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

That makes sense! I think my highest quarter was around $15k so the math checks out. Thanks for explaining it clearly.

Wait I thought they used your total annual income divided by 52 weeks? This is confusing.

No, it's definitely highest quarter divided by 26. That's been the Washington calculation method for years.

Thanks! So if my highest quarter was around $12,600 (3 months at $4,200), that would be $12,600 ÷ 26 = $484.62 × 0.0385 = $18.66? That doesn't seem right...

Sorry, I got the formula backwards! It's your highest quarter divided by 26, and that result IS your weekly benefit (up to the maximum). So $12,600 ÷ 26 = $484.62, which rounds to your $487 weekly benefit.

That makes so much more sense now. I was overthinking it with all the percentage stuff I found online.

How much does something like that cost? Seems like it would be expensive.

I don't remember the exact price but it was worth it to actually talk to someone instead of wondering about my claim for weeks. Way less stressful than trying to call myself.

Where exactly in eServices do you find the monetary determination? I've been looking everywhere for mine.

Log into eServices, then go to 'Your Claim' and look for 'View Letters'. It should be there as a PDF.

Wow $999 max? That's actually pretty decent compared to some other states.

Yeah Washington has one of the higher maximum benefits. The minimum is $295 per week.

Good to know! I wasn't planning to work while collecting but that's useful information.

Actually it's even more complicated than that. There's a partial benefit formula too if you work less than full-time hours.

That usually means they're still verifying your wages with your employers. It can take 4-6 weeks sometimes, especially if you had multiple jobs.

Ugh, that's so frustrating. I need to know how much I'll be getting so I can budget.

That's exactly why I used Claimyr! They got me through to an agent within a few hours instead of me wasting days trying to call.

I might have to try that. This is ridiculous.

Yes, all wages reported on your W-2 count, including bonuses and commissions. So that bonus would increase your weekly benefit amount.

Sweet! That explains why my benefit amount was higher than I expected.

How much does something like that cost? I'm already barely getting by on unemployment.

It was worth it for me to get actual answers instead of guessing. The peace of mind knowing I understood my benefits correctly was huge.

Never heard of that before but might be worth checking out. I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for weeks about my calculation.

It's because unemployment is an insurance program based on recent work history. The base period ensures you were working recently enough to qualify and gives a stable calculation period.

I guess that makes sense, just seems unnecessarily complicated.

How would I check that? Is there a way to see what wages they have on file?

Your monetary determination should list all the employers and wages they used. If something's missing, you can file a wage protest.

Washington can combine wages from other states if needed. You might need to file an interstate claim or provide additional documentation.

That sounds complicated. Might need to call and ask about that.

Except most people don't collect for the full 26 weeks. Average is probably more like 12-16 weeks.

True, hopefully they find work quickly anyway.

Washington ESD gets wage information directly from employers, so you don't need to provide pay stubs unless there's a discrepancy.

Even better! One less thing to worry about.

Oh wow I didn't know about the 1.5 times requirement. Good thing I worked consistently throughout the year.

Yeah the Washington ESD eligibility requirements are pretty specific. A lot of people get surprised by these rules.

You should understand it in case there's an error. Mistakes happen and you might be entitled to more or less than you're getting.

Good point. I should probably look at my monetary determination more carefully.

Commission income counts the same as regular wages for benefit calculations. It's all reported on your W-2 so Washington ESD treats it as normal earnings.

That's a relief! I was worried they might not count it or calculate it weird.

Yeah as long as your employer reported it properly on your quarterly wage reports to Washington ESD, you should be fine.

Agreed! This thread cleared up all my confusion. Really appreciate everyone's help.

Same here. Bookmarking this for future reference.

It's the first 4 quarters of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed your claim. So if you filed in January 2025, they'd look at July 2023 through June 2024 quarters.

OK that makes more sense. So they're not looking at super recent work, but work from like 6-18 months ago?

Exactly. There's a lag because employers have time to report wages to Washington ESD after each quarter ends.

They add all wages together by quarter. So if you worked 3 jobs in Q1 2024, all those wages get combined for that quarter's total.

Good to know! I was hoping that's how it worked since I had several part-time jobs.

So if I find work after 10 weeks but then get laid off again 6 months later, I could still collect the remaining 16 weeks?

Exactly! As long as it's within your benefit year and you meet the other requirements.

I think it's because they want to make sure you were working recently and consistently, not just had one good year a while back.

I guess that makes sense but it's still confusing as hell when you're trying to figure out if you qualify.

The Washington ESD website has calculators but they're not very user-friendly either.

Self-employment income usually doesn't count for regular unemployment unless you paid into the system voluntarily. Contractors might qualify if they were misclassified as 1099 when they should have been W-2 employees.

Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. Guess I need to look into other options.

You might want to talk to Washington ESD directly about your specific situation. Sometimes there are exceptions or other programs that might help.

That's exactly the kind of help I need. The automated system just keeps giving me the same generic information.

I'm skeptical of paying for something like that but if it actually works...

I was skeptical too but after weeks of getting nowhere on my own, it was worth it to get real answers.

Good point! I was wondering about that since I might pick up some part-time work soon.

Yeah you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 before they start reducing your benefits. Washington has pretty generous partial benefit rules.

The benefit calculation is the same regardless. The reason you're unemployed affects whether you qualify for benefits at all, but not how much you get if approved.

That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying!

Same here! It took me forever to figure out what all the codes and amounts meant.

The Washington ESD website has a glossary of terms but you have to hunt for it. Should be more prominent.

Glad this helped! Unemployment can be so confusing when you're dealing with it for the first time.

Definitely! This community is great for breaking down complex Washington ESD stuff into understandable terms.