How long after you file unemployment do you get paid in Washington?

The waiting period in Washington is one week, so you won't get paid for your first week of unemployment. After that, assuming your claim is approved without any issues, you should receive payment within 2-3 business days of filing your weekly claim. Make sure you're filing every week even while your initial claim is being processed.

It really depends on whether your claim needs adjudication or not. Mine sailed through in about 10 days from filing to first payment. But my coworker's claim got stuck in adjudication for almost a month because of some issue with his previous employer.

I've been dealing with Washington ESD for weeks trying to get through to someone about my pending claim. The phone system is absolutely impossible - I've spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real person at Washington ESD. They have this demo video (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ) that shows how it works. Honestly saved my sanity because I was about to lose it with all the calling.

ugh I'm in the same boat, filed two weeks ago and still haven't gotten a dime. my account just says 'claim under review' with no other info. this is so frustrating when you need the money NOW

The Washington ESD payment timeline really depends on your specific situation. If you were laid off with no complications, it's usually pretty straightforward - one week waiting period, then payments start flowing. But if you quit your job, got fired, or there's any question about your employment history, expect delays while they investigate. I've seen people wait 6-8 weeks in complex cases.

Don't forget you need to be actively job searching too. Washington ESD requires you to log job search activities, and if you're not doing that from the start, it can delay your payments even after your claim is approved.

Just remembered something important - make sure your direct deposit info is correct in your account. My first payment got delayed by a week because I had an old bank account number in there.

The whole system is a mess honestly. I filed in January and didn't see a payment until mid-February because of some glitch in their system. Washington ESD kept saying they were 'working on it' but gave no timeline. Finally got it sorted but lost weeks of benefits in the process.

Update on the Claimyr thing I mentioned earlier - I actually used them again yesterday to check on a different issue and got through to Washington ESD in like 15 minutes. Way better than the 3+ hours I was spending before trying to call myself.

Pro tip: if you're worried about your claim status, you can also check for any outstanding issues in your online account. Sometimes there are action items you need to complete that aren't obvious from the main status page.

I know someone who works at Washington ESD and she said they're still dealing with a backlog from all the changes they made to their systems. Regular claims are taking longer than they used to even when there are no issues.

update: finally got through to someone at Washington ESD and found out my claim was held up because my former employer hadn't responded to their inquiry yet. apparently they have 10 business days to respond but can request extensions. so frustrating when you're waiting for money you're entitled to

For what it's worth, once your payments do start, they're pretty reliable. I've been getting mine every Tuesday like clockwork for the past 2 months. The hard part is just getting through that initial approval process.

Make sure you're keeping records of everything - when you filed, when you submitted weekly claims, any correspondence from Washington ESD. If there are any issues later, having a paper trail helps a lot.

The one week waiting period catches a lot of people off guard. It's not like you file and immediately start getting paid. Washington has always had this rule but they don't make it super clear when you're filing your initial claim.

Don't stress too much about the timeline. I know it's hard when bills are due, but most people do get their benefits eventually. The system isn't perfect but it generally works out in the end.

One final piece of advice - make sure you're filing your weekly claims on time every week, even while waiting for your initial claim to be approved. Missing a week can cause complications later and you might lose benefits for that week permanently.

The waiting is definitely the worst part. Once everything gets moving, the process becomes much more predictable. Hang in there!

Just want to echo what others have said about Claimyr - I was skeptical at first but it really does work for getting through to Washington ESD when you need to talk to someone. Sometimes you just need that human contact to get things resolved.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago. Filed on a Tuesday and was panicking about when I'd see money. The one-week waiting period is real, but here's what I learned: even though you don't get paid for your first week, if you filed last Thursday, you should start getting paid for this current week (assuming your claim gets approved). The key is to keep filing those weekly claims religiously - I cannot stress this enough. Also, don't panic if it takes 2-3 weeks total from filing to first payment, that's pretty normal even for straightforward cases. The direct deposit usually hits within 1-2 business days once they actually process your payment. Keep checking your account status and make sure you're doing the job search requirements from day one. You've got this!

I'm in a similar situation - filed my initial claim on Monday and have been anxiously checking my account every day hoping to see some movement. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really eye-opening. I had no idea about the one-week waiting period or that job search activities needed to start immediately. I've been putting off the job search thinking I should wait until my claim was approved, but sounds like I need to get on that ASAP. Also didn't realize that even "straightforward" layoff cases could take 2-3 weeks due to system backlogs. It's frustrating but at least now I have realistic expectations. Going to make sure my direct deposit info is correct and keep filing those weekly claims no matter what. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread has been more helpful than the actual Washington ESD website!

I filed my unemployment claim with Washington ESD about 10 days ago and just wanted to share my experience so far. Like others have mentioned, the one-week waiting period is real - I didn't get paid for my first week of unemployment. However, I did receive my first payment yesterday for week two, so the timeline was pretty much exactly what Alexander described earlier. The payment showed up in my bank account about 2 business days after I filed my weekly claim. One thing I learned is to check your payment method settings early - I almost had a delay because my old debit card was still on file. Also, make sure you're logging job search activities from day one in WorkSourceWA. The system actually tracks when you start logging activities, so don't wait like I initially did. For anyone still waiting, hang in there - the process does work, it just takes patience!

I just wanted to add my experience from when I filed a few months back - the whole process took about 3 weeks from start to finish, but that included a brief hold-up when Washington ESD needed additional verification from my employer. The key thing that helped me was setting up text alerts in my account so I got notified immediately when there were any status changes or when I needed to take action. Also, I'd recommend calling the employer phone line (not the claimant line) if you think your former employer might be slow to respond - sometimes they just need a gentle reminder to submit their paperwork. The waiting is definitely stressful when you're counting on that income, but once everything gets sorted out, the payments are very consistent. Don't forget that even if there are delays, you'll get backpay for any weeks you were eligible once your claim is approved. Keep filing those weekly claims no matter what - that's the most important thing!