How long does it take to get unemployment back pay from Washington ESD?

Back pay usually processes within 2-3 business days after your claim approval, but it can take up to 5 business days depending on your bank. Make sure you check both your ESD account and your bank account - sometimes there's a delay between when ESD shows it as paid and when your bank actually posts it.

I was in the exact same situation last month. Took 4 days for my back pay to show up after approval. Got like $2800 all at once which was a huge relief. Just hang in there!

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check on this, I recently discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get connected to an actual agent when I was having issues with my back pay. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.

Washington ESD is SO SLOW with everything. I waited 8 weeks for my claim to get approved and then another week for the back pay. The system is completely broken and they don't care that people are struggling to pay rent and buy food while they take their sweet time.

Make sure you didn't miss any weekly claim certifications during your waiting period. If you missed even one week, that could delay your back pay processing. Log into your account and check that all weeks are showing as filed.

just went thru this myself, took exactly 72 hours from when my claim switched from pending to approved for the money to hit my bank account

The key thing to remember is that Washington ESD processes back pay as a separate batch from regular weekly payments. So even if your regular weekly claim gets paid on schedule, the back pay might come a day or two later. Don't panic if you see one but not the other initially.

I had a weird situation where my back pay got split into two payments because I had a break in employment during my waiting period. Washington ESD had to calculate different benefit amounts for different weeks. Might be worth checking if you had any work during your adjudication period.

Has anyone had issues with back pay being less than expected? I calculated what I should get but the amount was lower.

The waiting is the worst part honestly. I kept checking my account every few hours when I was waiting for my back pay. Try to distract yourself - the money will come through.

Question - do you get back pay for the waiting week too or does that not count? I'm confused about whether the first week gets paid or not.

Try calling Washington ESD early morning like 7:30am right when they open. I got through yesterday to check on my back pay status and they were able to tell me exactly when it would process.

My back pay came through on a Thursday which was weird because I usually get my regular benefits on Wednesdays. Don't assume it'll come on your normal payment day.

Whatever you do, don't stop filing your weekly claims while you're waiting for back pay. I know someone who stopped filing thinking they'd get everything in one payment and it screwed up their whole claim.

Check if your bank has any holds on large deposits. Some banks will hold unemployment payments over a certain amount for 24-48 hours even if ESD shows it as sent.

The good news is once you get your back pay, you'll be caught up and your regular weekly payments should be smooth sailing from there. The initial approval is always the hardest part.

Update us when you get your back pay! I always like to hear success stories since this process is so nerve-wracking for everyone.

If you're really desperate for money before the back pay comes through, some credit unions offer emergency loans against pending unemployment benefits. Just a thought if you absolutely can't wait.

I'm in Washington too and got my back pay exactly 4 business days after approval. Came to $3,200 for 8 weeks of waiting. Life saver when it finally hit my account!

One more tip - make sure your direct deposit info is correct in your ESD account. If there's any issue with your bank info, it could delay the payment significantly while they try to process it.