How long does it take to receive an unemployment check from Washington ESD?

Thank you! That's a relief. I was worried it would take another week or two.

mine took 4 days last month so dont panic if its not there wednesday

I chose direct deposit so hopefully it'll be on the faster side. Thanks for the breakdown!

Wait, there's a debit card option? I've been getting paper checks and they take forever.

Yes, you can switch to the ReliaCard in your Washington ESD account. Much faster than paper checks.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents - saved me hours of calling. Check out claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Try calling right at 8am when they open. I got through on my third try doing that.

Six days isn't unusual if you're getting paper checks. Have you checked your payment history in your account to see if it shows as issued?

It shows 'payment issued' from 4 days ago but no check in my mailbox yet.

Mail delivery has been really slow lately. Maybe give it another day or two?

That's good to know! So it gets more predictable after the first one?

yeah once your in the system its pretty consistent

I've been very careful about that. Set a reminder on my phone for Sunday mornings.

Smart! I forgot one week early on and it was a nightmare to fix.

You need to be actively seeking work and keep a job search log, but it shouldn't delay your first payment. The job search requirements are ongoing, not a prerequisite for payment.

Okay good, I was worried I had missed something important.

Make sure you understand the specific requirements though - it's 3 job search activities per week in Washington.

What kind of verification issues? I hope I don't run into any problems.

They needed additional income verification from my previous employer. Nothing major, just took time to process.

Good point! I didn't realize you could check the card balance online.

Yeah, you can log into the ReliaCard website or use their app to check your balance anytime.

That's encouraging to hear. I was worried based on some of the horror stories I've read online.

Same here! Glad to hear things are running more smoothly now.

Good to know! I'll factor that in if there are any upcoming holidays.

Presidents Day is coming up next month, so that might affect timing then.

That's not uncommon for the first deposit. You might want to call your bank and let them know you're expecting regular unemployment payments.

Good idea, I'll call them tomorrow to set that up.

Same thing happened to me with Chase. They released it after I called and explained.

That sounds really helpful. I might try that if my payment doesn't show up by Thursday.

I checked out that Claimyr website earlier and it actually looks legit. Might give it a try next time I need to call.

I filed mine around 2pm on Sunday, so hopefully that was early enough.

That should be fine. I think the cutoff is midnight Sunday.

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thanks everyone for all the helpful information!

You're welcome! We've all been there with the first payment anxiety.