How many hours to qualify for unemployment in Washington ESD?

Oh that makes more sense! So it's about wages not hours. Do you know if there's a minimum number of quarters I need to have worked?

Yes, you need wages in at least two quarters of your base period. And your highest quarter needs to be at least 1.5 times your lowest quarter with wages.

Good point about the pay stubs. I think I have most of them but might be missing a few from when I first started.

You can also get your wage records from Washington ESD online once you start your application. That helped me figure out exactly what they had on file.

That sounds helpful! How does it work exactly? Do you still have to call Washington ESD yourself?

Yeah you still make the call but they help you get through the phone system and actually reach someone. Way better than getting hung up on over and over.

I've heard of services like that but never tried one. Did they charge you a lot?

What's the difference between those two base periods? I'm still confused about the quarters.

Regular base period looks at older wages, alternative looks at more recent wages. If you just started working recently, the alternative might help you qualify.

This is why the Washington ESD system is so confusing! They should just make it simple like 'worked X hours in the last year' or something.

That's exactly what I'm worried about! The phone system seems impossible to get through.

That's why I mentioned Claimyr earlier - it really does help with the calling situation. Saved me probably 20+ hours of trying to get through.

How many jobs do you have to apply for each week? I heard it varies.

It's typically 3 job search activities per week, but it can vary based on your situation. Some people might need more, others might have reduced requirements.

Yeah and you have to log all your job search activities in WorkSourceWA. Make sure you understand that requirement before you start claiming.

The wage-based system actually helps part-time workers qualify too, not just full-time workers. It's more inclusive than just requiring a certain number of hours.

I guess that makes sense but it's still confusing as hell when you're trying to figure out if you qualify.

Good plan! And remember, even if you don't qualify under the regular base period, you might qualify under the alternative base period.

if you can't get into your account or need to talk to someone, definitely consider that claimyr thing. wish i had known about it when i was going through this

Oh good point! I did some gig work through an app for a few months. Do those wages count too?

If you were classified as an employee and had taxes withheld, yes. If you were an independent contractor, probably not for regular unemployment.

Gig work can be tricky - you'd need to check if you were issued a W-2 or a 1099. W-2 income counts, 1099 usually doesn't for regular UI.

What kind of documentation did they want? I want to be prepared.

Pay stubs, work schedules, sometimes they wanted verification directly from my employer. It was a pain but eventually got approved.

maybe but once you understand it it's not that bad. the wage requirement thing actually makes sense when you think about it

Easy for you to say! Some of us don't have accounting degrees.

Several people have mentioned Claimyr now. I might give that a try if I can't figure this out on my own.

Yeah it's definitely worth it if you're hitting walls trying to get information. The agents were actually helpful once I could reach them.

How do they calculate the benefit amount? Is there a formula?

It's based on your highest earning quarter. Washington ESD has a benefit calculator on their website that can give you an estimate.

That's actually not bad advice. The application process will calculate your base period wages automatically and tell you if you qualify.

True, I might as well just start the application and see what it says about my wages.

I was laid off because they were cutting hours, so I think I'm okay there. Good point though!

Perfect, that should definitely qualify as a valid reason. Just make sure you have documentation of the layoff.

Yeah someone mentioned the job search requirements earlier. I'm definitely looking for work so that shouldn't be a problem.

Good! Just make sure you track all your job search activities properly in the WorkSourceWA system.

That's encouraging! I'm hoping I have enough wages. I worked pretty consistently even if it was part-time.

Part-time work can definitely add up over a full base period. I was surprised how much I had earned when they calculated it all.

That makes me feel better about my chances. I think I probably made that much over the base period.

Yeah and if you worked 8 months like you said, you probably hit that threshold unless it was very few hours per week.

Good to know! I'll make sure to file weekly once I submit my initial application.

Exactly - that's a mistake a lot of people make. Keep filing even if you're not sure about your eligibility.

Thanks everyone for all the help! I feel much more confident about applying now that I understand it's about wages not hours.

And remember, if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your specific situation, Claimyr can really help with that. Good luck!