How long does it take to receive unemployment payment after being approved Washington ESD?

Thanks! Just checked and I can see 6 weeks listed in payment history. Such a relief after all this stress.

That's exactly what happened to me last year - got all my back weeks paid in one lump sum about 3 days after approval

I do have direct deposit setup so hopefully it'll be quick. My bank usually processes things pretty fast.

Mine took exactly 2 business days with direct deposit through Chase

Never heard of that service - does it actually work? I've been trying to call for 2 weeks about my pending claim.

Yeah it worked for me. Took about 4 hours to get connected but way better than the manual calling I was doing before. The agent was able to tell me exactly what was holding up my claim.

Interesting, might have to try that if my claim gets stuck again

Mine got approved on a Tuesday so hoping to see it by Thursday or Friday this week

That's good timing then - should be pretty quick

Good point! I did file my weekly claim on Sunday like usual. Don't want to mess anything up now that I'm finally approved.

Yeah that's super important - missing even one weekly claim can cause problems

Exactly, the weekly claims are what triggers the actual payment processing

Wow that must have been such a relief! I'm looking at about $2400 in backpay so definitely going to help catch up on bills.

Same thing happened to my neighbor - she cried when she saw that big deposit come through lol

You should get an email notification but I wouldn't rely on it. I always just checked my bank account daily when I was waiting for payments.

I set up alerts on my banking app so I'll know as soon as any deposit hits

The emails are hit or miss honestly - sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't

It was related to my separation from my last job. My employer initially contested it but then didn't respond to Washington ESD's requests for information, so they approved me by default.

That's actually pretty common - employers contest claims but then don't follow through with the paperwork. If you need to talk to someone about your pending claim, I'd definitely recommend trying Claimyr to get through to an actual agent.

Thanks, might have to look into that service if this drags on much longer

Thank you! Yeah the uncertainty was killing me. Now I can at least plan ahead knowing when money will be coming in.

The stress of not knowing is honestly worse than not having the money sometimes

Really? I might switch to the debit card for my next claim then

The debit card works but I prefer direct deposit - less chance of the card getting lost or stolen

I'll stick with direct deposit for now but good to know about the pending transactions thing

Oh good point! I should probably set aside some money for taxes. Do you know what percentage they recommend?

Usually around 10-15% depending on your other income. You can also request tax withholding in your Washington ESD account settings.

I learned this the hard way last year - ended up owing $800 in taxes on my unemployment benefits

I applied the week after I lost my job. There's no waiting period to apply - you should definitely do it as soon as possible because there's usually a one-week waiting period before benefits start anyway.

Exactly, apply immediately! The sooner you apply, the sooner your claim can be processed and you can start receiving benefits.

Good to know, thanks! I was worried about applying too early

I tried calling a bunch of times but never got through. Honestly I think my case just resolved itself when my employer didn't respond to their inquiries.

You should really try Claimyr for getting through to Washington ESD. I know I mentioned it earlier but it seriously saved me weeks of frustration. 9 weeks is way too long to wait without any communication.

Yeah I'm getting desperate enough to try anything at this point. I'll check out that service.

In Washington, there's still a one-week waiting period that doesn't get paid. So if you were eligible for 6 weeks during adjudication, you'd get paid for 5 of those weeks.

That matches what I'm seeing in my payment history - 6 weeks eligible but only 5 weeks being paid out.

Thanks for clarifying! I was wondering about that

From what I can see in my account, it looks like it's all coming in one payment. All the backpay weeks are showing the same processing date.

Yeah mine came all at once - one big deposit with all the back weeks included

That's awesome, probably makes it easier to manage too

Definitely don't give up! I was ready to give up around week 5 but glad I stuck with it. The wait is brutal but most claims do eventually get resolved.

This thread is giving me hope - I'm on week 7 of waiting for adjudication

Hang in there everyone! The waiting is the worst part but it does eventually work out for most people

Just keep filing weekly claims and looking for work. Everything else should be automatic as long as you meet the requirements each week.

Make sure you're keeping track of your job search activities too - Washington ESD can audit that at any time

Good reminder about the job search log - I need to be better about documenting everything

Awesome! Yeah if you got approved yesterday you should definitely see payment early next week. Such a good feeling after all that waiting!

I can't wait! Been living on ramen for weeks lol

Haha I know that feeling - first thing I bought when my payment came through was real groceries

Good point! I double-checked mine when I got approved. Would be awful to have the payment bounce because of outdated banking info.

You can update your direct deposit info anytime in your Washington ESD account under payment options

Exactly - better to check it now than have to wait even longer for payment

Thanks everyone! This thread has been super helpful and reassuring. I'll update when the payment comes through for anyone else who's wondering about timing.

Please do update us! Always good to have current info about processing times

And remember, if anyone else is still stuck waiting for adjudication and needs to reach Washington ESD, Claimyr really does work for getting through to agents. Sometimes that personal contact makes all the difference in getting things moving.