How long to get unemployment benefits approved in Washington state?

The standard timeline for Washington ESD is usually 2-3 weeks if there are no issues with your claim. However, if your claim goes into adjudication (which happens when they need to verify employment or investigate something), it can take 4-6 weeks or even longer. Did you get any notification about your claim status when you applied?

took me about 3 weeks to get my first payment but that was back in september. friend of mine just got approved and it took her like 5 weeks because they had to verify her wages from her last job

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check on your claim status, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helps people get connected to ESD agents. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked - got through to someone in about 15 minutes instead of calling for hours. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that explains how it works. Might be worth checking out if you need to speak with someone about your claim.

WASHINGTON ESD IS SO SLOW!! I've been waiting 6 weeks for my claim to be approved and every time I call they just say 'it's still being processed' with no real timeline. This system is broken and they don't care about people who actually need help paying their bills.

For what it's worth, my experience was pretty smooth. Applied in early December and got my first payment in about 2.5 weeks. I think it depends a lot on your employment history and whether there are any complications with your claim. Make sure you have all your employment information accurate when you apply - that seems to be where a lot of delays happen.

Are you required to do job search activities right away or do you have a grace period? I keep seeing conflicting information about this.

Just want to add that if you're on standby status (like if you're temporarily laid off but expect to return to work), the approval process might be different. Regular unemployment and standby have different requirements.

honestly the whole system is so confusing. I applied 2 months ago and still haven't gotten a straight answer about why my claim is taking so long. Every time I call I get told something different.

Question - do you get back pay for the weeks you were unemployed before your claim was approved? I've been out of work for 3 weeks already.

The key thing is to keep filing your weekly claims even while your initial application is pending. I made that mistake and it delayed my payments even more.

My sister had to wait almost 2 months because Washington ESD needed to verify her employment with a company that had gone out of business. Sometimes there are complications that are completely out of your control.

I just want to say that while the wait is stressful, Washington ESD is actually pretty good about getting things sorted out eventually. I know it doesn't help when you're worried about bills, but try to stay patient.

Check your spam folder for emails from Washington ESD too. I almost missed an important request for information because it went to spam.

If you need to speak with someone urgently about your claim, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier actually works pretty well. I used it last month when I had issues with my weekly claim and got through to an agent in about 20 minutes. Way better than spending hours on the phone getting busy signals.

Just to set realistic expectations - if there are any red flags in your application (like gaps in employment history or issues with your reason for separation), it could take longer. But most straightforward claims do get processed within that 2-4 week timeframe.

Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like you should expect around 2-3 weeks for a straightforward claim like yours. Since you were laid off as part of a company downsize, that's usually pretty clear-cut for Washington ESD to process without complications. The fact that you're already filing your weekly claims is smart - that's exactly what you should be doing. I'd give it another week or two before getting too worried, but if you hit the 3-week mark without hearing anything, that's probably when I'd consider using one of those services people mentioned to get through to someone. Hang in there!

I'm currently in week 3 of waiting for my unemployment claim to be approved after being laid off from a tech startup. Like others mentioned, I've been diligently filing my weekly claims even though my initial application is still pending. What's been frustrating is the lack of communication - I check the ESD website daily but it just says "claim under review" with no timeline. I called twice but couldn't get through to a real person. Reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel less alone in this process. It sounds like I should probably give it one more week before trying some of the alternative methods people have suggested for getting through to an agent. The financial stress is real when you're used to a steady paycheck and suddenly have nothing coming in!

I went through this exact same process about 6 months ago after my company had layoffs. Since you mentioned it was a company downsize with multiple people laid off, that should actually work in your favor - Washington ESD processes those types of claims faster because the reason for unemployment is very clear. My timeline was almost exactly 3 weeks from application to first payment. The hardest part is definitely that waiting period when you're checking the website every day and it just says "under review." One thing that helped me was setting up direct deposit if you haven't already - it made the first payment come through faster once approved. Also, make sure you're documenting any job search activities you're doing now, even before approval, because you'll need that information once benefits start. The system is definitely slow but it does work eventually!

I'm going through the same waiting process right now - applied about 10 days ago after being laid off from my retail job. Reading through all these experiences is both reassuring and nerve-wracking! It sounds like the 2-4 week timeline is pretty consistent for most people, though it's frustrating how little communication there is during the process. I've been filing my weekly claims like everyone recommends, even though it feels weird claiming benefits when I don't know if I'm approved yet. The financial anxiety is definitely real - I've been picking up some gig work just to have something coming in while I wait. Thanks to everyone sharing their timelines and experiences here, it really helps to know what to expect!