How long do you have to work somewhere for unemployment in Washington state?

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 quarters before you file your claim. You also need to meet minimum wage requirements - I think it's around $3,500 in your highest quarter.

Just a heads up - if you quit voluntarily, you might not qualify for benefits unless you have good cause. Washington ESD is pretty strict about that. You'd need to be laid off, fired without misconduct, or have a qualifying reason to quit.

I had this same question last year and spent forever trying to get through to Washington ESD on the phone to ask about my work history. Their call volume is insane - I probably tried calling 100+ times over two weeks. Finally found out about Claimyr (claimyr.com) which actually got me through to an agent in like 20 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration!

The work requirement isn't just about time - it's about earnings. I worked part-time for over a year but didn't earn enough in my highest quarter to qualify. Make sure you check both the quarters worked AND the dollar amounts.

DON'T QUIT unless you absolutely have to!!! I quit my job thinking I'd find something better and then couldn't get unemployment. Spent 6 months struggling financially. The system is set up to help people who get laid off, not people who choose to leave.

For Washington state specifically, you need wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period AND total base period wages of at least 150% of your high quarter wages. So if your highest quarter was $4,000, you'd need at least $6,000 total in your base period.

i worked at amazon for 6 months and qualified fine when i got laid off so 8 months should definitely be enough if your making decent money

The base period thing is confusing but basically they look at the first 4 quarters of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, they'd look at April 2023 through March 2024. Make sure your work history covers that timeframe.

Just make sure you understand the job search requirements too if you do end up filing. Washington requires 3 job contacts per week and you have to keep a log. It's not just about qualifying initially - you have to keep meeting requirements to keep getting benefits.

The Washington ESD phone system is absolutely terrible when you need to talk to someone about eligibility. I tried for weeks to get through last year when I had questions about my base period wages. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and it was a game changer. Actually got to talk to a real person who could look up my account.

One thing to remember is that if you do quit and try to claim later, Washington ESD will contact your employer to verify the reason. So make sure you document everything if you're leaving for good cause - emails, complaints to HR, whatever shows you tried to address the issue first.

Here's what I wish someone had told me: even if you meet all the work requirements, if you quit voluntarily you'll likely face a disqualification period before benefits start. Better to try to work things out with your employer or see if they'll lay you off instead of quitting outright.

Also worth noting that Washington uses your highest quarter wages to calculate your weekly benefit amount. So even if you qualify, your payment might be lower than expected if you haven't been earning much recently. The formula is roughly 3.85% of your high quarter wages divided by 13 weeks.

my advice is dont overthink it too much. if youve been working full time for 8 months you probably qualify as long as you didnt quit without good reason. just focus on finding your next job instead of planning for unemployment

I had to use Claimyr twice last year - once for eligibility questions and once when my claim got stuck in adjudication for weeks. Both times they got me through to Washington ESD agents who could actually help. The system is so overloaded that sometimes you need that extra help to reach someone.