How long do you need to be at a job to collect unemployment in Washington ESD?

It's not about how long you were at your current job, it's about your total work history in what's called the 'base period.' Washington ESD looks at the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file your claim. You need to have earned at least $1,005 in your highest earning quarter and your total base period wages need to be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter.

wait so if i worked at walmart for 3 months then got fired would that count? im confused about the quarters thing

I had a similar situation last year where I was only at a job for a month before they laid me off. I was panicking about not qualifying but turns out my work from the previous year counted. The tricky part was actually getting through to Washington ESD to file my claim - their phone lines are impossible!

Just to clarify - if you quit without good cause, you'll be disqualified from benefits. But if you're fired for reasons other than misconduct, you should be fine. What kind of management issues are you dealing with?

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE!!! I worked for 15 years and when I finally needed benefits they made me jump through a million hoops. Now they want people to have worked barely any time at all? Makes no sense.

You might want to look into whether your situation would qualify as constructive dismissal. If your employer is making unreasonable changes to your working conditions, that could be considered good cause for leaving and you'd still be eligible for benefits.

this is all making me feel better about my own situation, i thought i was screwed

For anyone reading this thread, here's the exact breakdown of Washington ESD's monetary eligibility requirements: You need wages in at least two quarters of your base period, at least $1,005 in your highest quarter, and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter. The base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters.

I remember when I was in a similar spot - new job wasn't working out and I was stressed about benefits. Turns out I was overthinking it. The hardest part was actually getting my claim processed because of adjudication delays.

Just want to add that if you do end up filing a claim, make sure you're prepared for the weekly certification process. You'll need to report any work and wages, and you have to be actively searching for work unless you're on standby status.

honestly the worst part about all this is trying to call washington esd when you have questions... i spent 4 hours on hold yesterday just to get disconnected

The base period thing confused me for the longest time too. I thought it was just about your most recent job, but it's actually looking at a much longer timeframe. Once I understood that, everything made more sense.

One more thing to keep in mind - if you don't meet the regular base period requirements, Washington ESD will automatically check your alternate base period, which is the last 4 completed quarters. This can help if you've worked more recently.

i wish someone had explained this to me 6 months ago when i was freaking out about the same thing lol

Quick question - does it matter what type of job you had? Like if you were a contractor vs employee?

For the OP's specific situation with management issues, I'd really recommend documenting everything and maybe consulting with an employment attorney if things get worse. Having that documentation could be crucial if you need to prove good cause for leaving.

this whole thread has been really educational, i had no idea about most of this stuff about base periods and quarters

Just to circle back to the Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier - I was skeptical at first but honestly it saved me so much time and frustration. When you're dealing with claim issues, being able to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD is huge.

Hope everything works out with your job situation OP. At least now you know you'd likely qualify for benefits if worst comes to worst!