How is your Washington ESD unemployment benefit calculated - confused about my weekly amount

So they don't look at my total yearly earnings? Just one quarter? That seems weird since my income varied so much season to season.

Exactly right - only your highest quarter matters for the calculation. It's designed to reflect your normal earning capacity when you were working full-time.

That actually matches pretty close to what I got! My summer quarter was definitely my highest since that's when the restaurant was busiest.

The formula is actually a bit more complex than just dividing by 26. There are tables and calculations based on your total base period earnings too, but the high quarter method gets you in the ballpark.

Really? I've been trying to call for weeks about my calculation. Did they charge you anything?

They focus on getting you connected to Washington ESD agents efficiently. The value is not spending your whole day redialing and getting hung up on.

Wait so there's a limit to how much total I can receive? I thought it was just 26 weeks of whatever my weekly amount is.

Correct, there's both a duration limit (usually 26 weeks) and a total dollar limit (30% of base period wages). Whichever you hit first ends your claim.

This is why it's important to understand your monetary determination letter when you get it - it shows both your weekly amount and maximum total benefits available.

I know right? Every state does it differently too which makes it even more confusing.

The complexity is partly because unemployment insurance tries to balance replacing lost wages while encouraging people to return to work. The formulas have been refined over decades.

3 weeks is getting long but not unheard of if they're verifying your wages with employers. check your eservices account regularly

You should receive your monetary determination within 10-14 days typically. If it's been 3 weeks, there might be an issue with wage verification from one of your employers.

Ugh I was afraid of that. My last employer was kind of disorganized so they probably haven't responded to Washington ESD yet.

Yes, overtime wages count as regular wages for benefit calculation purposes. So if overtime boosted your highest quarter earnings, it would increase your weekly benefit amount.

That's great news! I was worried they might exclude overtime since it's not 'regular' hours.

That's exactly the frustration I had! Claimyr really helped me avoid all that phone tag. Check out their site at claimyr.com - they show you exactly how to get through to Washington ESD agents.

I've heard good things about services like that. Anything to avoid the endless hold times.

They combine all wages from all employers during your base period. Washington ESD gets wage reports from all covered employers, so multiple jobs actually help increase your benefit amount.

That makes sense. I had two part-time jobs so hopefully that helps my calculation.

How did you find out there was an error? Did Washington ESD tell you or did you have to figure it out yourself?

I noticed the wages listed on my monetary determination didn't match what I remembered earning. Always check that form carefully when you get it.

You can request a wage protest if you believe your reported wages are incorrect. You'll need documentation like pay stubs or W2s to support your claim.

You can get a rough estimate by looking at your highest earning quarter from your W2s and dividing by 26. It won't be exact but gets you in the ballpark.

There used to be a calculator on the Washington ESD website but I think they removed it. The manual calculation method works though.

Commission, bonuses, and tips all count as wages if they were reported on your W2. Basically any income that had unemployment taxes taken out counts toward your benefit calculation.

Good to know! I was worried my commission-heavy quarters wouldn't count fully.

A $0 weekly benefit usually means you don't have enough wages in your base period to qualify for regular unemployment benefits. You need at least $7,000 total and wages in at least two quarters.

That can't be right though. I worked full time for eight months last year.

The base period might not include your most recent work. It's usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters, so very recent work might not count yet.

Same here! I learned more from this discussion than from trying to read the Washington ESD website.

Reddit unemployment forums are honestly better than the official resources sometimes. Real people explaining things in plain English.

How long does the appeal process take? And do you keep getting benefits while it's being reviewed?

Appeals can take 4-8 weeks. You continue receiving your current benefit amount while the appeal is pending, then get back pay if the appeal is successful.

I'm definitely going to check that out. Been trying to call for my wage protest for weeks with no luck.

Yeah their video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ shows exactly how it works. Makes the whole process much less stressful.

Wait really? I thought everyone had the same job search requirements.

Nope, it varies based on your benefit amount and occupation. Check your WorkSource requirements carefully.

Good idea! Always verify the wages and quarters listed match your records. Easier to catch errors early than fix them later.

Definitely. And don't be afraid to ask questions if something doesn't look right. Washington ESD agents can explain the calculation in detail once you get through to them.