How long can you be on unemployment benefits in Washington - maximum duration?

Thanks! So 26 weeks is about 6 months right? That gives me some breathing room to find something decent.

Yeah but make sure you're doing your job search requirements every week or they'll cut you off early. You need to document your job contacts in WorkSource.

How do I check exactly how many weeks I qualified for? Is that info in my SecureAccess Washington account?

Yes, once your claim is processed you can see your benefit year end date and remaining weeks in your SAW account under claim status.

Never heard of that but honestly anything is better than trying to call Washington ESD directly. I spent 3 hours on hold last month just to get disconnected.

Is that service legit? Seems weird to pay someone to make phone calls for you.

It's legit - they don't need your personal info or anything, just help you get through the phone system when you actually need to talk to someone at Washington ESD.

Extended benefits are pretty rare these days. The state unemployment rate has to trigger specific thresholds and it hasn't happened in Washington for several years now.

Good to know. Hopefully I won't need to worry about that anyway if I can find work in the next few months.

Yeah I've been doing that. The weekly claim questions are pretty straightforward so far.

What happens if you forget to file one week? Can you go back and file it late?

You can file late but there's usually a good cause requirement and it can delay your payments. Better to set a reminder and file every week on time.

Have you been working with WorkSource for job placement services? They have resources beyond just the job search requirement that might help you expand your search.

Yeah I registered with WorkSource but haven't used their counseling services yet. Maybe I should look into that.

Definitely do that. WorkSource helped me retool my resume and I found a job in week 23. Don't give up!

That was during the 2008-2012 recession when there were federal extended benefits and emergency programs. Regular Washington state unemployment is still 26 weeks maximum.

Oh ok that makes sense. So that was just a special situation back then.

Yeah and during COVID there were extra federal programs like PUA and PEUC but those ended in 2021. Now we're back to regular state benefits only.

Good point. I already started applying but I'll ramp it up. Better to find something sooner rather than later anyway.

This is so true. I waited until week 12 to really start seriously job hunting and it was stressful near the end.

Hopefully it won't come to that but good to know those options exist if needed.

Also check if your county has emergency assistance programs. Some have short-term help with utilities or rent.

You have to establish a new benefit year by working and earning wages in covered employment. The exact requirements depend on how much you earned and for how long.

Makes sense. So you can't just work for like 2 weeks and then get another 26 weeks of benefits.

Right, Washington ESD has specific monetary and work requirements to qualify for a new claim. Usually need substantial earnings over multiple quarters.

Your benefit year starts when you file your initial claim, but if you're approved they should pay you retroactively for the weeks you were eligible. The 26 weeks is from your benefit year start date.

If you're having trouble getting updates on your adjudication, that's exactly the kind of situation where Claimyr might help you get through to someone at Washington ESD who can explain what's happening with your claim.

Thanks, I might look into that service if this drags on much longer. This waiting is killing me.

I feel you but 26 weeks is pretty standard. At least Washington has decent benefit amounts compared to some states.

True, my cousin in Florida only gets like 12 weeks maximum. Could be worse I guess.

Wait, so you could run out of money before you run out of weeks? How does that work?

Your weekly benefit amount times your qualified weeks equals your total benefit amount. Most people will exhaust weeks before dollars, but it's theoretically possible to hit the dollar limit first if you have a very high weekly amount.

Yeah it's rare but the system calculates both and you get whichever limit you hit first.

How many jobs do you need to apply to each week? I've been doing about 3-4 but want to make sure that's enough.

The requirement is 3 job search activities per week minimum, but they can be different things - applications, networking, job fairs, etc. Keep good records of everything.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Feeling much more informed about how this all works now.

This thread was super helpful for me too. I'm about to file my first claim and was confused about the time limits.