How many months of unemployment benefits can I get in Washington ESD?

Regular unemployment insurance in Washington provides up to 26 weeks of benefits, which is about 6 months. This is the standard maximum for most people regardless of how long you worked, as long as you meet the minimum earnings requirements. The amount you receive each week depends on your earnings history, but the duration is typically the same 26-week maximum.

Just to clarify - it's 26 weeks maximum but you might not get the full 26 weeks depending on your work history and earnings. Washington ESD calculates your benefit year based on the base period which looks at your earnings from specific quarters. If you didn't work enough or earn enough during that period, you might get fewer weeks.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask this same question about my benefit duration. Every time I call I either get a busy signal or get disconnected after waiting forever. Has anyone found a way to actually reach them by phone recently?

The 26 weeks is correct but remember you also have to be actively job searching and reporting your job search activities every week. If you don't meet the job search requirements, they can stop your benefits even if you haven't used up all 26 weeks yet.

ugh the whole system is so confusing!! I've been unemployed for 3 months already and I'm worried I'm going to run out of benefits before I find something. retail jobs are really hard to find right now especially with good pay

One thing to keep in mind is that the 26 weeks doesn't necessarily mean 6 calendar months exactly. If you have any weeks where you work part-time or earn too much, those might not count as full benefit weeks, so your benefits could stretch longer than 6 months calendar-wise.

I'm in a similar situation but I'm worried because I was fired from my last job instead of laid off. Does that affect how many weeks of benefits I can get? I'm hoping it's still the same 26 weeks if I can prove the firing wasn't my fault.

Wait I thought unemployment was only like 4 months? 26 weeks sounds like a lot more than that. Are you sure about those numbers?

Has anyone actually maxed out their full 26 weeks? I'm curious what happens when you get close to the end. Do they give you any kind of warning or help with job placement?

Just want to add that the 26 weeks is for regular unemployment insurance. If you're on standby status (like temporarily laid off but expecting to return to work), the rules might be a bit different in terms of job search requirements, but the maximum duration is still typically 26 weeks.

The whole 26 weeks thing assumes you file every single week and don't have any issues with your claim. If you miss filing a weekly claim or have problems with adjudication, it can mess up your timeline. Make sure you stay on top of filing every week!

For what it's worth, I had to contact Washington ESD about benefit duration questions and I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. It actually worked really well - got me connected to an agent within like 10 minutes instead of spending hours trying to call myself. Definitely worth it if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD directly.

Don't forget that even though you can get up to 26 weeks, you still need to be able and available for work the whole time. If you become unable to work due to illness or other reasons, your benefits could stop even if you haven't used up all your weeks.

I've been collecting unemployment for about 4 months now and just wanted to confirm that yes, 26 weeks is accurate. I should have about 2 months left on my claim. The hardest part is finding a job that pays enough to make it worth leaving unemployment, honestly.

This thread has been super helpful! I was also confused about the duration. One more question - do the 26 weeks reset if I go back to work for a while and then become unemployed again later?

Just to wrap this up for anyone else reading - 26 weeks (about 6 months) is the maximum for regular unemployment insurance in Washington. Your actual duration depends on your work history and earnings, but most people who qualify get the full 26 weeks as long as they meet all the ongoing requirements.