How long after filing unemployment do you get paid with Washington ESD?

It usually takes about 2-3 weeks after you file your initial claim to get your first payment, assuming everything goes smoothly. You have to file your first weekly claim for the waiting week, then the second weekly claim is when you'd typically get paid. Make sure you're filing your weekly claims every Sunday.

depends on if your claim gets stuck in adjudication or not. mine took 6 weeks because they had to verify my employment history

The standard timeline is filing your claim, then waiting week (no payment), then your first payable week. So if you filed last Thursday, you'd file your first weekly claim this Sunday for the waiting week, then next Sunday for your first payable week. Payment typically comes 2-3 business days after filing your weekly claim.

I had such a nightmare trying to get through to Washington ESD when my payments were delayed. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have this demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Saved me so much frustration!

MAKE SURE YOU FILE YOUR WEEKLY CLAIMS ON TIME! I missed one by a few hours and it messed up my whole payment schedule. Washington ESD is super strict about the deadlines.

just a heads up - make sure your direct deposit info is correct or you'll be waiting even longer for a check in the mail

Also remember you need to be actively looking for work and keeping track of your job search activities. Washington ESD can audit your job search log at any time, especially if you're on regular UI benefits.

Mine took forever because I had multiple employers in my base period and they had to verify everything. ended up being almost a month before I saw my first payment

The waiting week is so stupid honestly. Like we're already stressed about money and they make us wait even longer for the first payment. I get that it's the law but still annoying.

Pro tip: if you're worried about your claim status, you can usually tell if there are problems by checking your account regularly. If you see any 'pending' or 'adjudication' statuses, that's when you might want to call Washington ESD to check what's going on.

i remember being so anxious about the first payment too. it feels like forever when you're waiting but once you get into the routine of filing weekly claims it gets easier

Just want to echo what others have said about keeping good records. Also, if you do run into issues and need to reach Washington ESD, that Claimyr service I mentioned really does work. I was skeptical at first but it saved me hours of frustration trying to get through their phone system.

One more thing - make sure you understand the difference between your weekly benefit amount and your maximum benefit amount. Your weekly amount is what you get each week, but there's a total cap on how much you can receive during your benefit year.

The whole system is designed to make you jump through hoops. Just follow the rules exactly and file on time every week. Don't give them any reason to delay your payments.

btw if you're doing gig work or any part time work while collecting unemployment, make sure you report it accurately on your weekly claims. They'll find out eventually and you don't want to deal with an overpayment situation

I was in the same boat last year - filed and then just waited anxiously for that first payment. It came through exactly when they said it would. Try not to stress too much about it.

One thing I learned is that Washington ESD processes payments in batches, so even if you file your weekly claim early on Sunday, you might not see the payment until Wednesday or Thursday. It's not immediate.

Hope everything works out smoothly for you! The first few weeks are always the most stressful but once you get into the routine it becomes much more manageable.

Just remember that even if something does go wrong, it's usually fixable. Washington ESD has issues but they do eventually get things sorted out. Stay on top of your weekly claims and you should be fine.

The waiting is definitely the hardest part. But based on what you've described, it sounds like your claim is processing normally and you should see your first payment next week after you file your second weekly claim.