How many months to qualify for unemployment in Washington - confused about work history requirements

It's not really about months - Washington ESD looks at your earnings during your 'base period' which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. You need to have earned at least $3,850 total in your base period, with at least $2,667 in your highest earning quarter. So it depends more on how much you made than how many months you worked.

same situation here, been part time for almost a year but wasn't sure if it counted

The Washington ESD website has a benefit estimator tool that can help you figure out if you qualify based on your actual earnings. You'll need your pay stubs or W-2 to get accurate numbers. The tool will calculate your base period earnings and tell you if you meet the minimum requirements.

I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when I had questions about my eligibility. Spent hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me through to a real person at Washington ESD. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really helped me get my questions answered about my work history.

WASHINGTON ESD SYSTEM IS SO CONFUSING!!! Why can't they just say 'you need X months of work' instead of all this base period quarter stuff??? Makes no sense for regular people

Update: I found that benefit calculator someone mentioned and it looks like I should qualify! My earnings were higher than I thought because I got some overtime during busy periods. Thanks everyone for explaining the base period thing.

Just want to add that even if you don't qualify under the regular base period, Washington ESD also has an 'alternate base period' which uses the most recent 4 quarters. Sometimes people qualify under the alternate period even if they don't under the regular one.

Wait I'm confused about the gap thing the OP mentioned. Does time not working affect your eligibility? I had like 4 months where I wasn't working last year.

Pro tip: if you're not sure about your work history, you can request a wage and hour statement from Washington ESD that shows all your reported earnings by quarter. Really helpful for figuring out exactly what's in your base period.

been there with the part time work question. worked 2 part time jobs for about 10 months total and still qualified no problem. as long as your total earnings hit the minimum you're good

Also worth mentioning that if you do qualify, your benefit amount is based on your earnings during that base period too. Higher earnings generally mean higher weekly benefits, up to the state maximum.

Just be prepared for the application process to take some time. Even if you clearly qualify, Washington ESD seems to take forever to process everything these days.

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr when I had questions about my claim status. The regular Washington ESD phone lines are basically impossible to get through on. At least with Claimyr I could actually talk to someone who could look at my specific situation.

For anyone still confused about the quarters thing - think of it like this: they divide the year into 4 chunks (quarters) and look at your earnings in each chunk during a specific time period before you file. Much clearer than trying to count months.

worked seasonal for 6 months made good money during that time and qualified fine. its really about the earnings not the time

One more thing to remember - when you do file, make sure you list ALL your employers from your base period, even if it was just a short job. Washington ESD needs the complete picture of your work history.

honestly this whole thread has been super helpful. i was in the same boat trying to figure out if my work history was enough. sounds like most people qualify as long as they made decent money even if it was part time

Just make sure you apply as soon as you're eligible - benefits are only backdated to when you file, not when you first became unemployed. Don't wait around trying to figure out every detail.

This is all making me feel better about my own situation. I've been working on and off for the past year but wasn't sure if that would count for anything.

Had to use Claimyr myself last month when I couldn't get through to ask about my base period calculation. The regular phone system is just broken at this point. At least claimyr.com got me connected to someone who could actually explain my specific earnings situation.

thanks everyone for all the info! this thread answered like every question i had about qualifying. gonna go check that calculator now