How many hours a week do you have to work to get Washington ESD unemployment benefits?
I'm really confused about the work hour requirements for unemployment in Washington. I've been working part-time at a retail job for about 8 months now, usually getting around 25-30 hours per week. My manager just told me they're cutting everyone's hours down to maybe 15-20 hours starting next month due to slow business. I'm wondering if I can apply for partial unemployment benefits through Washington ESD? Like do I need to have worked a certain number of hours per week in the past to qualify? And if my hours get cut, can I still get some unemployment while working the reduced schedule? I've never dealt with this before and the Washington ESD website is kind of confusing to navigate.
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Brady Clean
You don't need to work a specific number of hours per week to qualify for Washington unemployment. What matters is your total wages earned during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). For partial unemployment, you can work reduced hours and still receive some benefits as long as your weekly earnings don't exceed a certain threshold.
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Molly Hansen
•Oh okay, so it's more about total wages than hours per week? That makes more sense. Do you know what the earnings threshold is for partial benefits?
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Brady Clean
•Yes exactly! The threshold changes but generally if you earn less than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you can get partial benefits. Washington ESD will reduce your benefit by the amount you earn over $5.
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Skylar Neal
I was in a similar situation last year when my restaurant cut everyone's hours. You can definitely apply for partial unemployment benefits in Washington. The key is that you need to have earned enough wages during your base period to establish a claim, and then when your hours get reduced, you report your weekly earnings and Washington ESD calculates your partial benefit.
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Molly Hansen
•How do you report the weekly earnings? Is it through the same weekly claim system?
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Skylar Neal
•Yes, you file your weekly claims online and report any wages you earned that week. Just be accurate with the amounts and dates - Washington ESD will cross-check with employer records.
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Vincent Bimbach
The Washington ESD qualification is based on wages earned, not hours worked. You need to have earned wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period, with total base period wages of at least $3,850 (as of 2025). For partial unemployment, you can work up to 39 hours per week and still potentially receive benefits, depending on your earnings.
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Molly Hansen
•That's helpful! I think I should meet those wage requirements. When you say 39 hours per week, is that a hard limit or does it depend on how much you earn?
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Vincent Bimbach
•It's more about earnings than hours. The 39-hour thing is just that if you work 40+ hours, Washington ESD considers you fully employed. But if you earn too much even working fewer hours, you might not get benefits.
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Kelsey Chin
•Actually I think the hour limit might be different now. I'd check the current Washington ESD guidelines because these rules change sometimes.
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Norah Quay
I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks about my partial unemployment claim and can never reach anyone on the phone. The wait times are insane and I keep getting hung up on. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to a real person there?
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Brady Clean
•The phone lines are definitely brutal. I usually try calling right when they open at 8am, but even then it's hit or miss.
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Leo McDonald
•I actually found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. They have some kind of system that waits on hold for you and connects you when an agent is available. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Norah Quay
•Really? That sounds too good to be true. How does it actually work?
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Jessica Nolan
wait so if i work like 20 hours a week at minimum wage can i still get unemployment? my hours got cut too and im barely making rent
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Brady Clean
•Yes, you can apply for partial unemployment if your hours were reduced. The key is whether you earned enough wages in your base period to qualify for a claim in the first place.
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Jessica Nolan
•ok cool how do i find out about the base period thing?
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Vincent Bimbach
•You can check your wage history on the Washington ESD website when you start your application. It will show your earnings for each quarter.
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Kelsey Chin
Just want to clarify something - there's no minimum hours per week you need to have worked to qualify for unemployment. What Washington ESD looks at is your wage history over the base period. So someone who worked 40 hours for 3 months could potentially qualify, while someone who worked 10 hours for 2 years might not, depending on their total wages earned.
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Molly Hansen
•That makes sense. I've been pretty consistent with 25-30 hours for 8 months so hopefully my wages are high enough.
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Angelina Farar
•Yeah I worked full time for just a few months and qualified, while my friend who worked part time for over a year didn't make enough wages. It's all about the dollar amounts.
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Sebastián Stevens
This is so frustrating! I've been working 35 hours a week for 6 months and they're cutting me to 18 hours. I tried calling Washington ESD but after 2 hours on hold I got disconnected. Why is it so hard to get basic information?
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Leo McDonald
•I mentioned this earlier but that Claimyr service really helped me get through to Washington ESD. Worth checking out if you're tired of the phone runaround.
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Bethany Groves
•Is that service legit? Sounds kind of sketchy to me.
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Leo McDonald
•I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They don't ask for your personal info or anything, just help you get connected to an actual Washington ESD agent.
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KingKongZilla
For what it's worth, I've been doing partial unemployment for 3 months now. I work about 24 hours a week at a coffee shop and get partial benefits. The process is pretty straightforward once you get your claim established - just file your weekly claims online and report your earnings accurately.
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Molly Hansen
•How long did it take for your claim to get approved initially?
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KingKongZilla
•About 2 weeks for me, but I didn't have any issues with my application. Some people wait longer if there are complications.
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Rebecca Johnston
I think people get confused about the hours thing because some other states have minimum hour requirements, but Washington doesn't. It's purely wage-based here.
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Nathan Dell
•That's true. I moved here from another state and was confused about the differences in unemployment rules.
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Molly Hansen
•Good to know it's different by state. I'll focus on my wage history then when I apply.
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Maya Jackson
Just a heads up - make sure you're actively looking for work even if you're getting partial unemployment. Washington ESD still requires job search activities, usually 3 job contacts per week.
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Molly Hansen
•Oh right, I forgot about the job search requirement. Is that 3 applications or just 3 contacts?
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Maya Jackson
•It can be applications, interviews, networking contacts, or other approved job search activities. Just keep records of what you do.
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Tristan Carpenter
•You also need to register with WorkSource Washington if you haven't already. That's another requirement.
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Amaya Watson
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! I've been trying to get answers about my partial claim for WEEKS and nobody at Washington ESD knows anything. They give you different answers every time you call (if you can even get through). It's like they're actively trying to make it impossible to get help.
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Grant Vikers
•I feel your frustration. The inconsistent information is really annoying.
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Leo McDonald
•This is exactly why I started using Claimyr. Got tired of the runaround and just wanted to talk to someone who could give me straight answers.
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Giovanni Martello
OP, you should definitely apply if your hours are getting cut. The worst they can say is no, and if you qualify you'll get some financial help while you look for additional work.
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Molly Hansen
•You're right. I'll start the application process this week. Thanks everyone for the helpful info!
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Savannah Weiner
One more thing - when you report your reduced hours to Washington ESD, make sure you have documentation from your employer about the hour reduction. Sometimes they ask for verification that it wasn't voluntary on your part.
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Molly Hansen
•Good point. I'll ask my manager for something in writing about the hour cuts.
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Levi Parker
•Yes, documentation is key. Washington ESD likes to have everything properly documented.
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Libby Hassan
I went through this exact situation last year. Retail hours got cut from 30 to 15 hours per week. I was able to get partial unemployment for about 4 months until I found a better job. The extra money really helped cover the gap.
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Molly Hansen
•That's encouraging to hear. How much did the partial benefits help with your reduced income?
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Libby Hassan
•It didn't replace all the lost wages but it made the difference between paying rent and not paying rent, if you know what I mean.
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Hunter Hampton
Make sure when you apply that you answer all the questions accurately, especially about why your hours were reduced. Washington ESD will verify with your employer so don't try to embellish or anything.
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Molly Hansen
•Definitely won't embellish anything. My situation is pretty straightforward - business is slow so they're cutting everyone's hours.
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