How long do you have after being fired to file for unemployment with Washington ESD?

You don't have a strict deadline like 30 days or anything, but you should file as soon as possible. Washington ESD processes claims from the date you file, not from when you lost your job. So every week you wait is potentially a week of benefits you're not getting.

I waited like 3 weeks after getting fired to file and I was fine. No penalties or anything. But yeah, you lose out on those weeks of payments. File ASAP!

The real issue isn't how long you have, it's how long Washington ESD takes to process your claim. I filed immediately after my termination and it still took 3 weeks to get my first payment because of adjudication. If you were fired (not laid off), they have to investigate whether it was for misconduct.

WHY IS THIS SO CONFUSING!! I got fired 2 months ago and never filed because I thought I missed some deadline. Now I'm reading this and realizing I could have been getting benefits this whole time?? This system is ridiculous.

There's no legal deadline to file, but practically speaking you want to file within the first week. Here's why: 1) Your weekly benefit amount is calculated from wages in your base period, and waiting doesn't help that calculation. 2) You have to serve a waiting week anyway (unpaid first week). 3) If adjudication is needed, that clock starts when you file.

I made the mistake of thinking I needed to wait until my severance pay ran out. WRONG. You can file immediately even if you're getting severance - just report it on your weekly claims.

File online at secure.esd.wa.gov - it's way faster than trying to call. The website walks you through everything step by step.

Update: I just filed online and it was actually pretty straightforward. Thanks everyone for pushing me to do it quickly. Now I just wait to see if my termination causes any issues with adjudication.

I work in HR and I always tell people to file immediately. There's literally no benefit to waiting, only downsides. We've had employees wait months thinking they needed to 'look for work first' or some other myth.

Just to clarify something I see people get confused about - there's no deadline to FILE, but there are deadlines once you're in the system. You have to file weekly claims every week and you only have 4 weeks to appeal if you're denied.

Another thing - if you wait too long to file, you might have trouble documenting your job search activities. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week, so start keeping track right away.

I helped my friend file 6 months after being fired and it went through fine. You definitely don't lose eligibility just because you waited, but you do lose those weeks of payments you could have received.

Pro tip: even if you think you might not qualify (like if you were fired), file anyway. Let Washington ESD make the determination. You might be surprised what qualifies and what doesn't.

If anyone runs into issues during the process and needs to reach Washington ESD, I can't recommend Claimyr enough. After weeks of busy signals, they got me through to an agent who cleared up my adjudication issue in 10 minutes.

Bottom line: File immediately after job loss. Don't overthink it, don't wait for the 'right time,' just do it. The system is designed to handle your situation, whatever it is.

I was fired for attendance issues and still got approved after adjudication. Every case is different, so don't assume you won't qualify.

File within 24-48 hours if possible. I've seen people lose out on thousands of dollars because they procrastinated for weeks or months.

Remember you also need to register with WorkSource Washington for job search requirements. Don't forget that step!