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

It's not really about the number of weeks you worked, but about how much you earned during your base period. Washington ESD looks at your earnings in the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. You need to have earned at least $1,000 in your base period and your total base period wages must be at least 1.25 times your highest quarter earnings.

I was in a similar situation last year. The wage requirements can be tricky to understand. If you don't qualify under the regular base period, Washington ESD will automatically check your alternate base period, which uses the last 4 completed quarters. But honestly, trying to reach them to get clarification on your specific situation is nearly impossible with their phone system.

wait so its not about weeks at all??? i thought you had to work for like 6 months minimum

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PEOPLE AND DENY BENEFITS! I worked for 8 months and still got denied because my earnings weren't high enough in the right quarters. It's ridiculous that they use these arbitrary time periods instead of just looking at whether you worked recently.

To give you a concrete example: if you're earning $800/week and started in July, by December you'd have about 20-22 weeks of work. That's roughly $16,000-$17,600 in earnings. You'd easily meet the $1,000 minimum, and if those earnings were spread across at least 2 quarters, you'd likely qualify.

I had a friend who worked part-time for over a year but didn't qualify because her earnings were too low. Meanwhile, someone who worked full-time for just a few months qualified easily. It really depends on your hourly wage and how many hours you're working.

Don't forget about the work search requirements too! Even if you qualify for benefits, you'll need to apply for at least 3 jobs per week and register with WorkSource. Make sure you keep track of all your job search activities.

Quick question - if someone quits their job, can they still get unemployment? I know someone who's thinking about quitting because of a hostile work environment.

I calculated my base period earnings using the Washington ESD website calculator and it was super helpful. You can estimate your weekly benefit amount too. Just search for 'Washington unemployment calculator' and you should find it.

One more thing to consider - if you do get laid off, file your claim immediately. There's a one-week waiting period, but your claim starts from the week you file, not when you actually become unemployed. Don't wait!

If you do need to speak with someone at Washington ESD about your specific situation, I'd recommend trying that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier. After weeks of trying to get through on my own, they got me connected to an agent within a few hours. Really worth it when you need answers about your eligibility.

I'm in tech and got affected by layoffs twice in the past 3 years. Both times I qualified even though I hadn't been at my jobs very long because tech salaries are high enough to meet the wage requirements quickly. The key is understanding that base period calculation.

Just want to add that if you're worried about qualifying, you can always call Washington ESD ahead of time to ask about your potential eligibility. Though good luck getting through...

Bottom line: 5 months of full-time work should definitely be enough to qualify as long as you were earning decent wages. The quarters thing is confusing but Washington ESD will figure it out when you apply. Focus on documenting everything about your potential layoff so you can prove it wasn't your fault.