How long do you have to be unemployed to get unemployment benefits in Washington?

You can file your initial claim right away - there's no waiting period to apply. The sooner you file, the better because your claim starts from the week you file, not when you became unemployed. There IS a one-week waiting period before you can receive benefits, but that's different from when you can file.

Just to clarify what the previous poster said - you have to serve one waiting week before you get paid, but you still need to file your weekly claim for that week. It's confusing but you basically file for every week you're unemployed starting with your first week, you just don't get paid for the first one.

One thing to watch out for - if you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to file or have questions about your claim, there's a service called Claimyr that can help you actually reach an agent. I used it last month when I couldn't get through after trying for days. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

File immediately but also know that Washington ESD is super backed up right now. My claim took 3 weeks to get approved and I had to call multiple times. The system is just overwhelmed.

Adjudication just means they need to review something about your claim - like if you were fired vs laid off, or if there are questions about your work history. It's not necessarily bad, but it does add processing time.

also make sure you understand the job search requirements right away. you have to be actively looking for work and log your job search activities. i think its 3 job contacts per week but double check that

I'm so frustrated with this whole system. I filed 2 weeks ago and still haven't heard anything. No one answers the phone at Washington ESD and their online chat is useless. How are people supposed to survive while waiting for bureaucrats to process paperwork?

For what it's worth, I filed on a Tuesday and got my first payment (minus the waiting week) the following Tuesday. The key is filing correctly the first time and having all your employment info ready.

One more thing - don't wait to file just because you're not sure about something. You can always provide additional information later, but you can't backdate your claim if you wait too long to file.

Quick question - do part-time workers qualify for unemployment? I was only working 25 hours a week before I got laid off.

just filed mine this morning after reading this thread. the website was actually pretty straightforward once i got started. took about 20 minutes

Word of warning - make sure you file your weekly claims on time every week. I missed one week because I was out of town and it messed up my whole claim. Had to call and straighten it out.

I used Claimyr last week when my claim got stuck in adjudication. Finally got through to someone who could explain what was happening. Turns out they just needed additional documentation from my employer. Would have saved me weeks of stress if I'd known about it sooner.

The waiting week thing is so stupid. Like we're not already stressed enough about losing our jobs, now we have to wait an extra week for benefits. Makes no sense.

Don't forget you'll need to register with WorkSource Washington too. It's part of the job search requirements.

I'm going through this right now too. Filed last Monday and got my determination letter yesterday. Approved for $412 per week. Not great but better than nothing.

The website can be glitchy sometimes. If you get error messages, try a different browser or clear your cache. I had to use Edge instead of Chrome to get my application to go through.

Has anyone had success with the live chat feature on the Washington ESD website? I tried it yesterday but got disconnected after waiting 45 minutes.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm feeling much more confident about filing now. Going to do it this afternoon and hopefully it goes smoothly.

Just want to echo what others have said - file immediately. I waited 3 days because I thought I needed to get paperwork from my employer first, and I wish I had just filed right away. You can always add documents later.