How long after ESD approves PFMLA weekly claim til payment hits account?

congrats on approval! mine took 3 days but that was back in January

In my experience, they process PFMLA claims differently than regular unemployment. It takes about 3-5 business days after filing your weekly claim for the money to hit your account. If you filed on Thursday, I'd expect payment by Tuesday or Wednesday next week. The first payment sometimes takes longer though.

It depends on your payment method. Direct deposit is usually 3-5 business days while the ESD debit card can take 7-10 business days for the first payment. Make sure you've completed all the required documentation and that your weekly claim didn't generate any flags in their system. If you check your PFMLA account online, there should be a payment status section that will show if it's been processed or if there are any issues.

I had a similar situation and couldn't get through to ESD on the phone to check my payment status. I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent was able to tell me exactly when my payment would arrive and explained why it was taking longer than usual. Definitely worth it when you need immediate answers about your benefits.

Just wanted to add that PFMLA and regular UI are totally different programs even though both are handled by ESD. The payment processing systems are different too. For PFMLA, your first payment is almost always going to take longer because they do extra verification. After that, it should be pretty consistent—my payments always hit my account on Wednesday after filing on Sunday. If you filed on Thursday though, it might be Thursday or Friday of next week before you see it.

i got approved for pfml for my surgery last month but i accidentally filed a regular unemployment claim first lol. took them forEVER to sort it out. make sure ur checking the right account on esd website bcuz theres different logins for different benefits which is stoopid if u ask me. once they finally fixed mine i got paid in 4 days

Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims consistently even if you haven't received your first payment yet! A lot of people miss this step and it creates delays or gaps in payments.

did u file for retroactive weeks too? that can slow things down

Update us when you get your payment! It helps others to know current processing times since ESD seems to change their procedures every few months.

Hey Luca! I went through the same stress last year waiting for my first PFMLA payment. Based on my experience and what I've seen from others, since you filed Thursday and have direct deposit set up, you'll most likely see the payment Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. The "payment in process" status is actually a good sign - it means they've verified everything and it's just waiting to go through the banking system. I'd probably still ask your sister to be on standby just in case, but chances are good you won't need to borrow. The first payment anxiety is real though - hang in there!

I just went through this exact same situation a couple months ago! Filed my first PFMLA claim on a Thursday and was sweating bullets about rent too. Mine came through the following Tuesday, so 5 calendar days total. The key thing is that "payment in process" status you mentioned - that's actually really good news because it means they've already verified everything on their end and it's just going through the payment system now. I'd still maybe give your sister a heads up just in case, but honestly I think you'll probably see it by Tuesday/Wednesday. The first payment is always the most nerve-wracking but after that it becomes pretty predictable. Fingers crossed for you!

I'm in a similar boat right now - filed my first PFMLA weekly claim on Monday and still waiting! Reading through everyone's experiences here is really helpful. It sounds like 3-5 business days is pretty standard for direct deposit, but that first payment can definitely take longer. @Luca Ferrari I hope yours comes through soon! The rent stress is so real when you're waiting on benefits. I've been checking my account obsessively every few hours which probably isn't helping my anxiety lol. Will definitely keep an eye on this thread to see when your payment hits!

Just wanted to chime in with a tip that helped me when I was in your exact situation! If you're really stressed about the timing, you can actually call your bank and ask if they see any pending ACH deposits from Washington State ESD. Sometimes the deposit shows up as pending in their system before it actually hits your account balance. My bank was able to see mine was coming 2 days before it actually cleared. Also, I know everyone's saying 3-5 business days, but in my experience with PFMLA specifically, Thursday filers usually see payments by Wednesday. Since you already have "payment in process" status, you're in good shape! The anxiety is totally understandable though - I was a wreck waiting for my first payment too.

I've been through this exact situation twice now with PFMLA (once for my own medical leave, once for family leave) and I can tell you that the first payment anxiety is totally normal! Since you filed Thursday and already see "payment in process," you're actually in a really good spot. In my experience, that status means ESD has completed all their internal processing and your payment is just waiting to go through the banking system. For Thursday filers with direct deposit, I've consistently seen payments hit accounts by Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week. The fact that you don't have any retroactive weeks to complicate things should help speed it up too. I'd still maybe let your sister know you might need help just as a backup plan, but honestly I think there's a good chance you'll see that deposit before rent is due. The waiting is definitely the hardest part - try not to refresh your bank account too obsessively (easier said than done, I know!). Hang in there!

