How long to be employed for unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

You don't need to work a full year! Washington ESD uses a base period system - they look at the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. You need to have earned at least $1,000 total in your base period AND earned at least $200 in each of at least 2 quarters. With 8 months of work, you should definitely meet the requirements.

8 months should be plenty. I qualified with just 6 months of work last year. The tricky part is actually getting through to file your claim - the Washington ESD phone system is a nightmare.

Actually had a similar situation and found this service called Claimyr 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. Basically they handle the calling for you and connect you when an agent picks up.

The monetary eligibility requirements are: minimum $1,000 earned in base period, earnings in at least 2 quarters of at least $200 each, and your total base period wages must be at least 1.25 times your highest quarter wages. Most people with steady part-time work for 6+ months easily qualify.

ugh the washington esd system is so confusing!! i worked for like 10 months and still got confused about whether i qualified. ended up just filing online and letting them figure it out lol

Make sure you understand the difference between being laid off vs. quitting too. If your hours were cut involuntarily, that's considered a reduction in work which can qualify you. But if you quit because of the hour reduction, it gets more complicated.

I'm in a similar boat - been working for 7 months but worried I won't qualify because I switched jobs once during that time. Does job hopping affect eligibility?

Just wanted to follow up on the calling thing - I actually tried that Claimyr service mentioned earlier and it worked great. Got connected in like 20 minutes instead of spending all day redialing.

Another thing to consider - when you file, they'll ask about your reason for unemployment. 'Lack of work' or 'reduction in hours' are both valid reasons that shouldn't cause issues with your claim.

File as soon as possible! There's a waiting week but benefits are backdated to when you first became unemployed or had your hours reduced. Don't wait thinking your situation might improve.

The Washington ESD website actually has a calculator to estimate your benefit amount based on your wages. Might be worth checking before you file so you know what to expect.

Don't forget you'll need to register with WorkSourceWA and do job search activities once you start receiving benefits. They have specific requirements about how many jobs you need to apply for each week.

Make sure you have all your employer information ready when you file - names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for separation. Having everything organized makes the process much smoother.

One more tip - if your claim goes into adjudication for any reason, that's when those callback services really come in handy. Regular adjudication can take weeks and calling is often the only way to get updates.

With 8 months of steady part-time work, you're definitely good on the work requirement. I had less than that and still qualified. The hardest part is just navigating the system once you file.

Just remember to file your weekly claims every week even if your payment is delayed or you're waiting on adjudication. Missing weekly claims can cause problems later.

Washington ESD has really improved their online system in recent years. Filing the initial claim is pretty straightforward now, though getting help when you need it is still challenging.

For what it's worth, I used to work at a temp agency and we had people qualify for unemployment with just 4-5 months of work history all the time. Your 8 months should be more than enough.