How is unemployment paid out by Washington ESD - confused about payment schedule

Thanks! I did set up direct deposit so hopefully it hits my account tomorrow. Do I still need to file weekly claims even though I'm already approved?

Yes, you MUST file your weekly claim every week or you won't get paid. Log into your account every Sunday and complete the weekly claim questions.

What kind of fees? I'm thinking about switching to the card because my bank account got closed last month.

ATM fees, balance inquiry fees, basically anything you do costs money. try to get your bank account sorted first

What if I file late, like on Thursday? Do I lose that week's money completely?

No, you can still file late but your payment will be delayed. You have until Saturday to file for that benefit week, but it might not process until the following payment cycle.

I've filed late before and still got paid, just took longer. Washington ESD is pretty forgiving about late filings as long as you're within the week.

Is that legit? How does it work exactly?

Yeah it's real, they basically handle the calling and waiting for you. When an agent picks up, they connect you. Way better than sitting on hold for 2+ hours.

Interesting, I might try that if my payment doesn't show up this week. The phone lines are impossible.

They backdate to your claim start date if there were no disqualifying issues. So if you applied 6 weeks ago and were just stuck in adjudication, you should get paid for all eligible weeks.

Oh thank god, I was about to lose my apartment. So I should see like 6 weeks worth of payments?

Yes, but you still need to file weekly claims for each of those weeks retroactively. Check your account to see if there are backdated weekly claims waiting for you to complete.

They withhold federal taxes at 10% if you elected that option during setup. State of Washington doesn't tax unemployment benefits so no state withholding.

I don't remember choosing tax withholding. How do I check what I selected?

Log into your Washington ESD account and look for tax withholding preferences. You can change it if needed, but it only affects future payments.

How do you set that up? I don't see that option in my account.

It's under notification preferences or account settings. Might be called 'payment alerts' or something similar.

That's terrifying. I'm already struggling to pay rent and if payments are unreliable I'm screwed.

While there can be occasional delays, most payments are pretty reliable if you file your weekly claims on time and don't have any eligibility issues.

maybe it's just me then but I've had way too many problems. calling them never helps either

Holiday weeks usually delay payments by one day. So if Wednesday is a holiday, expect payment Thursday instead.

Good to know, thanks. I was worried I'd have to wait until the following week.

That sounds useful. Do you have a link to that calendar?

It's on the main Washington ESD website under benefit information or payment schedules. Should be easy to find.

That can happen if there are issues with your bank account or if they detect suspicious activity. She should call to get it sorted out.

She tried calling but couldn't get through. This is so frustrating.

This is exactly when I'd use Claimyr again. When you need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD about account issues, it's worth it to skip the phone nightmare.

Occasionally payments process a day early but don't count on it. Wednesday is the standard and planning for that keeps you from being disappointed.

Fair enough. I'm just eager to see that first payment hit my account!

How long did the replacement take? Mine got bent and won't work in ATMs.

About 5 business days. You can also get emergency cash at KeyBank branches while waiting for the new card.

How much can you earn before it affects your benefits? I might pick up some gig work.

In Washington, you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount and still receive partial unemployment. Anything over that amount gets deducted dollar for dollar.

Wait, so if my weekly benefit is $487 like OP's, I can earn $487 from work and still get unemployment money?

Not exactly. It's more complex - they deduct 75% of your earnings over $5. So if you earn $100, they subtract $71.25 from your benefits.

They do if you have email notifications enabled. Check your account settings to turn them on.

Perfect, I'll set that up right now. Thanks!

26 weeks seems like a lot but also not nearly enough if you can't find work. What happens after that?

After regular unemployment runs out, you'd need to look into other assistance programs or extended benefits if available. But hopefully you find work before then!

This is giving me anxiety. I really need to step up my job search efforts.

That's actually brilliant. I'm terrible at budgeting and this would help me not blow through the money too fast.

Exactly! Unemployment is temporary so treating it like emergency funds helps you make it last longer.

That makes me feel better. I was starting to think something went wrong with my approval.

Yeah, first payments often have an extra processing delay. Once you're in the system it runs much smoother.

How much does something like that cost? I'm already tight on money.

It's not free but honestly saved me so much time and stress. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual person at Washington ESD and this gets you there.

I'll keep that bookmarked in case I run into issues. Hopefully my payments start coming regularly and I won't need it.