How many hours a week can you work on unemployment in Washington state?

In Washington state, you can work part-time while on unemployment as long as you report all hours and earnings on your weekly claim. There's no specific hour limit, but your benefits get reduced based on how much you earn. The key is staying under full-time status and always being available for full-time work.

I've been working about 15-20 hours a week while collecting and haven't had any issues. Just make sure you report EVERYTHING on your weekly claim - hours worked, gross earnings, even tips if you get them. Washington ESD is pretty strict about unreported income.

The most important thing is that you have to remain able and available for full-time work. If you're working so many hours that you can't accept a full-time job offer, that could disqualify you from benefits. I'd recommend keeping it under 32 hours per week to be safe.

I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when I had questions about this exact thing. Ended up using Claimyr.com - they have this service where they'll call Washington ESD for you and get you connected to an actual person. Super helpful when you need answers fast. There's even a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

whatever you do dont work more than 39 hours or they'll cut you off completely!! learned that the hard way

Here's the official breakdown: You can work part-time and still collect benefits as long as you report all work and earnings. Your benefits get reduced based on a formula - for every dollar you earn over your weekly benefit amount minus $5, they reduce your benefits by that amount.

The Washington ESD website has all this info but it's buried in like 20 different pages. The main thing is you have to be actively looking for full-time work and available to accept it. If working part-time interferes with that, you could lose benefits.

I work in HR and deal with this stuff all the time. Employees can work part-time while collecting unemployment, but they need to understand that the goal is to get back to full-time employment. The system is designed to supplement income while you're looking for permanent work, not to be a long-term solution.

Been collecting for 6 months now and working about 25 hours a week. Never had any problems as long as I report everything accurately. The key is honesty - if you lie about your hours or earnings, that's when you get in trouble.

The phone system at Washington ESD is absolutely terrible. I spent 3 days trying to get through about work hour questions before someone told me about Claimyr. Game changer - they got me connected to someone in like 10 minutes.

Don't forget about the waiting week either. If you work during your waiting week, those earnings still count toward your benefit calculation for future weeks.

My cousin works like 35 hours a week and still gets some unemployment. I think as long as youre not full time you can still get something

The most frustrating part is when you have questions and can't get through to anyone at Washington ESD. I tried calling for a week straight about work hour limits before finding Claimyr. Now I just use them whenever I need to actually talk to someone there.

Just remember that working part-time while on unemployment is temporary. The goal should always be getting back to full-time employment. Don't get too comfortable with the arrangement.

I worked about 30 hours one week and it completely wiped out my unemployment benefit for that week. Make sure you understand the math before picking up extra shifts.

The washington esd system is so confusing with all these rules and calculations. Why cant they just make it simple - work less than 40 hours, report your earnings, done.

Pro tip: Keep detailed records of all your work hours and earnings. If there's ever a discrepancy or audit, you'll need documentation to prove what you reported was accurate.

Bottom line: You can work part-time while collecting unemployment in Washington, just stay under full-time hours, report everything accurately, and keep looking for permanent full-time work. The system is designed to help bridge the gap, not replace full-time employment.

One more thing - if you start working more hours and your benefits get reduced to zero for several weeks in a row, your claim might become inactive. You'd have to reopen it if you lose the part-time work.

Thanks for posting this question OP. I was wondering the exact same thing and this thread answered everything I needed to know.

I've been in a similar situation and can share what I learned. In Washington state, there's no strict hourly limit, but you need to stay "able and available" for full-time work. I kept my part-time hours around 25-30 per week to be safe. The earnings formula is key - you can make up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 before they start reducing benefits dollar for dollar. So if your weekly benefit is $300, you can earn up to $295 without any reduction. Beyond that, every dollar you earn reduces your benefit by a dollar. Always report everything accurately on your weekly claims - even small amounts matter. Washington ESD does cross-check with employer wage reports, so honesty is crucial. Good luck with the part-time work!

One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned is that when you work those part-time hours, make sure your schedule still allows you to attend job interviews or accept full-time work if offered. Washington ESD can ask you to prove you're available for work, and if your part-time schedule conflicts with that availability, it could be a problem. I learned this when I had to turn down a job interview because it conflicted with my part-time shifts - thankfully it didn't affect my claim, but it was a wake-up call. Keep your part-time work flexible enough that you can still actively job search and be available for opportunities.