How long do you need to work to collect unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

Thanks! What exactly counts as a quarter? Is that just three months?

Yes, quarters are January-March, April-June, July-September, and October-December. Washington ESD looks at your wages reported by employers during those periods.

You're close! It's actually 680 hours OR you need to earn at least $3,800 with wages in two quarters. You only need to meet one of these requirements, not both.

oh okay thanks for clarifying that!

Have you heard of Claimyr? I discovered it recently and it actually helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. They have a system that handles the calling for you - there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Saved me hours of trying to call myself.

No I haven't heard of that! Does it actually work? The Washington ESD phone lines are always busy.

Yeah it worked for me! You go to claimyr.com and they basically do the waiting and calling for you. Much better than sitting on hold for hours.

Unfortunately no, you need wages in at least TWO quarters during your base period. One quarter of high earnings won't qualify you for unemployment benefits in Washington.

That's so frustrating! So even if you work full time for months you might not qualify?

That's why it's important to understand the base period. If you worked full time for 3 months, you'd need to wait until you have wages in a second quarter before you'd be eligible.

I agree the system seems overly complicated for something so important.

The requirements exist to prevent fraud and make sure people actually worked before claiming benefits. It's not perfect but there's a reason for the rules.

This is super helpful! What's the alternate base period?

The alternate base period uses the last 4 completed quarters instead of the first 4 of the last 5. It can help if you just started working recently.

Gig work is more complicated. Uber and DoorDash drivers are usually considered independent contractors, not employees, so they typically don't pay into the UI system and can't collect regular unemployment.

that sucks, so we're basically on our own if work dries up?

There may be other programs available depending on your situation, but regular UI is for employees who had taxes withheld from their paychecks.

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr! Their system got me connected to an actual Washington ESD representative in like 20 minutes instead of hours of calling myself.

Is that service expensive though?

It's worth it compared to wasting entire days trying to get through on your own. Check out claimyr.com if you need to reach them.

You can combine wages from different states sometimes, but it gets complicated. You'd typically file in the state where you worked most recently, but Washington ESD would need to coordinate with Oregon to verify your wages.

Sounds like a nightmare to deal with.

Only if you were paid as an employee and had unemployment taxes withheld from your paychecks. Unpaid internships wouldn't count.

Got it, that makes sense. Thanks everyone for all the helpful info!

Same here! Would have been nice to know before I needed it.

At least now we know for next time, hopefully there won't be a next time though!

Perfect, I'll check that out. Thanks!

Those worksheets are actually pretty helpful once you find them on the site.

Good point! I'll worry about that part if I ever need to file.

The job search requirements are pretty strict now too, so make sure you understand those before you need them.

Exactly how I feel! Better to know just in case.

Smart to be prepared, the job market can change quickly.