How long to work before eligible for unemployment Washington ESD?

So it's not about how long you worked at one job, but about earning wages over multiple quarters? That's confusing.

Exactly. You could work at multiple jobs as long as you earned wages in at least 2 quarters during your base period.

The numbers change every year but that sounds about right. Washington ESD has a benefits calculator on their website.

Yeah, I used that calculator when I filed last year. Super helpful to see if you qualify before going through the whole application process.

Never heard of that. How does it work exactly?

You go to claimyr.com and they basically keep calling Washington ESD for you until they get through, then connect you to the agent. Way better than sitting on hold forever.

Sounds too good to be true but I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point.

Is that something you have to do right away or can you wait?

You need to register within a certain timeframe after filing your claim. I think it's like 21 days but check with Washington ESD to be sure.

Same here. Had three different part-time jobs over 8 months and still qualified when the main one cut my hours.

This is making more sense now. It's about your total earnings over time, not just one job.

Yeah those government websites are awful to navigate. Half the links don't even work properly.

True, but the information is there if you dig deep enough. Just takes patience.

You might be able to combine wages from different states using something called Interstate Benefits. It's more complicated though.

Good to know. I'll have to look into that since I moved here from California last year.

Learned this the hard way. Took weeks to get my claim processed because I couldn't find my W-2 from a job I worked for like 3 months.

Exactly. Organization saves time and stress later on.

Right, you usually need to be laid off or have your hours reduced significantly. Quitting makes it much harder to qualify.

There are some exceptions for quitting with good cause but those are pretty specific situations.

This is solid advice. I waited like 2 weeks thinking I didn't have enough work history and it just delayed everything.

Exactly. The worst they can do is say no, but you might be surprised and actually qualify.

Because it's the government and they love making everything unnecessarily complicated.

So true. And then when you try to call and ask questions, good luck getting through to anyone.

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. Got tired of the runaround and just wanted to talk to a real person who could answer my questions.

True, the online system works most of the time. Though it does crash during busy periods.

Yeah, I learned to file my weekly claims early in the morning to avoid the rush.

I think they got rid of the waiting week during COVID but it might be back now. Not sure about the current rules.

Would be nice if they clearly communicated these changes instead of leaving people guessing.

Thanks, this thread has been super helpful. Sounds like I should be fine if something happens since I worked full-time last year before starting this new job.

Sounds like you should qualify based on your work history. Just keep those pay stubs organized!

Which service did you use? I'm always skeptical of those types of companies.

It was claimyr.com - same one mentioned earlier. They don't handle your claim for you, just help you get through to Washington ESD agents when you need to talk to someone. Worked well for me.

Yeah, you have to log your work search activities and be ready to provide details if they audit you.

The work search requirements are actually pretty reasonable in Washington compared to some states, but you still have to take them seriously.

Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes it's better to go straight to the source even if it's harder to understand.

Exactly. And if you still have questions after reading the official info, then you know what specific things to ask about when you call.

Agree! Real people sharing real experiences is so much more valuable than generic government websites.

For sure. Hope this helps other people who are trying to figure out the same thing.