How long will I get unemployment benefits from Washington ESD?

In Washington state, regular unemployment benefits last up to 26 weeks (6 months) maximum. However, the exact duration depends on your base period wages - the more you earned during your base period, the more weeks you qualify for. You can see your exact benefit duration in your determination letter from Washington ESD.

Just to add - you have to keep filing your weekly claims and meeting the job search requirements to continue getting benefits. If you miss filing a weekly claim or don't do your job searches, your benefits can be stopped even if you have weeks left.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my benefit duration but their phone lines are impossible. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there?

wait i thought unemployment was only for like 3 months?? i've been stressing about finding a job super fast

The 26 weeks is just the standard maximum. During recessions or high unemployment periods, there can be extended benefits that last longer. But right now we're just dealing with regular state benefits.

Just remember that even if you get the full 26 weeks, you should start job searching immediately. The job market moves fast and 6 months goes by quicker than you think.

I got laid off from Boeing last year and got the full 26 weeks. Used every single week too because it took forever to find something comparable. Make sure you keep detailed records of your job searches - Washington ESD can audit you.

Does anyone know if working part-time affects how long your benefits last? I might pick up some gig work while job hunting.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! I've been waiting 8 weeks just to get approved and now I find out I might only get 12 weeks of benefits because I didn't earn enough in my base period. This is ridiculous!

Pro tip: if you're getting close to exhausting your benefits and still haven't found work, start looking into retraining programs through WorkSource. Some of them can extend your eligibility.

I've been on unemployment for 16 weeks now and still haven't found anything in my field. The pressure is really building knowing I only have 10 weeks left max.

Quick question - do the 26 weeks start from when you first file or from when you get approved? My approval took forever.

Been trying to reach Washington ESD for 3 weeks to clarify my benefit duration but can never get through. This is insane.

Just want to confirm - there's no way to extend regular unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks in Washington right now, correct? No federal extensions or anything?

For what it's worth, I used all 26 weeks last year and it gave me time to find a really good job instead of jumping at the first offer. Sometimes the full duration is exactly what you need.

make sure you understand the difference between your maximum benefit amount and your weekly amount too. the determination letter shows both and they're different things

One more thing to remember - if you do exhaust your regular benefits, you might be eligible for Extended Benefits (EB) if the unemployment rate triggers it, but that's pretty rare and we're not in that situation currently.

I'm at week 24 of 26 and finally got a job offer yesterday. Cutting it close but the benefits gave me the time I needed to find something decent instead of taking the first minimum wage job I could find.