How long can you draw unemployment benefits in Washington ESD system?

Regular unemployment insurance (UI) in Washington gives you up to 26 weeks of benefits, but it's based on your base period wages. The amount you get each week depends on your earnings history, and you have to meet the minimum wage requirements during your base period to qualify.

yeah its 26 weeks max but you gotta do all the job search stuff every week or they cut you off. i think its like 3 job contacts per week now

I was struggling to get through to Washington ESD to ask about my benefit duration and other questions. Kept getting busy signals and hung up on. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me get connected to an actual ESD agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

The 26 weeks is standard but there are some exceptions. If you're in certain training programs approved by Washington ESD, you might be able to extend benefits. Also, if there's high unemployment in your area, sometimes extended benefits kick in, but that's pretty rare these days.

Wait, I thought you could get more than 26 weeks if you were on standby? My friend at the factory said he got like 40 weeks when his plant was shut down temporarily.

MAKE SURE YOU FILE YOUR WEEKLY CLAIMS ON TIME!!! I missed one week and it took forever to get it fixed. You have to file every Sunday for the previous week or you lose that week's benefits even if you still have weeks left.

The maximum is 26 weeks in a benefit year, but remember that's only if you have enough wages in your base period to qualify for the full amount. Some people might only qualify for fewer weeks depending on their work history.

just filed last week and already getting frustrated with the system. everything takes forever and when you try to call them its impossible to get through

also remember you gotta report any work you do even if its just a day here and there. they deduct it from your weekly benefit but you might still get something

I've been on unemployment twice in the last 5 years and both times it was exactly 26 weeks. No extensions available like there were during COVID. Make sure you're actively looking for work because they do audit the job search logs.

One thing to watch out for - if you get disqualified for any reason (like refusing suitable work), that can affect how many weeks you have left. I know someone who lost their remaining benefits for turning down a job offer.

the whole system is a joke honestly. 26 weeks sounds like a lot but it goes by fast when you're actually looking for decent work. especially in construction where jobs are seasonal

Pro tip: Start your job search immediately even if you think you might get called back to your old job. The weeks go by faster than you think and the job search requirements are real.

I had to appeal a disqualification last year and that whole process ate up like 6 weeks of my benefit period. Even though I won the appeal, those weeks were just gone. Don't mess around with the rules.

Another option if you're close to exhausting benefits is to look into WorkSource programs. Sometimes they have training that can extend your benefits while you learn new skills.

For anyone still having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about their specific situation, I really recommend checking out Claimyr. Made my life so much easier when I needed to talk to someone about my claim details.

Bottom line - plan for 26 weeks maximum and start job searching right away. Don't count on extensions because they're not available anymore except in very specific circumstances.

Also keep in mind that your benefit year is 52 weeks from when you first filed, but you can only collect for 26 of those weeks. So if you find work and get laid off again within that year, you might not have any weeks left.

Make sure you understand the waiting week too. First week you file you don't get paid, so really you're looking at 25 weeks of actual payments if you use the full 26 weeks.

Good luck with your job search! Construction can be tough but there's usually work out there if you're willing to travel or try different types of projects.