How much do u get for unemployment benefits in Washington state?

It's based on your earnings from your base year which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters. Washington ESD takes your highest quarter earnings and divides by 26 to get your weekly benefit amount. Maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $999 plus $25 for each dependent child up to 5 kids.

The minimum weekly benefit amount in Washington is $295 and like the other person said max is $999. You also get an additional $25 per dependent child. To qualify you need to have earned at least $8,190 during your base year with earnings in at least 680 hours or more.

Just went through this whole process myself. If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check your benefit amount or get questions answered, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! I've been trying to get my benefit amount figured out for WEEKS and every time I call I get disconnected after waiting 2+ hours. This is peoples livelihoods were talking about here not some game. Washington ESD needs to hire more staff instead of making us jump through hoops.

Your weekly benefit amount is calculated using the monetary determination formula. Washington ESD looks at your base year wages (first 4 of last 5 completed quarters) and uses your highest quarter. They divide that amount by 26 weeks to get your weekly benefit. You can also check your potential benefit amount using the online calculator on the ESD website before you file.

been on unemployment 3 times in the past 5 years and each time the amount was different even though i was making similar wages. it really depends on which quarters they use for your base year calculation. sometimes you get lucky and your high earning quarters fall in the right time period

dont forget you can only collect benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks in most cases. and you have to be actively looking for work and reporting your job search activities every week when you file your weekly claim

Another thing to keep in mind - if you work part time while collecting unemployment benefits, they'll reduce your weekly benefit amount. But you can still earn up to a certain amount before it affects your benefits. I think it's like 1/3 of your weekly benefit amount but double check that.

my sister just filed and her benefits got held up in adjudication for like a month. apparently they needed to verify her employment history or something. so even if you qualify for benefits you might not get paid right away

also heads up - washington state unemployment benefits are taxable income. you can choose to have taxes withheld from your weekly payments or pay them later when you file your tax return. i learned this the hard way and owed money at tax time

One more thing to consider - if you quit your job you might not be eligible for benefits unless you can show you had 'good cause' for quitting. If you were fired for misconduct that could also disqualify you. Most people who get benefits were laid off or had their hours reduced through no fault of their own.

The key things to remember: benefits are based on your highest quarter earnings in your base year, divided by 26. You'll need to file weekly claims and do job search activities. Maximum benefit is $999/week plus $25 per dependent. And yes, it's taxable income so plan accordingly.

still think the whole system needs an overhaul but at least now you know what to expect. just dont be surprised if you run into issues getting through to customer service when you need help

i was making $28/hour and my weekly benefit came out to around $580. so your calculation of $423 for $22/hour sounds about right. just file as soon as possible because theres usually a waiting week before benefits start

Final piece of advice - when you do file your initial claim, have all your employment information ready (employer names, addresses, dates of employment, reason for separation). This will help avoid delays in processing. And if you run into any issues reaching ESD by phone, definitely check out that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier. Made my whole experience so much smoother.