How many hours can I work on unemployment without losing Washington ESD benefits?

It's not just about hours, it's about your total earnings. You can work as many hours as you want, but if you earn more than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you'll lose benefits for that week. So if your weekly benefit is $500, you can earn up to $505 before losing benefits completely.

Just make sure you report ALL work and earnings when you do your weekly claim. Even if it's just one hour, report it. Washington ESD will figure out if it affects your benefits.

I was in the same situation last month and kept trying to call Washington ESD to get a straight answer about the work rules. Spent literally hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent who explained everything clearly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Was a lifesaver honestly.

The key thing is staying under your weekly benefit amount. If your WBA is $400 and you earn $350 working part-time, you'll still get $50 in unemployment benefits that week. But if you earn $406, you get nothing.

BE CAREFUL with this stuff. I worked 35 hours one week thinking I was fine and ended up with a $2,800 overpayment notice. Now I'm fighting it and it's been a nightmare. The rules are stricter than you think.

I work part-time every week while on unemployment. Usually about 20-25 hours at $15/hour. As long as I stay under my weekly benefit amount, I still get partial unemployment. Just be honest when you file your weekly claim.

The Washington ESD website says you have to be 'able and available' for full-time work. If you're working too many hours, they might say you're not available for other work. It's not just about the money.

Used Claimyr last week to get through to Washington ESD about this exact question. The agent told me it's $5 over your weekly benefit amount OR 32 hours, whichever comes first. So even if you're under the dollar limit, if you work 33 hours they'll question your availability.

Don't forget about job search requirements too. You still need to be looking for full-time work even if you're working part-time. Keep track of your job search activities.

I'm so frustrated with this whole system. Why can't they just give clear answers about how many hours you can work? Everything is 'it depends' and 'contact us for details' but then you can never get through to anyone.

Quick answer: Stay under your weekly benefit amount in earnings AND under 32 hours per week. Report everything honestly. If you're not sure about something specific to your situation, get it in writing from Washington ESD.

Also remember that if you work and earn money, it might extend your claim. The weeks where you earn money don't count against your 26 weeks of benefits, so you could potentially collect longer.

I learned this the hard way - always report your work BEFORE you work, not after. If you pick up unexpected hours, call Washington ESD immediately to report it. Don't wait until your next weekly claim.

At $18/hour, you'd hit your weekly benefit limit pretty fast. If your WBA is $500, that's about 28 hours max. But you also have to stay under 32 hours for the availability requirement. So realistically, you're looking at 25-28 hours max.

The bottom line is Washington ESD wants you to work, but they don't want you to become dependent on partial benefits. The rules are designed to push you toward full-time employment. Keep that in mind when planning your hours.