How many hours can I work and still collect Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

That's really helpful! So at $15/hour, I could work up to about 46 hours and still get something? That seems like a lot more than I expected.

Well, you'd get a reduced benefit amount. The formula is your weekly benefit minus 75% of your earnings over $5. So if you earned $300, you'd get $462 - (75% of $295) = about $241.

That's helpful! So it's more about earnings than hours worked? The retail job would be minimum wage so that might work out.

Just make sure you report ALL earnings when you file your weekly claim, even if it's just a few dollars. Washington ESD will find out eventually and you don't want an overpayment.

Thank you! My weekly benefit is $487 so 1.5 times that would be around $730. I'm nowhere near that amount so I should be okay.

Just make sure you report everything accurately on your weekly claim. Washington ESD will find out if you don't report wages and that can cause overpayment issues later.

Got it, so I need to keep looking for full-time work even if I take the part-time job. That makes sense.

Yeah and don't forget you still need to do your job search activities - 3 per week I think it is now. Working part-time doesn't excuse you from that requirement.

I had the same problem until someone on here told me about Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

Really? That sounds too good to be true. How does it work exactly?

They basically handle the calling and waiting for you. When they get an agent on the line, they connect you directly. I used it last month when my claim got stuck in adjudication.

Yikes, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I'll definitely report everything accurately.

That's why it's so important to be completely honest on your weekly claims. Even small amounts of unreported income can cause big problems later.

Wow, that math is confusing but helpful. So working a little bit is still worth it financially.

Yeah exactly. You're always better off working some than not working at all, even with the benefit reduction.

Just don't forget to keep track of your hours and earnings for each employer. You'll need that info when filing your weekly claim.

Good point. I definitely don't want to deal with paying anything back. Better to be completely honest from the start.

This is so important! My friend got an overpayment notice for like $2000 because she forgot to report some cash work she did. It was a nightmare to deal with.

Good to know! Do you report the hours for the week you worked them or the week you got paid?

You report for the week you actually worked the hours, not when you get paid. So if you worked Monday-Friday, report those hours on the weekly claim for that same week.

How much does that cost? I'm already struggling financially and don't want to pay for something that should be free.

I understand the concern about cost, but honestly the time I saved was worth it. I had been trying to reach ESD for weeks about my part-time work situation and couldn't get through. Sometimes you need to invest a little to protect your benefits.

Oh wow, I didn't know about the gross vs net thing. That's really important, thank you!

This is correct. Washington ESD wants to know your total earnings before any deductions. Tips, bonuses, commissions - everything counts as income that needs to be reported.

That makes sense. I'm still applying for full-time positions, so the part-time work shouldn't be a problem there.

Exactly. Just make sure when you file your weekly claim that you answer 'yes' to being available for work even though you're working part-time.

That's encouraging to hear! What kind of records do you keep?

I keep a simple spreadsheet with dates worked, hours, and gross pay for each week. Makes it easy when I file my weekly claim online.

I get the frustration but the rules are there for a reason. Unemployment is supposed to be temporary assistance while you look for full-time work.

Easy for you to say. Some of us have been looking for months and there's nothing out there that pays decent wages.

Thanks for the tip! I've been trying to call Washington ESD for days with no luck. I'll check that out.

I used Claimyr too when I had questions about my adjudication. Definitely worth it when you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD instead of just guessing about the rules.

Actually, it's not dollar for dollar. Washington has a partial benefit formula that's more generous than that. They subtract 75% of your earnings above the disregard amount from your weekly benefit.

Oh really? I thought it was more than that. Good to know it's only 75%!

Good point. The retail job would be evenings and weekends mostly, so I'd still be available for day shift full-time jobs.

That should be fine then. Just make sure you mention that availability when you file your weekly claims.

I was skeptical too but I tried it when I couldn't reach Washington ESD about my job search requirement questions. It actually worked - got connected to an agent in about 30 minutes instead of calling for days.

Interesting. I might have to check it out. The regular calling method is basically useless.

Yeah it's legit. I wouldn't recommend it if I hadn't used it myself. Way better than spending whole days trying to get through on your own.

Good point. I'm definitely still looking for full-time work. This part-time job is just to help pay bills while I search.

The job search requirement is 3 job contacts per week in Washington. Keep good records of your applications and interviews.

No, you can definitely work part-time and still collect partial benefits! A lot of people don't realize this. You just have to report your earnings correctly.

omg I feel so stupid now. I could have been making some money this whole time instead of just sitting around waiting for interviews

Don't feel bad - the Washington ESD website doesn't make this super clear. Lots of people think the same thing.

Right, I'm still doing my job searches. It's actually easier now that I have some income coming in - less pressure.

Just make sure those job search activities are for full-time positions, not more part-time work.

Definitely not planning to hide anything! I want to do everything by the book.

Smart approach. The penalties for not reporting income correctly are way worse than just losing a little bit of benefit money.

It's not a hard rule about hours. It's more about whether you're considered to be working full-time. If you're working 30+ hours regularly, Washington ESD might consider that full-time employment and end your benefits.

ok that makes sense. so its more about the pattern than any specific week

Good to know. The job I'm looking at is only 15-20 hours so I should be fine on that front.

Yeah, anything under 30 hours is usually considered part-time and shouldn't affect your availability status.

That's encouraging to hear! Did you ever have any issues with Washington ESD questioning your job search efforts?

Nope, as long as you're still applying for full-time jobs and documenting your search activities, you should be fine. I kept applying and interviewing the whole time.

They do have information on their website but it's scattered around and written in government speak. Not very user-friendly.

The basic rule is simple: report all earnings honestly and you'll be fine. It's when people try to hide income that they get in trouble.

That's encouraging to hear! Every little bit helps when you're looking for work.

Exactly. Plus having some work history during unemployment looks good to future employers. Shows you're staying active and motivated.

That's a good point I hadn't thought about. I guess that's fair though - the goal is to get back to full-time work anyway.

Yeah and 'suitable work' generally means anything in your field or at 80% of your previous wage after a certain number of weeks unemployed.

Thanks for breaking down the math! That actually works out better than I thought it would.

Exactly right. A lot of people get scared off by the 75% number but forget about the $5 disregard.

This is important. Washington ESD looks at each week individually. If you work full-time hours one week, you won't get benefits for that specific week.

Good to know. My job is pretty consistent with hours so I don't think I'll have that problem, but I'll keep it in mind.

Should I tell them during the interview or wait until I get hired?

I'd probably wait until you get the job offer. No need to complicate the interview process, but definitely mention it before you start working.

The retail manager seemed fine with it when I mentioned it. I think they're used to hiring people in transition.

Retail and food service are pretty understanding about it. They deal with a lot of people supplementing unemployment.

That's exactly why I mentioned Claimyr earlier. I was in the same boat - kept getting hung up on or couldn't get through at all. The service actually got me connected to a real ESD agent who answered all my questions about working part-time while on benefits.

I might have to check that out. This is ridiculous that we can't reach the agency that's supposed to help us.

What do you mean by same format? Is there a specific way I should write the employer information?

Just be consistent with how you enter the employer name, your job title, hours worked, etc. Don't abbreviate it one week and spell it out the next. Consistency helps their system process your claims smoothly.

You report the actual hours worked and the gross pay you received. So if you worked 8 hours at time-and-a-half, you report 8 hours worked and whatever the total gross pay was for those 8 hours.

Thanks! That makes sense. I was overthinking it.

I'll look for that calculator. It would be nice to know what to expect before I start reporting earnings.

The calculator is helpful but remember it's just an estimate. The actual calculation happens when you file your weekly claim and might vary slightly.