How long does a person have to work to get unemployment benefits in Washington?

Thanks! So it's not about how long you worked but how much you earned in those quarters?

Exactly. You need at least $1,000 in total wages during your base period AND wages in at least two different quarters. The amount you can collect depends on your highest earning quarter.

It's actually more complicated than that. You need wages equal to at least 680 times the minimum wage in your highest quarter. With Washington's minimum wage that comes out to around $11,000+ in your highest earning quarter.

Wait, that seems really high. Are you sure about that number?

Same here! I gave up trying to call after a week of busy signals. There's gotta be a better way to reach them.

Actually, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of redialing.

This is super helpful! So with my 14 months of work history I should definitely qualify then.

Don't forget you also have to be able and available for work and actively looking for a job while collecting benefits.

It's based on wages rather than time because people work different hours and earn different amounts. This way it's more fair to part-time workers.

I guess that makes sense but it's still confusing when you're trying to figure out if you qualify.

There's an eligibility tool? I didn't see that when I was looking around their website.

Yeah it's kind of buried in their site. Look for 'benefit calculator' or something like that.

When would someone need to use the alternate base period?

Usually if you haven't worked long enough or if your recent wages are higher than your older wages. Washington ESD automatically checks this if you don't qualify under the regular base period.

This happened to me when I switched careers. My recent job paid way more than my old one so the alternate base period helped me get higher benefits.

I mean, there have to be some requirements otherwise anyone could just claim benefits without working.

Sure but it doesn't have to be so complicated that people can't figure out if they qualify.

How do you check if your wages were reported correctly?

You can request a wage report from Washington ESD or check your Social Security statement online. Compare that to your pay stubs.

At $15/hour for 25 hours a week, you're earning about $1,950 per month or $5,850 per quarter. That should easily meet all the requirements.

Great, thanks! I was worried part-time work wouldn't count.

Part-time workers can definitely qualify. The key is consistent wages over multiple quarters.

Good point. How many job searches do you have to do each week?

It's 3 job search activities per week. They can be applications, networking, job fairs, etc. You have to keep a log.

Did you have to pay for that service?

There's a fee but it was worth it to avoid spending days trying to get through on my own. The agent was able to look up my wage history and confirm my eligibility right away.

That's reassuring. Thanks everyone for all the help explaining this!

Yeah this thread has been way more helpful than the Washington ESD website.