How many hours do I have to work to get Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

That's really helpful! How do I find out what my wages were for those quarters? I have some old pay stubs but not all of them.

Your employers report wages to Washington ESD quarterly, so when you file your claim they'll automatically calculate it. You can also log into SecureAccess Washington to see your wage history if you have an account set up.

There's actually a service called Claimyr that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents without waiting on hold. I used it when my claim got stuck in adjudication - you can check it out at claimyr.com. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

That makes sense. My delivery job pays pretty well per hour but the retail job is just minimum wage. Hopefully between both jobs I earned enough.

Don't forget about tips if you got any! Those count toward your wages too if they were reported properly.

I feel you! The terminology is so confusing. Base period, benefit year, waiting week - it's like they want people to give up.

I know it's frustrating but the base period system is actually designed to make sure people have recent, substantial work history. It's not perfect but there are reasons for the complexity.

Won't filing hurt me somehow if I don't qualify? Like will it show up negatively somewhere?

Nope, filing an unsuccessful claim doesn't hurt you at all. It's not like applying for credit or anything.

This is good advice. I was worried about the same thing but there's no penalty for trying.

What's standby status? I've never heard of that.

It's for when your employer expects to call you back to work within a specific timeframe, usually because of seasonal slowdowns or temporary business closures. You don't have to do job searches but you have to be available to return when called.

How many jobs do you have to apply for each week?

i think its 3 but double check that. and you have to use worksourcewa.com for at least one of them

It's actually 3 job contacts per week, and yes one must be through WorkSourceWA. You also need to keep detailed records of your job search activities.

Oh I didn't think about that. So I can work part-time and still get some unemployment?

Yes, but there's a formula for how much they deduct. I think you can earn up to a certain amount before they start reducing your weekly benefit amount.

The earnings deduction is kind of complicated. You can earn up to about 1/4 of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction, then they start taking money off your claim.

How would I know if they reported it wrong?

you can check your wage history on the secure access washington site. if something looks wrong you have to contact the employer to fix it before filing your claim

Wait, really? I get a 1099 from the delivery app, not a W-2. Does that mean it doesn't count?

1099 income typically doesn't create unemployment eligibility in Washington. You'd need to have W-2 wages from employee jobs to qualify for regular unemployment benefits.

That's correct. Only wages from covered employment (W-2 jobs) count toward your base period wages for regular unemployment insurance.

Have you tried filing yet? I'm still nervous about it.

Not yet but I think I'm going to this weekend. I found all my pay stubs and added everything up and I think I might qualify.

I've never heard of SharedWork. Is that something I apply for or does the employer have to set it up?

The employer has to apply for it and get approved by Washington ESD first. Then eligible employees can file for the partial benefits. It's not super common but some employers use it during slow periods.

What kind of issues could there be?

stuff like if they need to verify your work history or if you quit one of your jobs instead of being laid off. anything that requires manual review slows things down

That's when services like Claimyr really help - when your claim gets stuck and you need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD to resolve it. Much easier than trying to get through on your own.

Thanks, I think you're right. I've been overthinking this way too much. I'll file this week and see what happens.

Good plan! The worst case is they say no and you're back where you started. Best case is you get benefits while you look for more stable work.

definitely file sooner rather than later too. benefits are backdated to when you file, not when you first became unemployed or had your hours cut