How long to work to get unemployment benefits in Washington - minimum work requirements?

You need to have earned at least $3,850 in your base year to qualify for Washington unemployment. The base year is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. It's not about how many months you worked, it's about your total earnings during that period.

i had the same confusion when i applied last year. the work requirement isn't about continuous employment, its about meeting the wage threshold in the right time period. you can have gaps and still qualify

The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator that can help you figure out if you qualify. You'll need your pay stubs or tax documents to get accurate numbers. Just go to esd.wa.gov and look for the benefit estimator tool.

I spent weeks trying to get through to Washington ESD to ask about my work history and qualification. The phone lines are always busy and I kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an agent who could review my work history. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Game changer for getting real answers about your eligibility.

The minimum work requirement in Washington is having wages in at least 2 quarters of your base year AND meeting the $3,850 total earnings threshold. If you worked 8 months with gaps, you likely worked in multiple quarters which should meet the distribution requirement.

been there! i thought i hadnt worked enough because of all the gaps between jobs but turns out i qualified easily. the system looks at your total wages not how consistently you worked

Don't forget that even if you qualify based on work history, you still need to meet the ongoing requirements like job searching and being available for work. Washington ESD requires you to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and log them in WorkSourceWA.

I was in a similar situation with part-time work and gaps. The key thing is that Washington unemployment looks at your highest earning quarter in the base year to determine your weekly benefit amount. Even if you worked sporadically, if you had one good quarter it can make a difference.

THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU THINK YOU DON'T QUALIFY!!! I almost didn't apply because I thought my work history wasn't good enough but I easily met the requirements. File your claim and let them tell you if you don't qualify rather than assuming you won't.

Quick question - does anyone know if temporary work through staffing agencies counts toward the work requirement? I did a lot of temp assignments last year.

Another thing to consider is if you don't qualify for regular unemployment, Washington has other programs like Pandemic Unemployment Assistance... wait, that ended already. But there might be other options if you're self-employed or have unusual work situations.

I used Claimyr too when I couldn't get through to Washington ESD about my work history questions. The agent was able to look up my wage records and confirm I qualified even though I had a complicated work pattern with multiple part-time jobs. Saved me weeks of uncertainty.

One more tip - when you apply, make sure you have accurate information about your employers and dates of employment. Any discrepancies can delay your claim while they investigate.

honestly the work requirements arent that high compared to some other states. washington is pretty reasonable about qualifying if youve been working regularly even if its part time

Just to clarify something I see confused a lot - the base year is NOT the last 12 months. It's the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters. So if you're applying in January 2025, your base year would be January-December 2024. If you're applying in March 2025, it would be October 2023-September 2024.

If anyone's still struggling to reach Washington ESD about work history verification, I had success with Claimyr recently. They got me connected within an hour to an agent who could access my wage records. Much better than spending days trying to get through the regular phone lines.

Bottom line: if you earned at least $3,850 in wages during your base year and worked in at least 2 quarters, you should qualify. The gaps between jobs don't matter as long as you meet those thresholds. File your claim and let Washington ESD make the determination.