How many hours do you need to work to qualify for Washington ESD unemployment benefits?
I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for unemployment benefits in Washington. I've been working part-time for the last 18 months but I'm not sure if I worked enough hours to meet the requirements. Does anyone know exactly how many hours you need to work to qualify for Washington ESD benefits? I've looked at their website but it's confusing with all the base period stuff and wage requirements. Just want to know the basic hour requirement if there is one.
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Daniel Price
Actually, Washington ESD doesn't use hours worked as the main qualification criteria. They look at your wages earned during your base period, which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. You need to have earned wages in at least 2 quarters and meet certain wage thresholds. The minimum is typically around $3,000 in your highest quarter.
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Caleb Stone
•Oh wow, I didn't realize it was based on wages not hours. That's actually good news because even though I was part-time, I made decent money. Thanks for clarifying!
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Olivia Evans
•yeah this confused me too when i first applied, thought it was all about hours but its really about the money you made
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Sophia Bennett
The wage requirements can be tricky. You need to earn at least 680 times the minimum wage during your base period, which comes to around $10,500 total. Plus you need wages in at least 2 quarters. If you're borderline, Washington ESD will let you know during the application process.
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Aiden Chen
•Wait, is that $10,500 the current requirement? I thought it was lower than that when I applied last year.
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Sophia Bennett
•The amounts adjust annually based on minimum wage changes. It's best to check the current Washington ESD website for the exact figures, but that's approximately what it is now.
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Zoey Bianchi
I'm in a similar situation and have been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks to get clarification on my eligibility. Their phone lines are always busy and I keep getting hung up on. Has anyone found a better way to actually talk to someone there?
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Christopher Morgan
•ugh yes the phone situation is terrible, i've been trying for months to get through about my adjudication issue
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Aurora St.Pierre
•I actually discovered this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to Washington ESD. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Basically they handle the calling and waiting so you don't have to sit on hold for hours.
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Zoey Bianchi
•Interesting, I'll have to look into that. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get some answers about my claim.
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Grace Johnson
The whole system is so confusing!! I worked 30 hours a week for 6 months and thought that would be enough but apparently not because I didn't make enough money? Like why can't they just have a simple hours requirement instead of all this wage calculation nonsense.
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Daniel Price
•I understand the frustration, but the wage-based system actually protects workers better than an hours system would. It ensures you earned enough to justify benefits and prevents abuse from people working minimal hours at very low wages.
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Grace Johnson
•I guess that makes sense but it's still super confusing for regular people trying to figure out if they qualify
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Jayden Reed
There's also the alternate base period option if you don't qualify under the regular base period. Washington ESD will automatically check this if your initial application doesn't meet requirements. It uses the last 4 completed quarters instead of the first 4 of the last 5.
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Caleb Stone
•That's good to know! I started working more hours recently so maybe the alternate base period would work better for me.
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Nora Brooks
•wait what's the difference between regular and alternate base period? this is all so confusing
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Jayden Reed
•Regular base period looks at quarters 1-4 of the last 5 completed quarters. Alternate looks at the most recent 4 completed quarters. So if you earned more money recently, alternate might help you qualify.
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Eli Wang
Don't forget about the ongoing eligibility requirements too. Even if you qualify initially, you need to be able and available for work, actively seeking work, and file your weekly claims. The work search requirement is 3 job contacts per week unless you're in an approved training program.
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Cassandra Moon
•The job search requirement is such a pain. 3 contacts every single week gets exhausting, especially when you're not getting responses.
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Zane Hernandez
•At least you can use WorkSourceWA to help track your job search activities. Makes it easier to document everything for your weekly claims.
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Genevieve Cavalier
I had to call Washington ESD about my wage calculation because I had jobs in multiple states during my base period. The representative was actually really helpful once I got through. They walked me through exactly how they calculate eligibility.
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Ethan Scott
•How long did you have to wait to talk to someone? I've been trying for 2 weeks straight.
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Genevieve Cavalier
•I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Saved me hours of sitting on hold. Worth it just for the peace of mind of actually getting to talk to a real person.
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Lola Perez
WASHINGTON ESD MAKES THIS SO UNNECESSARILY COMPLICATED! Why can't they just say 'work X hours and you qualify' like normal people would expect? All this base period quarter wage calculation BS is designed to confuse people and deny claims.
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Nathaniel Stewart
•I get the frustration but the requirements are actually pretty reasonable when you understand them. The wage-based system has been standard for decades.
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Lola Perez
•reasonable for who?? certainly not for people just trying to figure out if they can pay rent next month
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Riya Sharma
If you're still unsure about your eligibility, just apply anyway. Washington ESD will review your wages and let you know if you qualify. The worst they can say is no, and you might be surprised - I thought I didn't have enough wages but ended up qualifying.
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Caleb Stone
•That's probably what I'll end up doing. Better to try and find out for sure than keep guessing.
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Santiago Diaz
•yeah definitely just apply, the online application will tell you pretty quickly if you have enough wages
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Millie Long
One thing to keep in mind is that if you're currently working part-time, you might still be eligible for partial unemployment benefits. Washington allows you to work up to a certain amount and still collect reduced benefits. It's worth looking into if you're underemployed.
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KaiEsmeralda
•I didn't know about partial benefits! How does that work exactly?
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Millie Long
•You can earn up to your weekly benefit amount plus $5 without affecting your UI. Anything over that reduces your benefits dollar-for-dollar. So if your weekly benefit is $400, you can earn up to $405 and still get your full $400 benefit.
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Debra Bai
The monetary determination letter you get after applying will break down exactly how much you earned in each quarter and whether you meet the requirements. That's the clearest explanation you'll get of your eligibility.
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Gabriel Freeman
•How long does it take to get that determination letter?
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Debra Bai
•Usually within a week or two of filing your claim, assuming there are no issues that require adjudication.
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Laura Lopez
Just remember that even if you qualify wage-wise, you still need to have lost your job through no fault of your own. Voluntary quits usually disqualify you unless you had good cause like unsafe working conditions or harassment.
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Victoria Brown
•What counts as 'good cause' for quitting? I left my last job because my boss was making my life miserable.
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Laura Lopez
•That might qualify as good cause if you can document it. Things like harassment, discrimination, unsafe conditions, or substantial changes to your job duties can be good cause for quitting.
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Samuel Robinson
I'm dealing with an adjudication issue right now because Washington ESD is questioning whether I had enough wages. Been waiting 6 weeks for a decision. The whole system moves so slowly when you actually need help.
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Camila Castillo
•Adjudication is the worst part of the whole process. I waited 8 weeks last year.
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Aurora St.Pierre
•If you need to check on your adjudication status, calling through Claimyr might help you get through faster than trying the regular phone lines. They're really good at getting you connected to someone who can give you an update.
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Brianna Muhammad
The bottom line is you need sufficient wages, not hours. Most people who worked steady part-time jobs for several months will qualify as long as they made decent money. Don't overthink it - just apply and see what happens.
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Caleb Stone
•Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I feel much more confident about applying now. This thread has been way more useful than the Washington ESD website.
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JaylinCharles
•glad this helped! good luck with your claim
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