How is unemployment calculated in Washington state - confused about my benefit amount

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from your base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed). They take that amount and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit amount. Your maximum is also based on total base period wages. Sounds like your calculation is probably correct for your income level.

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from your base period to calculate benefits. They take that quarter's wages, divide by 26, then multiply by about 3.85% to get your weekly benefit amount. The base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed.

So if my highest quarter was $15,000, that would be about $576 divided by 26? That's like $22 per week, that can't be right.

The calculation can be confusing. Washington ESD looks at your base period wages and your highest quarter determines your weekly amount. But you also need to meet minimum requirements - you need at least $3,850 in your base period and wages in at least two quarters. Your $487 sounds about right for $52K annually.

No, you don't divide by 26 first. You multiply the $15,000 by 0.0385 which gives you $577 per week, then that gets capped at the maximum weekly benefit amount.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my calculation but their phone lines are always busy. Has anyone found a good time to call? I've tried early morning but still can't get through.

the whole system is confusing as hell. took me forever to figure out why my amount was what it was. washington esd doesn't make it easy to understand anything

The actual formula is: (Highest quarter wages x 0.0385) = weekly benefit amount, but it can't exceed the maximum weekly benefit (currently $999 in Washington). Your $487 sounds about right for someone earning $52k annually.

Your benefit amount also depends on whether you have any deductions. If you have child support or taxes being withheld, that affects your actual payment amount. The $487 would be your gross weekly benefit amount before any deductions.

Wait I thought the max was like $800 something? Did it go up recently?

I'm still confused about the base period thing. When exactly is your base period determined? Is it when you first file or does it change?

Yes, Washington ESD adjusts the maximum benefit amount annually. It's been increasing each year.

I've been trying to figure this out for weeks too! Called Washington ESD like 50 times and can never get through. The automated system just hangs up on me after being on hold forever.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I found out about it when I was having the same problem getting through to Washington ESD. It's at claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Basically they call Washington ESD for you and get you connected to an actual person.

Does anyone know if overtime pay gets counted differently in the calculation? I had a lot of overtime in my highest quarter.

Never heard of that before. Does it actually work or is it some kind of scam?

It's legit. I used it last month when I needed to talk to someone about my adjudication issue. Saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected.

the benefit calculation is totally screwed up IMO. I worked for 15 years and my friend who worked 2 years gets almost the same amount as me. makes no sense

It's based on recent earnings, not total work history. The system is designed to replace a percentage of your recent income, not reward long-term employment.

still stupid if you ask me

So to clarify - they look at my four highest quarters of earnings in the base period, find the single highest one, then multiply that by 3.85%? And the base period is the first 4 quarters of the last 5 completed quarters before I filed?

Exactly right. And if that amount is higher than the state maximum, you just get the maximum instead.

What if you didn't work all four quarters though? Like if you started a new job recently?

Then Washington ESD might use an alternate base period - the last 4 completed quarters instead of the first 4 of the last 5. They'll use whichever gives you a higher benefit amount.

I think there's also a minimum benefit amount too right? Like even if your calculation comes out super low you still get something?

Yes, there's a minimum weekly benefit amount in Washington. I believe it's around $295 per week currently, but you still have to meet the earnings requirements to qualify for any benefits at all.

That's more than some people make working part time lol

Does anyone know if overtime pay counts toward the calculation? I worked a lot of OT last year.

Yes, overtime pay counts as regular wages for benefit calculation purposes. All W-2 wages from covered employment are included.

What about bonuses and commissions?

Those count too as long as they're reported on your W-2 and unemployment taxes were paid on them.

The whole system is confusing. I filed 6 weeks ago and still don't understand why my benefits are so low compared to what I was making. Been trying to get through to Washington ESD to ask questions but it's impossible.

Same boat here. I ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Worked great - got me through to an actual Washington ESD rep who could explain my specific situation. Way better than trying to call on my own.

How much does that cost though?

They don't publish pricing on their site but it was worth it for me to finally get answers about my claim. Check out their demo video to see how it works.

Just wanted to add that if you think your benefit amount is wrong, you can appeal it. I successfully appealed mine when they miscalculated my base period wages.

How long did the appeal process take?

About 6 weeks from start to finish. Had to provide pay stubs and tax documents to prove my actual earnings.

Did you have to go to a hearing or anything?

No, it was just a paper review. But more complex cases might require a hearing with an administrative law judge.

For anyone still confused - Washington ESD has a benefit calculator on their website you can use to estimate your amount before filing. Wish I had known about it earlier.

Really? I looked all over their site and couldn't find one.

It's buried pretty deep in their site navigation. Search for 'benefit calculator' or 'unemployment calculator' on esd.wa.gov

I found it but it gave me a completely different number than what I actually got approved for

One thing to remember is that your benefit amount can change if you work part-time while collecting unemployment. Washington has specific rules about how part-time earnings affect your weekly benefit.

Yeah you can earn up to a certain amount before they start reducing your benefits. I think it's like 1.5 times your weekly benefit amount or something?

Close - you can earn up to 1.5 times your weekly benefit amount before they reduce your benefits dollar for dollar. But there's also a smaller earnings disregard amount where you can earn a little without any reduction.

Thanks everyone for explaining this. I was getting so frustrated trying to understand the Washington ESD calculations. At least now I know my $487 is probably correct.

No problem! The unemployment system is unnecessarily complicated but once you understand the basic formula it makes more sense.

Agreed. Washington ESD really needs to do a better job explaining how benefits are calculated on their website.

Does the calculation change if you're on standby status versus regular unemployment?

No, the benefit calculation is the same regardless of whether you're on standby or regular unemployment. The difference is in the job search requirements and recall expectations.

What exactly is standby status? I keep seeing people mention it but don't understand the difference.

Standby is when your employer expects to recall you within a specific timeframe, usually for seasonal work or temporary layoffs. You don't have to do job searches but must be available if your employer calls you back.

This thread has been super helpful. I was about to spend hours on the phone with Washington ESD trying to get these same answers.

Save yourself the headache and use Claimyr if you do need to talk to them. Makes the whole process so much easier.

I second that recommendation. Used it twice now and both times got through to Washington ESD within minutes instead of hours.

What if you worked multiple jobs during your base period? Do they add all the wages together?

I think there's also a maximum weekly benefit amount cap in Washington. You can't get more than a certain amount no matter how much you made.

Can your benefit amount change after it's initially calculated? Or is it set for the entire benefit year?

I had to appeal my monetary determination because I thought they missed some of my wages. Turned out they were right, but the appeal process wasn't too bad. Just had to submit my pay stubs.

The Claimyr service mentioned earlier actually helped me when I had questions about my monetary determination too. I couldn't figure out why my calculation seemed off, but when I talked to a Washington ESD agent through their service, they explained that one of my employers had reported my wages late. That's why my initial determination looked wrong.

Just remember that your monetary determination letter shows all the details of how they calculated your benefit amount. It breaks down your wages by quarter and employer. If something looks wrong, that's where you'll see the discrepancy.

One thing to remember is that this weekly amount is what you're eligible for, but you might not always get the full amount depending on any part-time work or other income you report on your weekly claims.

I was in the same situation when I first got my monetary determination! The $487 weekly benefit for someone making $52k sounds about right. Just to add some clarity - Washington ESD takes your highest earning quarter from your base period (which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed) and multiplies it by 3.85% to get your weekly amount. So if your highest quarter was around $12,650, that would give you roughly $487 per week. The key thing that confused me at first was that they don't average all four quarters - they only use your single highest quarter. Hope this helps!