How many weeks do I have to work to collect unemployment benefits in Washington?

In Washington state, you need to have worked in at least two quarters during your base period and earned a minimum amount. It's not really about weeks specifically - it's more about your earnings. You need to have earned at least $3,850 in your highest quarter and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter amount.

I think you need to work at least 680 hours during your base period too, not just meet the wage requirements. That's roughly 17 weeks at full-time hours, but since you're part-time it might take longer to accumulate those hours.

Having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to verify your work history? I was in the same boat trying to figure out if I qualified. Spent weeks calling and getting disconnected. Finally found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which actually got me connected to an agent who could pull up my wage records and confirm I met the requirements. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

The work requirements can be confusing because Washington has different rules depending on your situation. If you've been working consistently for 8 months at two jobs, you probably meet the requirements. The key thing is that your wages from those jobs were reported to Washington ESD by your employers.

ugh the washington esd system is so confusing! why cant they just say you need X weeks of work like other states? i've been working for 6 months and still don't know if i qualify

From what I remember when I filed last year, you also need to have worked in at least two different quarters. So even if you made enough money, it has to be spread across at least 6 months. Sounds like you should be fine with 8 months of work though.

The Washington ESD website has a tool where you can estimate your benefits, but it doesn't clearly explain the work requirements. I had to call them three times before I got someone who could explain it properly. Even then, each person told me something slightly different!

Wait, I thought you needed to work for a full year before you could collect unemployment? That's what my dad always told me.

The tricky part with part-time work is making sure you hit both the wage requirement AND the hours requirement. I worked part-time for almost a year before I had enough of both. But once you qualify, you can still collect even if you're working part-time as long as you report your hours correctly.

I've been following this thread and it's making me realize how complicated the Washington unemployment system is. I've been working for 10 months but only at one job - do I automatically qualify or do I still need to worry about the quarter requirements?

Does anyone know if there are different requirements for people who get fired vs people who get laid off? I'm worried I might get fired from one of my jobs for attendance issues.

This whole conversation is making me anxious. I've been working two part-time jobs for 7 months and one of them just cut my hours. Should I apply for unemployment now or wait until I actually get laid off?

I wish Washington ESD would just publish a simple chart showing exactly how many weeks at different hour levels you need to work. All this quarter and wage calculation stuff is unnecessarily complicated.

Just want to add that if you're unsure about your eligibility, it doesn't hurt to apply. The worst they can do is deny your claim, and then you'll know for sure where you stand. Better than wondering and not applying when you actually do qualify.

For what it's worth, I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when I couldn't get through to verify my work history. Ended up saving me a lot of stress because the agent was able to confirm I had enough wages and hours within like 10 minutes. Worth checking out if you're having trouble getting answers.

Thanks everyone for all the info! This has been way more helpful than trying to navigate the Washington ESD website. Sounds like with 8 months of work I should be okay, but I'll double-check my wage records just to be sure.