How many hours do I need to qualify for Washington ESD unemployment benefits?
I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for unemployment in Washington state. I've been working part-time at a retail job for about 8 months, usually getting around 25-30 hours per week. My manager just cut everyone's hours down to like 15 hours because business is slow. I heard there's some kind of hour requirement to get unemployment but I can't find clear info on the Washington ESD website. Does anyone know exactly how many hours you need to have worked to qualify? I'm stressed about making rent next month.
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Ellie Lopez
It's not actually about total hours worked, it's about your wages earned during your base period. Washington ESD looks at your earnings from the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. You need at least $1,012 in your highest quarter AND total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter amount.
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Lauren Wood
•Wait, so if I made $3,000 in my highest quarter, I'd need $4,500 total? That seems like a lot.
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Ellie Lopez
•Exactly right. And you also need wages in at least two quarters of your base period, not just one.
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Chad Winthrope
I think you might qualify for partial unemployment benefits since your hours got cut but you're still employed. Washington ESD has a thing where if you work reduced hours, you can still get some UI benefits to make up the difference.
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Lauren Wood
•Really? I had no idea that was possible. Do I apply the same way as regular unemployment?
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Chad Winthrope
•Yep, same application process. Just make sure to report your reduced hours when you file your weekly claims.
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Paige Cantoni
You should try calling Washington ESD directly to get personalized info about your situation, but good luck getting through. I've been trying to reach them for weeks about my own claim issues. The phone system is a nightmare - constantly busy signals and when you do get in the queue, you wait for hours just to get disconnected.
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Kylo Ren
•Same here! I've literally tried calling 50+ times and either get busy signal or wait 2+ hours before getting hung up on. It's so frustrating when you need answers.
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Nina Fitzgerald
•I actually found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to Washington ESD. They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual agent. I was skeptical at first but it worked - got through in like 20 minutes when I couldn't get through myself for weeks. Check out claimyr.com, they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that explains how it works.
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Paige Cantoni
•Interesting, never heard of that before. Did they charge you a lot for it?
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Nina Fitzgerald
•It was worth it to me to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD instead of wasting more time calling myself. Way less stressful than the usual runaround.
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Jason Brewer
just apply online and see what happens, the worst they can do is deny you and then you know for sure
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Lauren Wood
•I guess that's true, but I don't want to mess anything up if I apply wrong.
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Ellie Lopez
•There's no penalty for applying and being denied for not meeting wage requirements. It's better to know where you stand.
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Kiara Fisherman
The Washington ESD system is so confusing! I went through this same thing last year. Even if you don't qualify for regular UI, you might qualify for other programs. There's also standby if your employer expects to bring you back within a certain timeframe.
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Lauren Wood
•My manager said they hope to increase hours again once the busy season starts, but that's like 3 months away.
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Kiara Fisherman
•That might actually be perfect for standby status then. You should definitely look into that option when you apply.
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Chad Winthrope
Make sure you have all your pay stubs ready when you apply. Washington ESD will verify your wages anyway, but it helps to have everything organized. Also keep track of your job search activities from day one since you'll need to report those on your weekly claims.
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Lauren Wood
•Job search activities even if I'm still working reduced hours?
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Chad Winthrope
•Yes, you still need to be available for full-time work and actively seeking it, even for partial benefits.
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Liam Cortez
•That's not necessarily true. If you're on standby status waiting for your current employer to bring you back to full hours, the job search requirements might be waived.
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Savannah Vin
I'm dealing with something similar but my employer laid me off completely. Been waiting 3 weeks for my claim to get through adjudication. The Washington ESD website just says 'pending' with no other info. Has anyone else had super long adjudication times recently?
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Paige Cantoni
•Adjudication can take forever, especially if there's any question about why you left your job or if you have wages from multiple employers.
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Nina Fitzgerald
•This is exactly why I used Claimyr - I needed to talk to someone about my adjudication delay and find out what was holding things up. Turned out they needed additional documentation I didn't know about.
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Mason Stone
Whatever you do, don't wait too long to apply if you think you might qualify. You can't backdate your claim very far, so you could miss out on benefits you're entitled to if you wait too long.
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Lauren Wood
•How far back can you backdate?
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Mason Stone
•I think it's only like one week in most cases, but don't quote me on that. Better to apply sooner rather than later.
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Makayla Shoemaker
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO DENY PEOPLE!!! They make the requirements so confusing on purpose so people give up. I had to fight for 2 months just to get benefits I clearly qualified for.
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Chad Winthrope
•I get the frustration, but the wage requirements are actually pretty clear once you understand them. The problem is more with communication and getting through to agents when you have questions.
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Makayla Shoemaker
•CLEAR??? Have you read their website? It's like they intentionally made it confusing with all the legal jargon.
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Christian Bierman
I qualified with part-time work too. The key thing is having consistent wages over multiple quarters, not necessarily working full-time hours. If you've been making decent money for 8 months, you probably meet the requirements.
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Lauren Wood
•That's reassuring to hear. I've been pretty consistent with my hours until this recent cut.
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Emma Olsen
quick question - do gig work earnings count toward the wage requirements? i do doordash on weekends
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Ellie Lopez
•Self-employment earnings usually don't count for regular UI eligibility unless you've been paying into the system. You'd need to check if you've been paying unemployment taxes on that income.
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Lucas Lindsey
Just went through this process myself. The online application asks for your employment history and calculates whether you qualify automatically. If you're borderline, it will flag your claim for review, but at least you'll know quickly if you clearly qualify or not.
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Lauren Wood
•That's helpful to know. I think I'll just go ahead and apply this weekend when I have time to gather all my info.
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Lucas Lindsey
•Good plan. Have your Social Security card, driver's license, and last few pay stubs ready. The application saves your progress if you need to step away.
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Sophie Duck
One thing nobody mentioned - make sure your employer reports your reduced hours correctly to Washington ESD. Sometimes there are delays or errors in their wage reporting that can mess up your claim.
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Lauren Wood
•How would I know if they reported wrong?
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Sophie Duck
•You can request a wage transcript from Washington ESD to see what wages they have on file for you. If something looks off, you can provide your own pay stubs as proof.
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Austin Leonard
I was in almost the exact same situation - retail job, hours cut from 30 to 15 per week. I qualified for partial unemployment and it really helped bridge the gap. Don't let the confusing website discourage you from applying.
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Lauren Wood
•How much did you end up getting in partial benefits, if you don't mind me asking?
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Austin Leonard
•It depends on your wages, but I was getting about $200/week which made a huge difference when my income dropped by half.
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Anita George
Another option to consider is seeing if your employer has work-sharing programs. Some companies can reduce everyone's hours but the state helps make up the wage difference for all employees.
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Lauren Wood
•I doubt my retail job would do that, but I'll ask my manager about it.
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Abigail Spencer
For what it's worth, I've found that calling Washington ESD first thing in the morning (like 8:01 AM) gives you the best chance of getting through. Still takes forever but better odds than calling later in the day.
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Nina Fitzgerald
•I tried that strategy for weeks with no luck. That's why I eventually gave up and used Claimyr to get through. Sometimes you just need to try a different approach when the normal methods aren't working.
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Logan Chiang
The bottom line is you won't know for sure until you apply. The wage calculation is automatic and you'll get a determination pretty quickly if there are no other issues with your claim. Since you're still employed, it should be straightforward.
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Lauren Wood
•Thanks everyone for all the advice. I'm going to apply this weekend and see what happens. Fingers crossed!
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Ellie Lopez
•Good luck! Remember to keep detailed records of your reduced hours and any job search activities from the start.
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