How long does it take for Washington ESD to find out your working?

You should ALWAYS report work immediately on your weekly claim. Washington ESD gets quarterly wage reports from employers, so they'll eventually find out. Usually takes 3-6 months for the wage matching to catch unreported work, but when they do find it, you'll owe back all the benefits plus penalties and interest.

honestly it varies a lot. i know someone who got caught after like 2 months and another person who went almost a year before they found out. but like everyone says, just report it because the penalties are brutal

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to clarify reporting requirements, I had good luck with claimyr.com recently. They help you actually reach an agent by phone instead of sitting on hold for hours. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really helped me get my questions answered about partial unemployment when I started working part-time.

The wage matching system compares your reported earnings with what employers report to the state. If there's a discrepancy, you'll get an overpayment notice. The key thing is that even if you report work late (like the next week instead of immediately), it's much better than not reporting at all.

my cousin got caught after about 4 months when he didn't report some under the table work. Washington ESD somehow found out (maybe employer reported it later?) and he had to pay back like $4000 plus penalties. was a nightmare

I work in HR and can tell you that employers are required to report all wages to the state quarterly. Some smaller employers might be late with their reports, but they all eventually file them. The cross-matching is automated, so Washington ESD will catch discrepancies even if it takes several months.

Just report everything honestly. I've been on unemployment twice and always reported work immediately. Yeah, it reduces your benefits that week, but you don't have to worry about getting in trouble later. Peace of mind is worth it.

Another option if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about reporting requirements is using that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier. I used it when I had questions about how to report irregular work schedules and it saved me hours of trying to get through on the phone.

The timing really depends on when your employer files their quarterly reports and when Washington ESD processes them. I've heard it can be anywhere from 2-8 months, but the average seems to be around 4-6 months. The important thing is they WILL find out eventually.

I got caught after 3 months when I didn't report some freelance work. The overpayment notice was scary but I was able to appeal and set up a payment plan. Still wish I had just reported it from the beginning though.

also keep in mind that if you're doing gig work like uber or doordash, those companies report earnings too. had a friend who thought that stuff wouldn't get reported but it definitely does

The wage matching system is pretty sophisticated now. They can even catch cash payments if the employer gets audited or decides to report them later. I always tell people to assume Washington ESD will find out about any income eventually.

For what it's worth, I tried that Claimyr thing when I had questions about reporting work income and it actually worked pretty well. Got connected to an agent who explained exactly how to report partial work on my weekly claims. Much better than the endless hold times on the regular number.

Bottom line is don't risk it. The computer systems are getting better at catching discrepancies and the penalties keep getting worse. I know someone who owed back benefits plus 30% penalty plus interest. Just not worth it.

i think the fastest ive heard of someone getting caught was like 6 weeks but that was probably just bad timing with when the employer filed their report. most people seem to get away with it for a few months before the system catches up

The important thing to remember is that reporting work doesn't necessarily mean you lose all your benefits. You might still get partial unemployment if you're working reduced hours. It's actually designed to help people transition back to full employment.

From what I understand, Washington ESD gets employer wage reports every quarter, but they process them in batches. So timing can vary depending on when your employer files and when Washington ESD runs their matching program. Could be 2 months, could be 8 months, but it will happen.

One more thing - if you do get an overpayment notice, don't ignore it! You have appeal rights and can often work out payment arrangements. But obviously much better to avoid the whole situation by reporting correctly from the start.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I'm definitely going to report my new part-time work on my next weekly claim. Better safe than sorry, and it sounds like the partial unemployment benefits will help bridge the gap anyway.

Just wanted to add that if anyone needs help understanding how to report part-time work or has other questions about their claim, that Claimyr service people mentioned earlier really does work. I used it last month when I had issues with my job search log and got through to an agent in about 10 minutes instead of waiting hours on hold.

I work as a benefits specialist and can confirm that Washington ESD's wage matching system is very thorough. They receive quarterly wage reports from all employers registered in the state, plus they get data from other sources like the IRS for 1099 income. The timeline for detection really depends on reporting cycles - some employers file early in the quarter, others wait until the deadline. But once the data is in the system, the matching happens pretty quickly. I've seen cases where people got caught within 6-8 weeks, and others where it took 6+ months. The key thing is that modern computer systems make it almost impossible to hide income permanently. Even if an employer initially fails to report wages, audits and corrections eventually catch everything.