How long do you have to work before collecting unemployment in Washington?

In Washington, you need to have earned wages in at least two quarters during your base period to qualify for unemployment benefits. The base period is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. It's not about working continuously - it's about having sufficient wage credits.

The specific requirement is that you need to have earned at least $1,000 in wages during one quarter of your base period, AND your total wages in the base period must be at least 1.25 times your high quarter wages. Washington ESD has a benefit calculator on their website that can help you figure out if you qualify.

I had a similar situation last year and couldn't get through to anyone at Washington ESD to ask questions. Spent weeks calling and either got busy signals or got disconnected after waiting on hold forever. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent who could review my work history and confirm I qualified. They have a video showing exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ

Wait, are you planning to quit your job? Because if you quit voluntarily you usually can't collect unemployment unless you have good cause. You need to be unemployed through no fault of your own.

been there done that with trying to figure out if i qualified. the washington esd website has all this info but its confusing as hell. basically if youve been working most of the past year and a half you should be fine

Just to clarify the base period calculation - if you don't have enough wages in the standard base period, Washington also offers an alternate base period which uses the four most recently completed quarters. This can help if you started working more recently.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A MESS! I worked for 3 years straight and they still gave me trouble when I filed. Had to provide pay stubs going back forever and jump through a million hoops. Good luck getting anyone on the phone to help you figure it out.

If you're still employed, you might want to use the Washington ESD benefit calculator to estimate what you'd get before making any decisions. The amount is based on your earnings during the base period too, not just whether you qualify.

i quit my last job and got unemployment but had to go through an appeal process first. took like 2 months to get approved. if you're thinking about quitting make sure you document everything that might count as good cause

The 680 hours thing is another way to look at it - you need at least 680 hours of work during your base period. That's roughly 17 weeks of full-time work, but it can be spread across multiple jobs or quarters.

Had to use that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when I couldn't get through to Washington ESD about my base period wages. Super worth it - the agent looked up all my employers and confirmed which quarters counted. Saved me weeks of stress.

also remember you have to be able and available for work while collecting unemployment. cant just quit and go on vacation or something. they expect you to be actively looking for work

My advice is to file the claim and let Washington ESD determine if you qualify rather than trying to figure it all out beforehand. The worst they can say is no, and if you think they're wrong you can always appeal.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you do quit, you'll want to have all your documentation ready when you file. Washington ESD will investigate any voluntary quit and you'll need to prove you had good cause.

btw if you do end up needing to contact washington esd about your work history or anything else, that claimyr thing actually works. used it last month when my claim got stuck in adjudication and couldnt get through any other way