How many hours can you work with Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

You can work part-time and still collect partial unemployment benefits in Washington. The key is that you have to report ALL hours worked and wages earned when you file your weekly claim. Washington ESD will reduce your benefit amount based on what you earn, but you won't lose everything unless you're working full-time or earning more than your weekly benefit amount plus $5.

Just make sure you're still able and available for full-time work. That's one of the requirements to keep collecting UI benefits. If you take a part-time job that restricts your availability for other work, that could be a problem.

I had the same question last month and couldn't get through to Washington ESD on the phone to ask. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. The agent explained the whole partial benefits thing clearly - definitely worth it if you need to talk to someone directly.

The formula Washington ESD uses is pretty straightforward once you understand it. Your weekly benefit amount gets reduced by 75% of your gross earnings over $5. So if your weekly benefit is $500 and you earn $100 in a week, you'd get $500 - (75% of $95) = $428.75 in unemployment benefits that week.

whatever you do DONT forget to report the work when you file your weekly claim!!! I forgot once and Washington ESD flagged it as fraud. Had to go through a whole investigation process and almost lost my benefits entirely.

Also remember you still need to be actively looking for full-time work and logging your job search activities. Taking part-time work doesn't exempt you from the job search requirements.

I've been working part-time since November while collecting unemployment. The biggest thing is just being consistent with reporting everything accurately on your weekly claims. Washington ESD's system handles the calculations automatically once you enter your hours and wages.

One thing to watch out for - if the part-time job turns into full-time or permanent work, you need to stop filing weekly claims immediately. Don't try to stretch it out or you'll get hit with an overpayment.

i worked part time at target last year while on unemployment. just report everything honestly and you'll be fine. the system is actually set up to encourage part time work.

Since you mentioned having trouble with the Washington ESD website, I'd definitely recommend getting clarification directly from an agent if you have specific questions about your situation. That Claimyr service I mentioned earlier really did help me get through when I needed to verify my understanding of the part-time work rules.

Just to summarize the key points: 1) No specific hour limit, it's based on earnings 2) Report all work honestly on weekly claims 3) Stay available for full-time work 4) Keep doing job searches 5) Washington ESD reduces benefits by 75% of earnings over $5. Follow those rules and you should be fine working part-time.

one more tip - keep your own records of hours worked and wages earned. dont just rely on your employer. if theres ever a discrepancy you want to have your own documentation

Does anyone know if gig work like DoorDash or Uber counts the same way as regular part-time employment for unemployment purposes?

The retail job sounds like a good opportunity! Even if it's just temporary, having recent work experience helps when you're applying for full-time positions. Employers like to see that you've been staying active.

Another benefit of working part-time while on unemployment - you're still paying into the system through payroll taxes, which can help if you need to file for unemployment again in the future. Every little bit of work history helps.

Just took a part-time job myself after reading this thread. Thanks everyone for the helpful info! Filing my first weekly claim with work hours tomorrow - feeling much more confident about doing it correctly now.

One last thing - if you're not sure about anything, it's always better to ask Washington ESD directly rather than guess. The consequences of making mistakes with unemployment can be pretty serious.

If you do need to reach Washington ESD directly about this or any other questions, that Claimyr service is still the best way I've found to actually get through to a real person. Much better than the regular phone system.

Update: I decided to take the part-time job! Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice. I feel much more confident about navigating the partial benefits system now. Will make sure to report everything accurately and keep looking for full-time work too.