How long to receive unemployment benefits after Washington ESD approval?

I do have direct deposit set up. So if I filed yesterday (Tuesday) I should see something by Friday?

Yeah that sounds about right. Sometimes it's faster, sometimes it takes the full 3 days.

That's awful! Have you tried calling first thing in the morning? That's when I had the most luck.

I was in the same boat last month - couldn't get through no matter what time I called. Finally used this service called Claimyr that automatically calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an agent. Found it at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Got through within 2 hours instead of spending days trying.

really? that actually works? ive been calling for weeks and either get busy signals or get hung up on

This is good to know! I always file on Mondays because that's when I remember but maybe I should switch to Sundays.

Yeah definitely file as early as possible. The system processes them in order so earlier filing = earlier payment.

They said it was just a routine verification of my separation from my last employer. Apparently my previous job took forever to respond to their request for information.

Ugh that's probably what's happening to me too. My last boss was pretty vindictive when I quit.

Yeah I've been keeping track of my job search activities. Do I need to report them when I file my weekly claim?

You report them in your weekly claim filing. Make sure you have employer names, contact info, and dates. They can audit your records anytime.

What's a waiting week? This is my first time dealing with unemployment.

It's basically the first week you file that you don't get paid for. Think of it as a deductible. But since you were in adjudication for 3 weeks, your waiting week probably already passed.

Wait I thought they got rid of the waiting week during COVID?

No, the waiting week is still there. They suspended it temporarily during the pandemic but it came back.

Good idea! I'll go do that right now.

Yeah I plan to file every week. Don't want to mess anything up after waiting so long for approval.

Smart! I missed one week early on and it was a nightmare to get it sorted out.

I use BECU so hopefully they're fast with processing.

BECU is usually pretty good with unemployment payments. You should see it within 2-3 days.

Awesome! Glad it worked for you. Sometimes you just need to actually talk to a human to get things moving.

How much does that service cost? I've been trying to get through for weeks too.

honestly dont remember the exact cost but it was worth it to finally get answers instead of calling hundreds of times

That's reassuring! I was worried about payments being inconsistent.

Nope, very consistent once you're in the system. Just don't miss any weekly filings.

Good point. I'll make sure to check my SAW account daily.

Yeah they don't always send email notifications so you have to stay on top of it yourself.

It's based on what I was making at my last job. Plus I'm actively looking for work, it's not like I'm just sitting around.

Unemployment is insurance that we pay into when we work. It's not free money.

fair point i guess just seems like a lot to me

Oh right, I should probably set up tax withholding. How do I do that?

You can set it up in your SAW account under payment preferences. I think it's 10% federal withholding.

Yeah I was prepared for it to take longer based on what I read online. I feel lucky it was only 3 weeks.

My neighbor waited 8 weeks for his adjudication last year. The system is definitely backed up.

Good advice. I'll start a spreadsheet to track everything.

Smart! Organization is key when dealing with unemployment benefits.

I learned this the hard way when they asked me to verify my job search activities from 6 months ago. Luckily I had kept records.

Thanks! I'll definitely update this thread when I get my first payment.

Please do! It helps other people in similar situations to know what to expect.

Good to know! I'll bookmark that in case I run into problems later.

Yeah definitely keep it handy. Way better than spending hours on hold or getting hung up on.

Will do! Fingers crossed it comes through by Friday like others have said.

🤞 Hope it works out smoothly for you!

Totally agree. The uncertainty is the worst part. You'd think after approval everything would be straightforward.

At least Washington ESD has improved from a few years ago. It used to be even worse if you can believe that.