Just wanted to add my recent experience to help ease your anxiety! I filed my first PFMLA weekly claim on a Thursday about 3 weeks ago and was in the exact same boat - rent due, checking my bank account constantly, the whole thing. My payment hit my account that Tuesday, so exactly 5 calendar days after filing. The "payment in process" status you're seeing is actually really encouraging because it means all the verification is done on ESD's end. I know it's scary when you're depending on that money for rent, but based on what I've seen here and my own experience, Thursday filers with direct deposit typically see payments by Tuesday/Wednesday. Still smart to have a backup plan with your sister just in case, but I'm betting you won't need it! The first payment is definitely the most stressful - after that it becomes much more predictable.

I just went through this same situation last month! Filed my first PFMLA claim on Thursday and was stressing about whether it would come in time for bills. Mine hit my account the following Tuesday morning, so 5 calendar days total. The "payment in process" status is actually really good news - it means they've finished all their verification and it's just going through the payment system now. I'd still give your sister a heads up just to be safe, but based on my experience and what others have shared here, Thursday filers with direct deposit usually see payments by Tuesday or Wednesday. The first payment anxiety is so real though - I was refreshing my bank app constantly! Once you get through this first one, the timing becomes much more predictable. Fingers crossed you see it soon!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed my first PFMLA weekly claim on Friday and have been obsessively checking my bank account every few hours. Reading through everyone's experiences here is so helpful - it sounds like the "payment in process" status is actually a really good sign that everything is moving along. @Luca Ferrari I hope your payment comes through by Tuesday or Wednesday like everyone is predicting! The rent stress is so real when you're waiting on that first payment. I'm going to try that tip about calling my bank to see if they can spot any pending ACH deposits. Thanks everyone for sharing your timelines - it's making me feel way less anxious about the whole process!

I just wanted to add that I went through this exact same anxiety with my first PFMLA payment about 6 weeks ago! Filed on a Thursday just like you did, and I was literally losing sleep over whether it would come through in time for my mortgage payment. Mine ended up hitting my account that Tuesday morning - so exactly what everyone else is saying about the 5 day timeline. The "payment in process" status you're seeing is actually the best possible news because it means ESD has already done all their verification work and approved everything. At that point it's really just the banking system doing its thing. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to stress too much - based on all the experiences shared here, it sounds like you're going to be just fine! And definitely smart to have your sister as backup just in case, but honestly I'd be surprised if you need it.

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now too! Filed my first PFMLA weekly claim on Wednesday and have been checking my bank account obsessively ever since. Reading through everyone's experiences here is so reassuring - it sounds like the 3-5 business day timeline is pretty consistent, and that "payment in process" status seems to be a really good sign. @Luca Ferrari since you filed Thursday and already see that status, I'm betting you'll see your payment by Tuesday or Wednesday! The rent anxiety is so real though - I've been doing the same mental calculations about whether I'll need to ask family for help. Thanks to everyone who's shared their timelines here, it's helping me stay (somewhat) sane while waiting for my first payment to hit!

I went through this exact same stress about 2 months ago! Filed my first PFMLA weekly claim on a Thursday and was literally counting down the days until rent was due. The good news is that "payment in process" status you mentioned is actually really encouraging - it means they've completed all their verification checks and your payment is just working its way through the banking system now. Mine hit my account the following Tuesday morning, so 5 calendar days total. I know everyone keeps saying 3-5 business days, but from what I've seen with Thursday filers specifically, Tuesday or Wednesday is pretty typical. I'd still give your sister a heads up just to have a backup plan, but honestly based on your current status and filing day, I think you'll probably see that deposit before rent is due. The first payment anxiety is absolutely brutal - I was refreshing my bank app every hour! But once you get through this first one, the timing becomes much more predictable. Hang in there!