How long have to work to get unemployment benefits in Washington state?

You don't need a full year! Washington uses something called a base period to determine eligibility. You need to have earned at least $1,000 in wages during your base period, which is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. 8 months should definitely be enough if you were working regularly.

i think its like 680 hours or something like that but im not 100% sure

I had the same worry when I got laid off from my warehouse job after 6 months. Turns out I qualified just fine. The key thing is making sure you earned enough wages. If you were working full-time retail for 8 months, you should be good. Just make sure to file your claim as soon as possible since there's a waiting week.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to verify your eligibility, there's a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. I used it when I needed to talk to someone about my base period calculations and it saved me hours of trying to call.

The Washington ESD system is so confusing with all these different requirements. I've been trying to figure out if I qualify too and every website seems to say something different.

just file and see what happens thats what i did

I worked for 10 months and got denied initially because they said I didn't have enough wages in my base period. Turns out my employer had reported my wages to the wrong quarter or something. Had to appeal and provide pay stubs to get it sorted out. Check your wage history on the ESD website before filing.

Don't forget you also need to be able and available for work and actively looking for a job. It's not just about how long you worked.

The base period thing is so weird. Mine was different than I expected because of when I filed. I thought it would include my most recent work but it was actually from like 6 months earlier.

Whatever you do, don't lie on your application. I know someone who exaggerated their work history and got in huge trouble for fraud. Not worth it.

The $1,000 minimum wage requirement is for your entire base period, not per quarter, right? I want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly.

I've been unemployed for 3 months now and still fighting with ESD about my eligibility. The whole system is a nightmare. Calling them is impossible.

My sister worked part-time for a year and still qualified for unemployment when her hours got cut. So it's definitely not about full-time vs part-time, just about earning enough.

If you worked 8 months retail you should be fine assuming you were making at least minimum wage and working decent hours. The calculation is based on your highest earning quarter too which helps.

just go to the esd website and file already, youre overthinking this

Make sure you file in the first week after you lose your job. There's a waiting week anyway so you might as well get the process started.

I worked seasonal jobs for two different employers over 9 months and qualified just fine. Your 8 months at one place should definitely work.

The Washington ESD eligibility requirements aren't that strict compared to some other states. If you worked consistently for 8 months you should have no problem qualifying.

One more thing - if your claim gets stuck in adjudication or you have any issues, that Claimyr service mentioned earlier is actually pretty helpful for getting through to talk to someone. The regular phone lines are basically useless.