How many hours can you work to collect unemployment benefits in Washington?

Thanks! My weekly benefit is $425 so I should be okay with part-time work. Do I report the hours or just the earnings?

You report both the hours worked and gross earnings on your weekly claim. Make sure you're accurate because they can audit this stuff.

Yikes, how much did you have to pay back? This is making me nervous about taking any work at all.

Had to pay back $1,800 plus penalties. Just be honest and you'll be fine.

Wait, I thought there was a 40-hour rule? If you work more than 40 hours you can't get unemployment?

No, that's not correct. If you work full-time hours (usually 40+) you'd probably earn too much to qualify for any benefits, but there's no hard hour cutoff. It's purely based on earnings.

I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual Washington ESD agent. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked.

Really? How does it work? I'm desperate at this point.

Basically they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Saved me hours of frustration.

With your $425 weekly benefit amount, you'd still get some unemployment. At $300 earnings, they'd deduct $225 (75% of $300) leaving you with $200 in UI benefits. At $400 earnings, they'd deduct $300 leaving you with $125 in UI benefits.

That's actually not too bad! So my total income would be higher than just unemployment alone.

Good point! I've been keeping my job search log up to date. Do I need to apply for full-time jobs only or can part-time count toward my search requirements?

You should focus on full-time positions that would lead to you getting off unemployment completely. Part-time applications might count but full-time is preferred.

Because you still come out ahead financially. If you earn $300 and they deduct $225 from your benefits, you're still $75 better off than if you didn't work at all. Plus you're gaining work experience and potentially networking.

I guess that makes sense. I was thinking about it wrong.

Have you had any issues with your claims being delayed or flagged because of the part-time work?

nope, as long as you report it honestly they dont care. its when people try to hide work that problems start

The information is on their website but it's buried in technical language. The basic rule is simple: report all work and earnings, and they'll calculate your benefits automatically.

I guess I need to just bite the bullet and take the part-time job I was offered. Thanks for the encouragement.

Good to know! The employer mentioned they might need me full-time eventually so I'll keep that in mind.

Yeah, and if you do go full-time, you can always reopen your claim later if that job doesn't work out. Your benefit year doesn't just disappear.

That's exactly why I started using Claimyr. Life's too short to spend it on hold with Washington ESD. The service was totally worth it for me.

I might have to try that. At this point I'm willing to pay someone to deal with their phone system for me.

This job is legit with a real company so I'll be getting a W-2. But good warning for others!

Good! Stick with legitimate employers who follow the rules. It's not worth the risk.

Really? I didn't know they changed that rule. That's actually a decent improvement.

Yeah, they made the change to encourage people to take part-time work instead of just sitting around waiting for full-time positions.

This is a regular part-time position, not seasonal. But that's good to know for the future.

Perfect. Regular part-time work is the easiest situation to manage with unemployment benefits.

Generally no restrictions on the type of work, but you can't be self-employed or start your own business while collecting unemployment. That's a whole different category with special rules.

That makes sense. I was thinking about doing some freelance work but I guess that's not allowed.

Actually, self-employment is allowed in some cases but you need to get approval first. It's more complicated than regular part-time employment.

That's reassuring! I was worried there would be a lot of paperwork or complications.

Nope, it's pretty straightforward. The weekly claim form asks for your work hours and earnings, you fill it out, and they calculate everything automatically.

Good advice! I'll make sure to keep copies of everything.

Yeah, it's better to be over-prepared than caught off guard later. Washington ESD can audit claims going back several years.

You've got this! Part-time work while on unemployment is super common and the system is designed to handle it.

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain this. This forum is so much more helpful than trying to navigate the Washington ESD website.

Perfect summary! That's exactly what I needed to hear.

Wish I had found this thread before spending hours trying to get through to Washington ESD on the phone. You all explained it better than their customer service probably would have anyway.

Hey, at least now you know about Claimyr for next time you need to reach them! Sometimes you really do need to talk to an actual person.