How long after leaving a job can you file for unemployment with Washington ESD?

You can file your initial claim immediately - there's no waiting period to apply. Washington ESD actually recommends filing as soon as possible after your last day of work because benefits are backdated to when you first became unemployed, not when you file. The sooner you get your claim in, the sooner you can start the process.

8 months should be enough time to qualify. Washington ESD looks at your earnings over the past 18 months to determine eligibility. As long as you earned at least $1,900 in your highest quarter, you should be good.

Just a heads up - even though you can file right away, it might take a while to actually get through to someone at Washington ESD if you need to call them. I've been trying to reach them for weeks about my claim status and can never get through. The phone lines are always busy.

Make sure you have all your info ready when you file - SSN, employer details, dates of employment, etc. The online application is pretty straightforward but you don't want to have to start over because you're missing something.

i filed like 3 days after getting fired and it was fine. just go on the washington esd website and fill out the application. takes maybe 20 minutes if you have all your info

The key thing is don't wait. I made the mistake of waiting two weeks after my layoff because I thought I needed to cool off or something. Big mistake - I lost two weeks of potential benefits even though they backdated it. File ASAP!

One thing to keep in mind - if you were laid off vs fired, make sure that's clear on your application. Being laid off due to lack of work makes you eligible immediately, but if there were performance issues it might trigger an adjudication review.

Don't stress too much about the timing - Washington ESD is pretty good about backdating benefits to when you actually became unemployed. Just get your claim filed this week and you'll be in good shape.

Also remember you'll need to start doing job searches right away and log them in WorkSourceWA. Don't wait until after your claim is approved - start documenting your job search efforts immediately.

THE SYSTEM IS SO BROKEN! I filed immediately and it still took 6 weeks to get my first payment because they put me in adjudication for NO REASON. Good luck getting anyone on the phone to explain what's happening!

Just wanted to chime in - I filed for unemployment three times over the years and each time I filed within 1-2 days of my last day of work. Never had any issues with timing or backdating. The Washington ESD system handles it automatically.

Make sure you know exactly what your last day of work was. If you had any vacation or sick leave paid out, that might affect when your benefits start. But you should still file right away regardless.

honestly the whole process is pretty straightforward once you get started. i was overthinking it too but it's just filling out forms online. the hard part is getting through to them if something goes wrong

Random question but related - does anyone know if the one week waiting period is still a thing? I thought they got rid of that during COVID but I'm not sure if it came back.

I was in a similar situation last year - laid off after 7 months at a job. Filed the next day and everything went smoothly. The key is just getting it done quickly and not overthinking it.

One last tip - take screenshots of everything when you file your claim and save all the confirmation numbers. If something goes wrong later you'll want to have that documentation.

Also remember to set up your SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account if you don't already have one. That's how you'll access your unemployment account and file weekly claims.

Update us on how it goes! Always good to hear success stories to help other people who might be in the same situation.