How long must you work to receive unemployment benefits from Washington ESD?

Yes, Washington has specific work requirements. You need to have earned wages in at least two quarters of your base period, and your total wages need to meet certain thresholds. The base period is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you're filing now in 2025, they'd look at your earnings from Q1 2024 through Q4 2024.

Don't forget about the reason you left your jobs too. If you quit without good cause, that could affect your eligibility even if you meet the wage requirements. Getting laid off is fine, but quitting because you didn't like your manager might cause issues.

I had a similar situation last year and spent weeks trying to get through to Washington ESD to check my eligibility. The phone system is absolutely terrible - you'll sit on hold for hours and then get disconnected. I finally found this service called Claimyr that helped me actually reach an agent. They have this demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration.

Here's the breakdown for 2025 Washington unemployment eligibility: 1) Wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period, 2) At least $1,001 in your highest earning quarter, 3) Total base period wages at least 1.25x your high quarter, 4) Lost work through no fault of your own OR quit for good cause. The base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before filing.

Just apply anyway! The worst they can do is deny you, and then you'll know for sure. I thought I didn't qualify because I'd only worked 6 months but it turned out my previous job from 2 years ago still counted in my base period calculation.

The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator but good luck navigating that mess. Half the links are broken and the other half require you to log in to some portal that never works.

One thing to remember - even if you qualify based on work history, you still have to meet ongoing requirements like actively seeking work and being available for work. Washington requires 3 job search activities per week and you have to log them in WorkSourceWA.

I'm in a similar boat - worked part-time for most of 2024 but worried about the wage requirements. Did you ever get your quarterly wage statements from your employers? That would tell you exactly what was reported to Washington ESD.

The system is so frustrating. I spent 2 weeks trying to figure out if I qualified before just filing anyway. Turns out I did qualify but it took forever to get my first payment because of some adjudication issue they never explained properly.

Pro tip: if you do apply, make sure you report ALL your employers from the base period, even short-term jobs. I forgot about a 2-week temp job and it delayed my claim for a month while they investigated the 'missing' employer.

Update on the Claimyr thing - I used them again last month when I had questions about my weekly claim and it worked great. The agent was able to explain my benefit calculation and why my payment was lower one week. Much better than trying to decode their confusing letters.

Look I hate to be negative but Washington ESD is going to make you jump through hoops no matter what. Even if you qualify on paper, expect delays, requests for additional information, and general bureaucratic nonsense. The system is designed to discourage claims.

The base period thing confused me too when I first applied. If your regular base period doesn't qualify you, they can sometimes use an 'alternate base period' that includes more recent work. It's worth mentioning if your recent job isn't showing up in their calculation.

Just wanted to add - don't let the part-time thing worry you. Washington calculates benefits based on your earnings, not hours worked. I qualified for unemployment after working part-time for over a year. Your benefit amount will be lower than someone who worked full-time, but you can still qualify.

One more thing - if you do end up needing to talk to Washington ESD about your eligibility, try calling right when they open or during lunch time. Those seem to be the best times to actually get through without waiting forever.

Bottom line - with 8 months of consistent work you probably qualify, especially if your total earnings were decent. The part about quitting your previous job might complicate things but the layoff from your recent job should be straightforward. Just be honest on your application and provide any documentation they ask for.

If you run into issues during the application process, remember that Claimyr service people mentioned earlier. I was skeptical at first but when I got stuck in adjudication hell for 2 months, they helped me reach someone who could actually explain what was happening and what I needed to do. Sometimes you need a real person to cut through the automated nonsense.