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Zainab Omar

How long does it take for unemployment benefits to be deposited in Washington ESD?

I just got approved for unemployment benefits through Washington ESD after waiting forever for adjudication to finish. My claim status changed to 'paid' yesterday but I still don't see any money in my bank account. How long does it usually take for the deposit to actually show up? I'm really stressed because rent is due in 3 days and I was counting on this money being there by now. Does anyone know if there's a way to track when the payment was actually sent out?

Usually takes 2-3 business days from when Washington ESD shows 'paid' status to when you see it in your account. Check your payment method in your eServices account to make sure your direct deposit info is correct.

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Just checked and my bank info looks right. Guess I just have to wait it out. Thanks for the timeline!

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Same thing happened to me last month, took exactly 3 business days. The money will come, just Washington ESD processing time.

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if you filed your weekly claim on sunday it usually hits wednesday or thursday. but if there was any issues with your claim it can take longer

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I filed Sunday night so hopefully Wednesday then. No issues that I know of.

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Mine always comes Wednesday morning when I file Sunday. Very consistent once you get in the routine.

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I've been dealing with Washington ESD payment delays for months. If you're having trouble getting through to them about payment timing, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you connected to a real person at ESD. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.

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Interesting, never heard of that. Is it legit? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point.

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I've heard mixed things about third party services. But if it actually works to reach ESD agents, might be worth it for urgent payment issues.

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It's legit - they don't ask for any personal info or login details. Just helps you get through the phone system to talk to an actual ESD rep about your specific payment question.

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The timing depends on several factors: 1) When you submitted your weekly claim, 2) Whether there are any flags on your account, 3) Your bank's processing time. Washington ESD typically processes payments within 1-2 business days of showing 'paid' status, but your bank can add another 1-2 days.

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That's helpful to know about the bank processing time too. I bank with a credit union so maybe that's adding to the delay.

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Credit unions can definitely be slower than big banks for electronic deposits. Mine takes an extra day usually.

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WASHINGTON ESD IS THE WORST WITH TIMING!! I've been waiting 4 days for a payment that shows 'paid' and still nothing. Their whole system is broken and they don't care that people are struggling to pay bills!

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4 days is definitely longer than normal. You might want to call and check if there's a hold on your account.

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Good luck getting through to anyone! I've been trying for days and just get busy signals or disconnected.

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This is exactly why I used Claimyr - couldn't get through the regular way but they got me connected in like 20 minutes.

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I track all my payments in a spreadsheet and the pattern is pretty consistent. Filed Sunday evening, shows paid Tuesday morning, money in account Wednesday by noon. Only time it was different was during a holiday week.

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That's really organized! I should start tracking mine too. Good to know about holiday delays.

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wow thats detailed. does the timing change if you file earlier in the week?

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If you file Monday it usually processes faster, like Tuesday/Wednesday deposit. Sunday filers seem to get the Wednesday/Thursday timing.

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Check your bank's mobile app throughout the day Wednesday. Sometimes pending deposits show up there before they're actually available to spend.

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Good tip! I'll keep checking. Every hour at this point honestly.

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Same here - I refresh my banking app like 20 times a day when waiting for UI payments lol

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Just remember that if today is a bank holiday or if there was a holiday recently, that can push everything back by a day. Also some banks don't process ACH transfers over the weekend so that affects the timeline too.

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No holidays this week thankfully. Hopefully that means normal timing.

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Bank holidays are the worst for unemployment timing. Adds so much stress when you're already struggling financially.

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i remember when i first started getting unemployment i was checking my account every 10 minutes lol. now i know it always comes wednesday morning so i dont stress about it anymore. youll get into a rhythm

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I hope so! This waiting is killing me. Nice to know it gets more predictable.

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The first few payments are definitely the most stressful. After that you learn the pattern and can plan better.

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If your payment is more than 5 business days late, there might be an issue with your claim that needs to be resolved. I had to call Washington ESD once when a payment was stuck and they found a verification issue I didn't know about.

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Good to know about the 5 day rule. Hopefully I won't need to worry about that.

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What kind of verification issue was it? I'm always worried something like that will happen to me.

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They needed me to verify my identity again even though I'd been getting payments for weeks. Just one of those random ESD things.

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Pro tip: if you're really worried about timing, you can usually see the payment details in your eServices account under 'Payment History' even before it hits your bank. Shows the exact date ESD sent the payment.

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I didn't know about that feature! Going to check it right now. Thanks!

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Yeah that payment history section is super helpful for tracking what's been sent vs what you've actually received.

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Washington ESD payments have been pretty reliable for me timing-wise. The only time I had issues was when I accidentally put the wrong routing number for my bank. Took weeks to fix that mess!

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Oh no! I double-checked my routing number like 5 times when I set it up. That would be a nightmare.

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Banking errors are the worst with unemployment. So hard to get them fixed quickly.

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Just wanted to update - I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when my payments got stuck last week. Actually worked really well! Got through to ESD in about 15 minutes and the agent was able to tell me exactly what the holdup was. Way better than spending hours on hold or getting disconnected.

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Good to hear it actually works! I'll definitely keep that in mind if my payment doesn't show up soon.

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How much does something like that cost? Might be worth it to avoid the phone hell.

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It's way cheaper than missing work to sit on hold all day. Plus they don't ask for any of your personal ESD info which made me feel safer about using it.

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For what it's worth, I've never had a payment take longer than 4 business days from 'paid' status to showing up in my account. And that was only during Thanksgiving week when everything was delayed.

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That's reassuring! Tomorrow will be day 3 for me so hopefully it shows up.

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Same experience here. 4 days max and that was only during holiday weeks.

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The stress of waiting for that first deposit is real! Once you get into the weekly routine it becomes much more predictable. Hang in there - the money will come.

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Thanks for the encouragement! Really needed to hear that today.

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We've all been there with that first payment anxiety. You're not alone in feeling stressed about it.

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WASHINGTON ESD UPDATE: Just got off the phone with them (finally!) and they said there's been some delays this week due to system maintenance. Payments might be running 1-2 days behind schedule.

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Oh that's actually really helpful to know! Makes me feel better that it might just be a system-wide delay.

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Ugh of course there are delays right when people need their money most. At least good to know it's not just individual account issues.

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This is exactly the kind of info you can get when you actually reach an ESD agent. Glad you got through!

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Final update from OP - my payment just hit my account this morning! Took exactly 3 business days from when it showed 'paid' status. Thanks everyone for the help and reassurance!

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Awesome! Right on schedule like we predicted. Glad it worked out!

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Perfect timing! Now you know what to expect for future payments.

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Great news! Sounds like the delays they mentioned weren't as bad as expected.

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