How much can you earn and still collect Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

In Washington, you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 without any reduction. So if your weekly benefit is $300, you can earn up to $295 and still get your full UI payment. Anything over that gets deducted dollar for dollar from your benefit.

That's helpful, thank you! So if I earn $250 and my weekly benefit is $320, I'd still get the full $320?

Exactly right. You'd report the $250 on your weekly claim but still receive your full benefit amount since it's under the $315 threshold ($320 minus $5).

Just make sure you report ALL earnings, even if it's just $20. Washington ESD will find out eventually and you don't want to deal with an overpayment situation later.

This is so important! I made the mistake of not reporting a small odd job and got hit with an overpayment notice months later.

I've been struggling to get through to Washington ESD to ask about this exact question. Their phone lines are always busy and I keep getting disconnected. Has anyone found a reliable way to actually talk to someone there?

I had the same problem for weeks trying to get clarification on my earnings reporting. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual Washington ESD agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Game changer for me.

Never heard of that before but at this point I'm willing to try anything. The hold times are insane.

wait so if i make more than my weekly benefit amount do i lose everything or just the excess??

You only lose the excess amount. So if your weekly benefit is $300 and you earn $400, you'd get $0 that week ($400 minus $295 threshold = $105 reduction, which is more than your $300 benefit).

ok that makes sense thanks

The earnings deduction formula is: Gross earnings minus $5 equals the amount deducted from your weekly benefit. But you also have to meet the job search requirements each week regardless of your earnings.

Good point about job search requirements. I assume I still need to log 3 job search activities even if I'm working part-time?

Correct, unless you're on standby status with your employer. Otherwise it's still 3 activities per week in WorkSourceWA.

Been doing gig work while on unemployment and it's been fine as long as I report everything. The key is being completely honest on your weekly claims about any money you made.

What kind of gig work? I'm thinking about doing some Uber driving but worried about how to calculate earnings properly.

I do freelance writing. For gig work like Uber, you report gross earnings before expenses. So if you made $200 in fares, you report $200 even if gas cost you $50.

Another thing to remember is that if you work more than 32 hours in a week, you're considered to be working full-time and won't be eligible for benefits that week, regardless of how much you earn.

I didn't know about the 32 hour rule! That's really important to know.

Yeah the hour limit is separate from the earnings limit. You can earn very little but if you work too many hours you still lose eligibility for that week.

Does anyone know if commission counts the same as regular wages? I might pick up some sales work.

Yes, commission income is treated the same as wages. You report it in the week you actually receive the payment, not when you earned it.

Thanks, that's what I thought but wanted to double check.

I tried calling Washington ESD about this months ago and gave up after being on hold for 3 hours. The system is so broken.

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. Got through to someone in about 20 minutes instead of waiting hours and getting disconnected.

I'm definitely going to look into that service. I've wasted so much time trying to get through their regular phone lines.

Just want to add that if you're receiving standby benefits, the earnings rules might be different. You should check with your employer or Washington ESD directly about standby status.

Good point. Standby is for temporary layoffs where you expect to return to work, right?

Right, it's for when your employer expects to recall you within a specific timeframe. Different rules apply for job search requirements too.

This thread is super helpful! I've been scared to take any work because I thought it would mess up my benefits completely.

That's a common fear but part-time work while on unemployment is actually encouraged. It helps you transition back to full-time employment.

What happens if you accidentally report wrong earnings? I think I might have made an error on last week's claim.

You can contact Washington ESD to correct it, but it might trigger a review of your claim. Better to fix it now than wait and have it discovered later.

Thanks, I'll try to get through to them this week to fix it.

The earnings deduction calculator on the Washington ESD website is pretty helpful for figuring out exactly how much your benefit will be reduced based on what you earn.

I didn't know they had a calculator! That would make planning so much easier.

Yeah it's buried in their website but really useful. Just search for 'earnings deduction calculator' on their site.

Been working part-time retail while collecting UI for 2 months now. As long as you stay under 32 hours and report accurately, it works fine. Actually makes the transition back to full-time easier.

That's encouraging to hear. I've been hesitant to take part-time work but sounds like it might actually be beneficial.

One more tip - if you're doing contract work, make sure to save records of all payments. Washington ESD might ask for documentation during an audit.

Good advice. I keep screenshots of all my payment apps and bank deposits just in case.

This whole earnings reporting thing stressed me out so much until I actually talked to someone at Washington ESD who explained it clearly. Wish their website was more straightforward about it.

Totally agree about their website being confusing. That's another reason I appreciated being able to get through to an actual person using Claimyr - could ask specific questions about my situation.

Yeah their website makes it sound way more complicated than it actually is.

Remember that even if your earnings completely offset your weekly benefit, you should still file your weekly claim. It keeps your claim active and you'll still get credit for that week toward your benefit year.

That's really important to know! I would have assumed you skip filing if you're not getting paid anything.

Exactly, a lot of people make that mistake. Always file your weekly claim even if you expect $0 in benefits.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! This thread cleared up a lot of confusion I had about working while on unemployment.

Same here! Feel much more confident about taking that part-time job offer now.

Just want to emphasize again - be completely honest about ALL earnings. The penalties for not reporting income correctly are severe and not worth the risk.

This can't be stressed enough. I know someone who got caught not reporting cash payments and had to pay back everything plus penalties.

Yep, Washington ESD has access to wage databases and will eventually find unreported income. Better to be safe and report everything.

For anyone still confused about this, the basic rule is simple: earn up to (your weekly benefit - $5) with no reduction, anything over that reduces your benefit dollar for dollar. And always report everything honestly.

Perfect summary! This thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding the earnings rules.

Just to add another perspective - I've been working part-time seasonal work while on unemployment and it's actually worked out really well. The key thing I learned is to track your hours carefully too, not just earnings. I had a week where I only made $180 but worked 35 hours, so I lost my benefits entirely that week due to the hour limit even though my earnings were well under the threshold. Make sure you're watching both the earnings AND the 32-hour rule!