How much can I work while on Washington ESD unemployment without losing benefits?

The general rule is you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 before they start reducing your UI payments. So in your case, you could earn up to $482 per week before any deductions. But you still need to report ALL earnings on your weekly claim, even if it's just $10.

Wait, so I can make almost $500 a week and still get my full unemployment? That seems like a lot.

No, that's the threshold where they START reducing your benefits. If you earn exactly $482, you'd get $5 in unemployment. The formula is complex but basically they deduct 75% of earnings over $5 from your weekly benefit.

You definitely want to be careful with this. I made the mistake of not reporting some cash work I did and Washington ESD caught it months later. Now I owe them back $1,200 in overpayments. Always report everything, even if you think it won't affect your benefits.

How did they find out about cash work? I thought that was impossible to track.

They cross-reference with other agencies. The person who paid me apparently reported it somewhere and it showed up. Not worth the risk at all.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask this exact question but their phone lines are always busy. Has anyone actually managed to talk to a real person there recently?

I finally got through using this service called Claimyr that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. Found it at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true but I'm desperate at this point.

Yeah it's real, used it twice now. Way better than spending all day hitting redial and getting hung up on.

The work search requirements are more important than the earnings limits honestly. Make sure you're doing your 3 job contacts per week and logging them properly or they'll disqualify you regardless of how much you're working.

Wait, I thought it was 2 job contacts per week? I've been doing 2 this whole time.

It's 3 now, changed last year I believe. Better check your requirements in eServices to be sure.

Yes, it's 3 job contacts per week for most people unless you're in a training program or have other exemptions.

ive been working 15 hours a week at a restaurant and still getting most of my unemployment. just make sure to report the gross earnings not net

How much are you making per week if you don't mind sharing? Trying to figure out if this part-time job offer is worth it.

around $220 gross and i still get like $350 in unemployment so its definitely worth it

I think there's also a limit on how many hours you can work, not just earnings. Something like 32 hours per week maximum but I'm not 100% sure on that number.

There's no specific hour limit in Washington. It's all based on earnings and whether you're able and available for full-time work. But working too many hours could raise questions about your availability.

Good to know, thanks for clarifying that!

Whatever you do, DON'T lie about it. My cousin tried to hide some side work and they made him pay back everything plus penalties. Washington ESD doesn't mess around with fraud.

How much were the penalties? Just wondering how bad it could get.

I think it was like 50% on top of what he owed, plus interest. Ended up being thousands of dollars.

The Washington ESD handbook explains all of this but it's like 50 pages long and written in legal jargon. Wish they would just make a simple chart or something.

There actually is a simpler guide somewhere on their website but it's buried. I spent forever looking for it last month.

If you find it again please share the link! Would save people a lot of confusion.

I was in a similar situation and called Washington ESD using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. The agent explained that as long as you report everything honestly and stay under full-time hours, you should be fine. They actually encourage people to take part-time work.

That's reassuring to hear from an actual Washington ESD agent. Did they give you any specific dollar amounts or percentages?

They confirmed the 75% reduction formula but said it only applies to earnings over $5. So first $5 doesn't count, then they reduce your benefit by 75 cents for every dollar you earn above that.

been on unemployment 3 times and worked part time during 2 of them. Never had any issues as long as you report everything. The key is being honest on your weekly claims

What kind of part-time work were you doing? I'm wondering if certain types of work are treated differently.

retail and food service mostly. dont think the type of work matters as much as just reporting it correctly

One thing to remember is that if you're getting any kind of severance pay or vacation payout, that counts as earnings too. It's not just wages from new work.

Good point! I didn't even think about that. Luckily I didn't get any severance but that's definitely something to keep in mind.

Holiday pay counts too if you're still technically employed somewhere. Found that out the hard way.

The most important thing is staying 'able and available' for full-time work. If you take a part-time job that prevents you from accepting full-time work during normal business hours, that could be a problem.

The job I'm looking at is evenings and weekends, so that should be okay right?

That sounds perfect actually. Shows you're actively working while still being available for full-time opportunities during the day.

I used Claimyr again last week to ask about this exact situation and the Washington ESD rep said they'd rather see people working part-time than sitting at home. It's actually looked at favorably during eligibility reviews.

That's good to know! I was worried it might look bad or suspicious to be working while claiming.

Nope, they see it as taking initiative. Just make sure you're still doing your job searches and meeting all other requirements.

Bottom line: report everything, stay under full-time hours, keep doing your job searches, and you'll be fine. The system is designed to encourage part-time work while you look for something permanent.

Thanks everyone! This has been super helpful. I feel much more confident about taking this part-time position now.

Good luck with the new job! Hope it leads to something full-time soon.