How long do you have to be at a company to get unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

It's not about how long you worked at your most recent job - Washington ESD looks at your entire work history over the past 18 months. They call it your 'base period' and you need to have earned a certain amount during that time to qualify. Since you worked for 2 years at your previous job, you should definitely have enough work history.

Oh that's a relief! So my previous job counts toward the work requirements even though I left it?

Yes exactly! Your previous employment definitely counts. The base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file your claim.

I think you need to earn at least $1,000 in your highest quarter and meet some other wage requirements. But honestly the Washington ESD phone system is so hard to get through to verify these details. I've been trying to call for days about my own claim.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I found it at claimyr.com and it actually got me through to a real Washington ESD agent in like 20 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Never heard of that service. Does it actually work or is it just another scam?

It's legit - basically they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Saved me hours of frustration.

The exact requirements are: you need to have earned wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period, with total wages of at least 1.25 times your highest quarter earnings. For most people this works out to needing about 3-6 months of work history, but it depends on your wage levels.

That sounds complicated - is there a way to check if I qualify before I actually file a claim?

You can estimate it, but Washington ESD will do the official calculation when you file. With 2 years at your previous job you'll definitely meet the wage requirements.

WAIT so if I only worked somewhere for like 3 weeks I could still get unemployment? That doesn't seem right...

You're misunderstanding - it's not about your most recent job length, it's about your total work history. If you only worked 3 weeks total in the past 18 months, then no, you wouldn't qualify.

ohhhh ok that makes more sense. So they look at everything you earned in the past year and a half basically?

Just went through this myself! Got laid off after only 2 months at a new job but I qualified because of my previous employment. The key thing is you also have to be unemployed through no fault of your own - so if you quit without good cause or get fired for misconduct, you won't qualify regardless of your work history.

Good point - I'm hoping I don't get let go at all, but if I do it would be due to budget cuts, not anything I did wrong.

Then you should be fine. Just make sure to file your claim right away if it happens - benefits don't start until you actually file.

This whole system is so confusing! I've been trying to figure out if my part-time work from last year counts toward the wage requirements. Anyone know if they have different rules for part-time vs full-time work?

Part-time work absolutely counts! It's all about the total wages you earned, not whether it was full-time or part-time. They don't distinguish between the two for qualification purposes.

That's such a relief - I was worried I'd worked all those hours for nothing if I needed to file a claim.

I'm in a similar situation but I worked for a temp agency for most of last year. Does that count the same as regular employment?

Yes, temp work counts as long as you were a W2 employee and had taxes withheld. If you were a 1099 contractor that's different.

It was W2 so I should be good then. Thanks!

Does anyone know if there's a waiting period after you file? Like do benefits start immediately or is there a delay?

There's typically a one-week waiting period before benefits begin, and that's assuming your claim is approved without any issues. If they need to do adjudication it can take several weeks.

Adjudication? What's that about?

It's when they need to investigate something about your claim - like if your employer disputes why you were separated or if there are questions about your work search. Can add 2-6 weeks to the process.

Been unemployed for 3 months now and still dealing with Washington ESD bureaucracy. The phone system is absolutely terrible - I've called probably 50 times and only gotten through twice.

I had the same problem until someone told me about Claimyr. It's a service that calls Washington ESD for you and connects you when they get an agent on the line. Found it super helpful for getting my questions answered.

How much does something like that cost? I'm already struggling financially.

It's worth checking out their website at claimyr.com - they focus on just getting you connected to resolve your specific issue rather than charging a fortune.

Quick question - if I worked in another state before moving to Washington, does that work history count toward Washington ESD benefits?

Yes, Washington participates in the interstate benefits program. You can file a claim here and they'll request your wage records from other states. It might add some processing time but your out-of-state work definitely counts.

Perfect! I was worried I'd have to start over when I moved here.

The wage requirements seem pretty reasonable once you understand them. I think the bigger challenge is actually navigating the weekly claim process and job search requirements once you're approved.

What kind of job search requirements are there? Do you have to apply to a certain number of jobs each week?

You need to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep a log of your search activities. It's not too bad but you have to stay on top of it.

I qualified with just 4 months of work history because I had a pretty high-paying job. It really depends on how much you earned, not just how long you worked.

That's encouraging - sounds like the system is more flexible than I thought.

Yeah, they're looking at whether you have enough of a work attachment to deserve benefits, not just arbitrary time requirements.

Just want to add that if you think you might not qualify, it's still worth filing a claim. The worst they can do is deny it, and you might be surprised at what work history they count.

Good advice - better to try and get denied than not try at all I guess.

Exactly! And if you do get denied, you can always appeal the decision if you think they made an error.

The hardest part for me wasn't qualifying - it was actually getting through to someone at Washington ESD when I had questions about my claim status. Their phone system is a nightmare.

I solved that problem by using Claimyr - it's a calling service that handles the waiting and connects you directly to an agent. Saved me literally hours of trying to get through.

I'll have to look into that. The few times I did get through, the agents were actually really helpful, it's just getting to them that's impossible.

One thing to keep in mind - even if you qualify for benefits, the amount you receive is based on your wages during the base period. So working longer at higher wages means higher weekly benefits.

Makes sense - so there's an incentive to work more before filing a claim if possible.

Right, but obviously you can't control when you lose your job. Just something to be aware of when calculating what your benefits might be.

Bottom line for OP - with 2 years at your previous job plus 6 weeks at the new one, you're definitely going to qualify if you need to file. The work history requirement is really not that hard to meet for most people.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Feeling much more confident about the process now.

No problem! Hope you don't need to use this information, but good to know just in case.