How long after working can you file for unemployment in Washington?

You can file immediately! Washington ESD doesn't require you to wait after your last day of work. In fact, they recommend filing as soon as possible after you become unemployed because there's a one-week waiting period before you can receive benefits anyway.

File ASAP for sure. The sooner you file, the sooner your claim gets processed. I made the mistake of waiting two weeks after I got fired thinking I needed to 'cool off' period and basically lost two weeks of potential benefits.

I had a similar situation last month and couldn't get through to Washington ESD on the phone to ask questions before filing. Their phone system is absolutely terrible - kept getting busy signals and when I did get through, I'd wait on hold for hours just to get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD directly.

Just to be clear about the timing - you can file your initial claim right away, but your first payable week starts the Sunday after you file. So if you file on a Wednesday, your first week of benefits would start the following Sunday. This is important for your weekly claim filings.

ugh the washington esd website is so confusing though. took me forever to figure out where to actually start the application. why cant they make it more obvious??

One thing to remember - you need to have worked in Washington state during your base period to qualify. Since you worked 8 months recently you should be fine, but they look at a specific time period for eligibility.

I filed the day after I got laid off and it was the right choice. Don't overthink it - just get your claim started. You'll need to do weekly claims anyway so might as well start the process rolling.

File immediately but be prepared for the one week waiting period. This means your first week of unemployment won't be paid - it's just how the system works in Washington. After that, you'll get paid for subsequent weeks if you're eligible.

Make sure you have all your employer information ready when you file - company name, address, dates of employment, reason for separation, etc. Having everything organized will make the process much smoother.

Filed mine 3 days after getting terminated and wish I had done it sooner. The application process took longer than expected because I had to gather employment history going back 2 years. Don't delay like I did!

The key thing is that Washington ESD calculates your benefit year from when you file, not when you stopped working. So filing late doesn't really hurt you benefit-wise, but it does delay when you can start receiving payments.

been thru this process twice now and both times filed immediately. first time took 2 weeks to get approved, second time took 4 weeks cuz they had to verify my employment. just depends on your situation but definitely start asap

I was in a similar spot last year and couldn't get through to Washington ESD to ask questions before filing. Their phone system is brutal. Ended up using Claimyr to actually reach an agent who walked me through the filing process. Worth it if you need human help with your claim.

File today! I got laid off on a Friday and filed my claim that same day online. The process was pretty straightforward once I got started. Just make sure you answer all the questions accurately about why you're unemployed.

The sooner you file the better. I learned this the hard way when I waited 10 days after getting fired because I was embarrassed about being unemployed. Those 10 days of delay just meant 10 more days before I could start the weekly claim process.

File immediately but also start looking for work right away. Washington ESD requires you to be actively job searching, and they can ask for proof of your job search activities during your weekly claims.

Had trouble reaching Washington ESD when I had questions about filing timing too. Used Claimyr twice now and both times got through to an agent within minutes instead of hours. Their system really works for cutting through the phone queue.

File your claim today! There's literally no benefit to waiting and every day you delay is another day before you can potentially receive benefits. The system is designed for you to file as soon as you become unemployed.

Just wanted to add that if you worked in multiple states, you might have options for where to file. But since you worked in Washington recently, filing here makes the most sense. The Washington ESD system is pretty user-friendly once you get started.