How long before I get my first Washington ESD unemployment check after filing?

Usually takes about 2-3 weeks if everything goes smoothly with your claim. You'll need to file your weekly claims during that time too. The first week is always a waiting week that you don't get paid for.

Mine took forever because they had to verify my employment history. Ended up being like 6 weeks before I saw anything. Hope yours goes faster!

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check on your claim status, I used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual agent in minutes instead of spending hours on hold. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really helped when I needed to verify my claim wasn't stuck somewhere.

THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN! I've been waiting 8 weeks for my first payment and every time I call they say 'it's being processed' - WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?? Meanwhile I'm about to lose my apartment because I can't pay rent!

Your claim might be in adjudication if there are any issues with your separation from your last job. Check your eServices account to see if there are any pending issues that need to be resolved.

i got mine in 2 weeks exactly but that was like 6 months ago so maybe its different now

Make sure you're filing your weekly claims every week even while waiting for your initial claim to be approved. If you miss filing a weekly claim, you could lose benefits for that week.

Mine got approved super fast but then I had to wait for the debit card to arrive in the mail. That took another week. So even when you get approved, factor in time for the payment method.

The timing really depends on your situation. Simple layoff with clear documentation = faster. Quit your job or got fired = much longer because they have to investigate. What was your separation reason?

Just wanted to add that I also used Claimyr when my claim seemed stuck and it really worked. Got through to Washington ESD same day and found out there was a simple issue with my address that was holding everything up. Fixed it immediately.

Make sure you keep checking your eServices account for any documents they might request. Sometimes they ask for additional info and if you don't respond quickly it delays everything.

ok this might sound dumb but do you get paid for the week you file or the week before? like if i file my weekly claim on sunday am i claiming for that week or the previous week?

I'm telling you all this timing stuff is just estimates. Washington ESD is completely unpredictable. My neighbor got approved in 10 days, I'm going on 8 weeks with no explanation.

The waiting week thing is so stupid. Like we're not already stressed enough about money, let's make people wait an extra week for no reason.

Pro tip: set up direct deposit as soon as your claim is approved. The debit cards they send out have all kinds of fees and restrictions.

Anyone else having issues with the eServices website being down all the time? I swear every time I try to check my claim status it's "temporarily unavailable for maintenance.

For what it's worth, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier can also help you check your claim status when the website is down. They can call Washington ESD and get real-time updates on where your claim stands in the process.

Just got my first payment this week after filing 3 weeks ago. Hang in there OP, it does come eventually!

The most important thing is to not miss any weekly claim filings while you wait. I missed one week early on and it caused a whole mess that took weeks to sort out.

honestly the whole unemployment system needs to be rebuilt from scratch. its 2025 and we're still dealing with technology from the 90s

To directly answer your original question OP: if your claim is straightforward (layoff, clear employment history, no issues), expect 2-3 weeks from filing to first payment. If there are any complications, it could be 4-8 weeks or longer. The key is filing your weekly claims consistently and responding quickly to any requests for information.