How long does it take to start receiving unemployment benefits after filing Washington ESD claim?

Generally takes about 2-3 weeks from when you file your initial claim to receive your first payment, assuming there are no issues with your claim. You'll need to complete your weekly claims during this time. The first week is typically a waiting week that you won't get paid for, then it takes a few business days for the payment to process after your claim is approved.

Mine took exactly 18 days from filing to getting my first deposit. But that was back in March and I didn't have any complications with my claim. Make sure you're doing your weekly claims every week even while you're waiting - you can't get paid for weeks you don't claim.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check on your claim status, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get connected to an actual agent. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Really helped when I was stuck waiting and needed answers about my claim.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if your claim goes into adjudication for any reason, you could be waiting 6-8 weeks or even longer. They're still pretty backlogged with adjudication cases. Fingers crossed yours stays simple!

Make sure you're actively job searching and logging it in WorkSourceWA starting right away. You need 3 job search activities per week and they can ask for your log at any time. Don't wait until you start getting paid to begin your job search requirements.

The system is so messed up. I filed in January and didn't get my first payment until March because they kept asking for more documentation. Every time I sent what they wanted, they'd ask for something else. Took forever to get anyone on the phone to explain what was happening.

I used Claimyr when I was having issues getting through to Washington ESD about my delayed payments. Worked great - got connected to an agent within minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. Really saved me when I was panicking about my claim being stuck.

Keep checking your account every day and make sure you respond immediately to any requests for information. The faster you respond, the faster your claim moves through the system. Also set up direct deposit if you haven't already - payments come faster than checks.

Just be patient, it takes time but it will come. I know it's stressful when you're worried about bills but the system does work, just slowly. Make sure you keep doing everything you're supposed to do and your money will eventually show up.

My advice is to treat this like a full time job - file your weekly claims exactly on time, respond to any requests immediately, keep detailed records of everything, and stay on top of your job search. The more organized you are, the smoother things go.

Whatever you do, don't miss filing a weekly claim. Even if you haven't been approved yet, you need to file every single week or you lose those weeks permanently. I learned that the hard way and lost 2 weeks of benefits.

If your claim is taking longer than expected, you can try using Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD faster. I was stuck waiting for weeks with no updates and used their service to finally talk to someone who could tell me what was going on. Way better than the endless busy signals.