How long do unemployment benefits last in Washington - confused about duration limits

In Washington state, regular unemployment benefits (UI) last for a maximum of 26 weeks. This is your benefit year duration. The 26 weeks starts from when you first file your initial claim, not when you get approved. So if there was any delay in processing, that time still counts toward your 26 weeks.

The 26 weeks is standard but there used to be extensions during emergencies. Right now there aren't any federal extensions available like there were during COVID. You get 26 weeks and that's it unless you qualify for a new claim after your benefit year ends.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about your specific benefit duration, I'd recommend checking out Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get connected to an actual agent when I had questions about my benefit timeline. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Way better than trying to call and getting hung up on constantly.

ugh the 26 week limit is SO frustrating!! like what if you cant find a job in that time??? the job market is brutal right now and 6 months goes by fast when you're dealing with picky employers

Important detail everyone should know - your weekly benefit amount stays the same for all 26 weeks, but you have to keep filing your weekly claims and meeting job search requirements. If you miss filing a weekly claim or don't do your job searches, you can lose benefits even if you haven't hit the 26 week limit yet.

Does anyone know if partial unemployment counts toward the 26 weeks? Like if I'm working part time and getting reduced benefits, does that use up my benefit weeks faster?

I'm approaching my 20th week of benefits and starting to panic about what happens when I hit 26. Has anyone here actually exhausted their full 26 weeks? What did you do after that?

The 26 week thing is federal law, not just Washington state. Most states have the same duration. Some states actually have shorter benefit periods, so we're not the worst off.

Just want to add that if you're on standby with your employer, the 26 weeks still applies. Being on standby doesn't give you extra time, you're still using up your regular UI weeks.

For anyone struggling to get answers from Washington ESD about their benefit timeline, I had success using a service called Claimyr recently. They actually got me through to speak with someone who could explain exactly how many weeks I had left and when my benefit year expires. Much easier than trying to navigate their phone system myself.

PSA: Your benefit year is 52 weeks from when you first filed, but you only get 26 weeks of actual payments during that year. After your benefit year expires, if you've worked and earned enough wages during that year, you might be eligible for a new claim.

been on unemployment 3 times in my career and its always 26 weeks. never seen it be different unless there was some emergency extension like during the recession or covid

Make sure you understand that if you find temporary work during your claim, you might be able to preserve some of your benefit weeks depending on how much you earn. It's not always black and white that every week counts against your 26.

I tried to call Washington ESD multiple times to get clarification on my exact benefit end date and kept getting disconnected. Finally used Claimyr to get through and got all my questions answered in one call. They have a demo video that explains the process if anyone wants to check it out first.

The most important thing is to keep filing your weekly claims every week and keep doing your job searches. Even if you're getting close to 26 weeks, don't stop filing until you're officially notified that your benefits are exhausted.

just hit my 26 week limit last month and benefits stopped automatically. Washington ESD sent me a notice explaining that I'd exhausted my benefits for this benefit year. no extensions available right now like others said