How long do you have to work for to collect unemployment in Washington ESD?

In Washington, you need to have earned wages in at least two quarters of your base period to qualify for unemployment benefits. The base period is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. You also need to meet minimum wage requirements - I think it's around $3,400 total wages in your base period.

The specific requirements are: you need wages of at least $1,320 in your highest earning quarter AND total base period wages of at least 1.25 times your high quarter wages. Plus you need wages in at least two quarters like the previous poster mentioned.

I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when I was trying to figure out my eligibility last year. Spent hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Eventually found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual person at Washington ESD. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made the whole process so much easier.

wait so if i only worked for like 6 months but made good money would i still qualify??

Don't forget that even if you meet the wage requirements, you also need to be unemployed through no fault of your own. If you quit without good cause or were fired for misconduct, you might not qualify regardless of how long you worked.

I was in a similar situation last year - worked part time for about 10 months before getting laid off. I qualified but my weekly benefit amount was pretty low because my wages weren't that high. Just something to keep in mind.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIDICULOUS! Why should you have to work for a certain amount of time to get help when you lose your job? Makes no sense!

One more thing to remember - if you don't meet the standard base period requirements, Washington ESD will automatically check your alternate base period (the last four completed quarters). Sometimes people qualify under the alternate base period even if they don't under the standard one.

I'm still confused about the quarter thing. Like what if you worked consistently but your pay was spread weird across the calendar?

also dont forget you gotta be able and available to work and actively looking for a job to keep getting benefits

For the original poster - since you mentioned you might be getting laid off, I'd recommend gathering your wage information now so you're prepared. You'll need details about all your employers during your base period when you file your claim.

My friend told me you need to work for a full year to get unemployment but that doesn't sound right based on what everyone's saying here?

Just want to emphasize again how much easier it was dealing with Washington ESD after I found Claimyr. If anyone needs to actually talk to someone at ESD about their eligibility or claim, it's worth checking out. Saved me so much frustration.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! It sounds like I should qualify based on my work history, but I'll use the benefit calculator to double-check before I need to file.

This whole thread has been really helpful. I'm in a similar boat and was worried I hadn't worked long enough.

does anyone know if seasonal work counts the same way? like if you worked summers only?

One final note - if you're close to the minimum requirements, it might be worth waiting a bit to file if you're still working. Sometimes an extra week or two of wages can make you eligible or increase your benefit amount.

washington esd makes this way more complicated than it needs to be imo

Thanks for asking this question OP! I learned a lot from reading everyone's responses.

If anyone else needs help getting through to Washington ESD, I can also vouch for Claimyr. Used it myself when I had adjudication issues and it worked great. Much better than the endless hold times.