better than sitting on hold all day.

One thing to watch out for - if you have wages from multiple states, Washington might not count all of them. I had to do some kind of interstate claim thing because I worked in Oregon for part of my base year.

Yeah that's called an interstate claim. Washington ESD can usually pull wages from other states but sometimes there are delays or issues with the data transfer.

Exactly, took an extra 3 weeks to get my claim processed because of that

Quick question - do bonuses count toward the calculation? I got a decent year-end bonus that might have pushed me into a higher bracket

Yes, bonuses are treated as regular wages as long as they're subject to unemployment tax withholding. They'll show up in your quarterly wage reports from your employer.

Perfect, that probably helped my WBA then. Thanks!

I hate that the system is so complicated. Why can't they just use your last year's income and give you a simple percentage? All this base year quarter stuff is confusing

The quarter system is actually designed to prevent fraud and make sure people actually worked recently. If they just used annual income, someone could work one month and then claim benefits for a whole year.

I guess that makes sense from a policy perspective, still annoying though

For anyone still confused, Washington ESD has a benefit calculator on their website where you can estimate your weekly amount. It's not 100% accurate but gives you a ballpark figure.

I tried that but couldn't figure out how to find my quarterly wages to input. The calculator asks for specific amounts by quarter.

You should be able to see quarterly wages in your eServices account under 'Wage and Benefit History' or on your annual Social Security statement.

Just remember that whatever your WBA is, you still have to meet all the other requirements like job search and weekly claiming. The calculation is just one part of staying eligible.

Good point. I've seen people get their benefits calculated correctly but then lose them because they missed job search requirements or didn't file weekly claims on time.

Exactly, the calculation is the easy part compared to maintaining eligibility week after week

Does anyone know if the calculation is different for people who are partially unemployed? Like if you're still working part-time while claiming benefits?

The initial WBA calculation is the same, but your weekly benefit gets reduced based on how much you earn each week. Generally you can earn up to 1.5 times your WBA before you lose benefits entirely for that week.

Thanks, that's helpful. I might need to do partial claims if I can find part-time work.

All this talk about calculations but has anyone actually gotten through to verify their numbers? I'm pretty sure Washington ESD made an error on mine but can't reach anyone to discuss it

I finally got through using Claimyr after weeks of trying on my own. Turns out there was actually an error in my calculation - one employer's wages weren't included properly. Got it fixed and my WBA went up by $75 per week.

Wow, that's a significant increase! I need to check that out. Is there a website or how does it work?

Yeah claimyr.com - they basically get you connected to actual Washington ESD staff without the endless hold times. Worth it just for peace of mind on the calculation.