How is unemployment pay determined in Washington ESD - confused about benefit calculation

That makes more sense! So it's not based on my total yearly income but just my best quarter?

Exactly! And there's a maximum weekly benefit amount too - I think it's around $999 per week for 2025. The minimum is like $295 or something.

Yes, you need to earn at least $7,000 total in your base period AND have earnings in at least two quarters. It's not just about having one good quarter - you need to show consistent work history.

yeah thats what happened to her, she had like 6 months of good work but then nothing in the other quarters

I had the same problem trying to reach them by phone. Kept getting busy signals or getting hung up on after waiting forever. I actually found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to ESD agents. They have this demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. It actually worked for me and I was able to talk to someone who explained my benefit calculation in detail.

That's awful! Have you tried calling to check on the status?

Tried calling probably 50 times. Either busy signal or I wait on hold for 2 hours then get disconnected. It's ridiculous.

Is that why they asked me about my most recent job when I applied? I was wondering why they needed info about work I just left if they were only looking at older quarters.

They always ask about your most recent separation for eligibility purposes, but the alternate base period calculation can include those more recent wages if the regular base period doesn't work out.

I didn't know about the dependent allowance! I have two kids - do I need to do something to add them?

You should be able to update your claim information online through your SecureAccess Washington account. Look for dependent information section.

Wait, so if I make $100 part-time in a week and my benefit is $400, I'd get $295 from unemployment? ($400 - $100 + $5 = $305 actually

Not quite - they subtract your earnings from your weekly benefit amount after allowing the first $5. So $400 - ($100 - $5) = $305 unemployment benefit that week.

All wages count equally - regular pay, overtime, bonuses, commissions. They don't distinguish between different types of earnings when calculating your benefit.

Good to know! I was worried they might not count overtime since it's not 'regular' pay.

I get your frustration but the base period system is actually designed to use the most recent complete wage data they have. Using W-2s would mean waiting until tax season to process any claims.

I guess that makes sense but it's still confusing as hell when you're trying to figure out why you got the amount you did.

How long did it take them to get you connected to someone?

Pretty quick actually. Way faster than trying to call on my own. They handle all the waiting and calling back until they get you through to an actual person.

Really? How did you find out about the recalculation?

They sent me a new determination letter in the mail. Took about 3 months after I first got approved, but they paid me the difference retroactively.

So if my weekly benefit is $487 like the original poster, my maximum would be around $12,662 total?

yeah 26 x $487 = $12,662 assuming you earned enough in your base period to qualify for the full amount

Good luck calling them though! I've been trying for weeks to get a copy of mine.

You might want to try that Claimyr service people have mentioned. Seems like it's helping folks actually get through to ESD when they need to talk to someone.

You can elect to have federal taxes withheld when you file your weekly claims. It's an option in the online system.

Thanks for the reminder! I completely forgot about the tax implications.