How many hours can you work and still get unemployment Washington ESD benefits?
I'm currently receiving UI benefits from Washington ESD and I got offered some part-time work at a retail store. They're saying I could work anywhere from 15-25 hours per week depending on their needs. I want to take it but I'm scared I'll lose my unemployment completely. Does anyone know the exact rule about how many hours you can work and still keep getting benefits? I've been searching the Washington ESD website but it's confusing with all the different calculations they mention.
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Mateo Perez
You can work part-time and still receive partial unemployment benefits in Washington. The key isn't really the number of hours - it's your earnings. Washington ESD uses a formula where they deduct your weekly earnings from your weekly benefit amount, but they give you a small earnings disregard first. So if you earn less than your weekly benefit amount, you'll still get something.
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Nia Davis
•So it's based on what I earn, not how many hours? That's actually helpful because the hourly rate isn't that high.
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Aisha Rahman
•Exactly, but you still need to report ALL hours worked when you file your weekly claim, even if you only made $20 that week.
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CosmicCrusader
I think there's also some rule about being available for full-time work though. Like if you're working 30+ hours regularly, they might question if you're truly available and actively seeking full-time employment. But 15-25 hours should be fine as long as you're still doing your job searches.
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Ethan Brown
•Yeah, the job search requirement doesn't go away just because you're working part-time. You still need to apply for jobs and log them in WorkSourceWA.
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Nia Davis
•Good point about the job search requirements. I've been keeping up with those anyway.
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Yuki Yamamoto
I was in the exact same situation last year and honestly, trying to get through to Washington ESD to ask these questions was impossible. The phone lines are always jammed. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. It was a lifesaver because I needed to clarify the part-time work rules before I started my job.
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Nia Davis
•Really? How does that work exactly? I've been trying to call for weeks with no luck.
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Yuki Yamamoto
•Basically they handle all the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Carmen Ortiz
•That actually sounds useful. The hold times are ridiculous - I've been disconnected so many times after waiting over an hour.
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Aisha Rahman
Just to be clear about the earnings calculation - Washington ESD takes your gross weekly earnings, subtracts a small disregard amount (I think it's around $5 plus 25% of your remaining earnings), then deducts whatever's left from your weekly benefit amount. So if your weekly benefit is $400 and you earn $200 in a week, you'd still get a partial payment.
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Nia Davis
•This is really helpful math. So I should definitely take the job then, it sounds like I'll still get something from unemployment.
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Mateo Perez
•Yes, and working part-time can actually help your claim in the long run because it shows you're actively trying to get back to full employment.
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Andre Rousseau
wait so if I work like 10 hours a week at minimum wage I can still get unemployment? this is confusing
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Aisha Rahman
•Yes, as long as your earnings don't exceed your weekly benefit amount. The system is designed to encourage people to take part-time work while looking for full-time employment.
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Andre Rousseau
•ok cool. do I report the hours when I file my weekly claim?
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Mateo Perez
•@profile8 Yes, you must report all hours worked and all earnings when you file your weekly claim, even if it's just a few hours.
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Zoe Papadakis
I'm working 20 hours a week right now and still getting partial benefits. The most important thing is being honest on your weekly claims. If you lie about your work hours or earnings, that's fraud and they will catch you eventually.
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Nia Davis
•Good reminder about being honest. I definitely don't want to mess up my claim by making a mistake on reporting.
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CosmicCrusader
•The penalties for fraud are severe too - they can make you pay back everything plus penalties and interest.
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Jamal Carter
Does anyone know if there's a limit on how long you can work part-time while collecting? Like do they eventually cut you off if you're not finding full-time work?
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Mateo Perez
•Your benefit year is still the same length whether you work part-time or not. You have up to 26 weeks of benefits (or until your benefit balance runs out).
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Jamal Carter
•That makes sense. So the part-time work doesn't extend how long I can collect, it just reduces each weekly payment.
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AstroAdventurer
The Washington ESD website has a calculator somewhere that lets you estimate your partial benefits based on your earnings. It's buried in there somewhere but it's helpful for planning.
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Nia Davis
•I'll try to find that calculator. It would be good to know exactly what to expect before I start working.
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Ethan Brown
•I think it's under the 'Calculate Benefits' section but their website navigation is terrible.
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Mei Liu
UGH the Washington ESD system is so confusing! Why can't they just have a simple chart that shows hours vs benefits? Everything is some complicated formula that requires a math degree to understand.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•I totally agree. Other states have much clearer information about part-time work rules.
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Aisha Rahman
•The complexity is because they want to encourage work while preventing abuse. But I agree the explanation could be clearer.
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Amara Chukwu
I've been doing gig work (DoorDash, Instacart) while on unemployment and reporting all of it. Some weeks I make almost nothing, other weeks I make $300+. The system handles the variable income fine, you just report whatever you earned that week.
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Nia Davis
•That's good to know. My retail job will probably have variable hours too depending on their needs.
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Giovanni Conti
•Just make sure you save all your earnings records in case they ever audit your claim.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
One thing to watch out for - if your employer offers you full-time hours and you turn them down, you could lose your unemployment benefits for refusing suitable work. Make sure the job description is clear about it being part-time only.
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Nia Davis
•Good point. They did specifically advertise it as part-time retail associate, so I think I'm okay there.
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Mateo Perez
•Yes, and 'suitable work' generally means work that matches your skills and previous wage level, not just any job.
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NeonNova
I tried calling Washington ESD so many times about this same question. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and got through to an agent who explained everything clearly. Definitely worth it if you need specific answers about your situation.
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Nia Davis
•I'm seriously considering trying Claimyr at this point. The phone system is just impossible.
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NeonNova
•It really helped me feel confident about taking part-time work. The agent walked me through exactly how the earnings calculation would work for my specific benefit amount.
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Dylan Campbell
Don't forget you still need to be available for full-time work on the days you're not working your part-time job. So if you work Tuesday and Thursday, you need to be available Monday, Wednesday, Friday, etc.
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Nia Davis
•That makes sense. I should probably clarify my availability with the employer so it doesn't conflict with interviews or other opportunities.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Exactly. Being available for work is one of the ongoing requirements to keep collecting benefits.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
I worked part-time for about 3 months while collecting partial unemployment last year. It actually helped me transition back to full-time work because I had recent work experience to put on applications. Don't be afraid to take the job!
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Nia Davis
•That's encouraging! I was worried it might hurt my job search somehow, but you're right that recent experience is valuable.
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Ava Thompson
•Plus having some income coming in reduces the financial stress while you're looking for full-time work.
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Miguel Ramos
Just remember to file your weekly claims on time even if you're working. I missed a week once because I forgot, and it was a hassle to get it sorted out.
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Nia Davis
•Good reminder. I've been pretty good about filing on Sundays but I can see how working might throw off the routine.
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Zainab Ibrahim
•Yeah, set a reminder on your phone or something. Missing claim weeks is such a pain to fix.
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StarSailor
Based on everything I've read here, it sounds like taking part-time work is actually a good idea while collecting unemployment. You get to keep some benefits, gain work experience, and it shows you're actively trying to get back to full employment. Win-win situation.
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Nia Davis
•I think I'm convinced! Thanks everyone for all the helpful information. I'm going to accept the job and just be really careful about reporting everything correctly.
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Mateo Perez
•Good choice! Just remember to stay on top of your job search requirements and report all earnings honestly.
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Connor O'Brien
•Congrats on the job! Even part-time work is better than no work, and you'll still have unemployment as a safety net.
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