How much do you earn on unemployment in Washington - confused about benefit amounts

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount (WBA) based on your highest earning quarter from your base period. It's roughly 3.85% of your total base period wages, but there's also a weekly maximum. For 2025, the max weekly benefit is around $999. If you made $52k, you're probably looking at somewhere between $400-600 per week depending on how your earnings were distributed across quarters.

The formula is confusing but basically they take your two highest quarters from your base period and use that. I was making about the same as you and ended up with $487 per week. But it took forever to get through to Washington ESD to actually find out my exact amount.

your benefit amount depends on your work history but also remember you have to be actively looking for work and reporting it every week. the job search requirements are no joke - you need 3 job contacts per week minimum and they can audit your job search log anytime

Don't get your hopes up too high. I made $48k and only get $410 per week because of how my hours were distributed. Plus they tax it now so you don't even get the full amount. And if you work ANY hours during a week, they reduce your benefits dollar for dollar after the first $5.

The Washington ESD benefit calculator on their website gives you a rough estimate but it's not always accurate. Your actual amount won't be determined until they process your monetary determination. That usually takes 1-2 weeks after you file your initial claim.

ugh the whole system is so confusing. I've been unemployed for a month and still don't fully understand how they calculate everything. why can't they just make it simple??

For anyone struggling to get through to Washington ESD by phone, I mentioned Claimyr earlier but wanted to add that they're really helpful for getting specific questions answered about your benefit amount. I used them when my monetary determination seemed wrong and the agent was able to explain exactly how they calculated my WBA.

Just remember that your unemployment benefits are based on W-2 wages only. If you had any 1099 income or side gigs, those don't count toward your base period wages for calculating your WBA.

The maximum benefit duration is also important to know. In Washington you can get up to 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits, but that's only if you have enough base period wages. Some people with lower earnings might get fewer weeks.

Don't forget about the waiting week either. In Washington there's a one-week waiting period before you can start collecting benefits, even if your claim is approved right away.

Pro tip: make sure your employer reports your wages correctly to Washington ESD. I had an issue where my employer didn't report my last quarter of wages and it lowered my benefit amount significantly. Had to get that fixed before my monetary determination was finalized.

Also keep in mind that if you have any other income while collecting unemployment - like pension payments or severance - that might affect your weekly benefit amount. Washington ESD has rules about what counts as deductible income.

The bottom line is your weekly benefit amount will probably be around 60-65% of what you were making per week, up to the maximum. So if you were making $1000/week, you might get $600-650 in unemployment benefits.

One more thing - make sure you understand the difference between your gross benefit amount and what you'll actually receive. After taxes and any other deductions, your actual deposit will be less than your stated WBA.

Just wanted to follow up since several people asked about Claimyr - I used them again yesterday to get clarification on my job search requirements and it was super quick. The agent explained exactly what activities count and how to document them properly. Really takes the stress out of dealing with Washington ESD.

Thanks everyone for all the detailed info! This is really helpful. I'm feeling much more confident about what to expect now. It sounds like with my $52k salary I should be looking at somewhere in the $400-600 range per week, which would definitely help cover my basic expenses while job hunting. I'm going to check out that benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website and also look into Claimyr if I run into issues getting through to them by phone. Really appreciate this community having so much practical advice!