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

In Washington, you need to have worked in at least two quarters during your base period and earned a minimum amount. The base period is typically the first four of the last five completed quarters before you file. You need to earn at least $5,000 total in your base period and have earnings in two different quarters. With 8 months of work, you should be fine as long as you've earned enough.

you also need to earn at least $1,005 in your highest earning quarter during the base period. so its not just about time worked but how much you made too

The work history requirements can be confusing but if you've been consistently working part-time for 8 months you're probably good. I had similar hours when I qualified last year. The key thing is that Washington ESD needs to see steady earnings across multiple quarters, not just total time worked. Your restaurant job might actually help since it shows earnings in an earlier quarter.

Wait, I thought you needed to work full time for a whole year before you could get unemployment? That's what my manager told me when I asked about it.

The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator where you can check if you qualify. You'll need your wage information from all employers during your base period. It's under the 'File a Claim' section on their site. Much easier than trying to calculate it yourself.

I qualified with just 6 months of work but I was full-time making decent money. The dollar amounts matter more than the time worked honestly.

This is really helpful everyone. One more question - if I do qualify, how much would I get per week? Is there a formula for that too?

Don't forget you also have to be able and available for work and actively looking for a job to keep getting benefits. It's not just about qualifying initially.

THE SYSTEM IS SO COMPLICATED FOR NO REASON!! Why can't they just say 'worked 6 months, you qualify' instead of all this quarters and wage calculation nonsense?? Makes it impossible for regular people to understand their rights.

When I was figuring out my eligibility last year, I couldn't get through to Washington ESD on the phone to ask questions. Kept getting busy signals or hung up on. Finally found Claimyr which got me connected to an actual agent in like 10 minutes. Way better than spending hours trying to call myself.

Just want to add that if you don't qualify under the regular base period, there's something called the alternate base period that uses more recent quarters. So even if your math doesn't work out with the standard calculation, you might still have options.

make sure when you file that you report ALL your employers from the last 18 months. even short term jobs matter for the calculation

I was in almost the exact same situation last year - part time retail job, worried I hadn't worked long enough. Turned out I qualified just fine and got benefits for 4 months while I looked for something better. The process was actually smoother than I expected once I got past the initial application.

One thing to watch out for - if you quit your job you might not qualify even if you meet the work requirements. You generally need to be laid off or lose your job through no fault of your own.

The restaurant job you mentioned could actually be really helpful. If that was in a different quarter than your current job, it shows you have earnings spread across multiple quarters which is exactly what Washington ESD wants to see.

For what it's worth, I think you're overthinking this. 8 months of steady part-time work at retail wages should easily meet the requirements. The system is designed to help people who've been working and paying into it.

If you do end up needing to file a claim and have trouble reaching Washington ESD, I second the Claimyr recommendation. Used it myself when my claim got stuck in adjudication and needed to talk to someone. Much better than the phone tree nightmare.

Just remember that even if you qualify, you still need to file your weekly claims on time and follow all the rules. Missing deadlines can mess up your benefits even if you're totally eligible.

Thanks everyone for all the help! This thread has been super informative. I feel much more confident about understanding the requirements now. Hopefully I won't need to use this info but it's good to know I have options if something happens with my job.