How much do you get from Washington ESD unemployment benefits - confused about payment amounts

The $847 is your gross weekly benefit amount, but Washington ESD takes out federal taxes (10%) and state taxes (varies) unless you opt out. That's probably why you got $635. You can change your tax withholding in your SecureAccess Washington account under benefit payment options.

Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your highest earning quarter from your base period. With $52k annually you're probably getting close to the maximum. Washington's max weekly benefit is $999 in 2025 so $847 sounds about right for your income level.

There's no waiting week in Washington anymore, they eliminated it a few years ago. You should get paid for your first eligible week. If you're missing a payment it might be for a different reason - check if there are any issues listed in your account that need to be resolved.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks about my benefit calculation because something seems off with mine too. Their phone lines are impossible - I've called hundreds of times and either get busy signals or get disconnected after waiting for hours. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there?

Your benefit amount also depends on how many dependents you claim. If you have kids under 18 you can get additional money per child. I get an extra $25 per week for each of my two kids on top of my regular benefit amount.

Make sure you're reporting any part-time work correctly. If you work and earn money while collecting UI, they reduce your benefit dollar for dollar after you earn more than your weekly benefit amount divided by 4. So with $847 weekly benefit, you can earn up to about $211 without any reduction.

been on unemployment 3 times and the payment calculation never makes sense to me lol. they use some weird formula with quarters and wages and honestly i just trust whatever they give me. as long as the money shows up in my account im good

Washington also has some of the highest unemployment benefits in the country. $847 weekly is really good compared to other states. My cousin in Florida only gets like $275 per week maximum. We're lucky to live here for unemployment benefits.

You can see exactly how they calculated your benefit amount in your Washington ESD account. Look for the monetary determination letter - it breaks down all your quarterly wages and shows the math they used. That way you can verify everything is correct.

Quick question - do you lose benefits if you turn down a job offer? I'm worried about the job search requirements and what happens if I get offered something that pays way less than my previous job.

I had issues with my payment amounts too and it turned out one of my previous employers never reported my wages correctly to Washington ESD. Took forever to get it fixed but my weekly benefit went up by $150 once they corrected it. Definitely worth checking if your calculation seems low.

Just want to add that your benefit year lasts 52 weeks from when you first filed, and you can collect up to 26 weeks of benefits during that year (or up to your maximum benefit amount, whichever comes first). So at $847 per week, your maximum would be around $22,000 total.

Has anyone used that Claimyr service mentioned earlier? I'm having a different issue with my benefits and really need to talk to someone at Washington ESD but the phone situation is impossible. Wondering if it's legit or a scam.

The tax withholding thing caught me off guard too when I first started collecting. You can also choose to have no taxes taken out and just pay quarterly estimated taxes if you prefer. Some people like having the full amount each week and handling taxes themselves.