How much do you get from unemployment in Washington - need to know weekly benefit amount

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest earning quarter from the last 18 months. They take that quarter's earnings, divide by 13, then you get roughly 50% of that amount. So if your highest quarter was $13,000, you'd get around $500 per week. But there's a maximum cap - I think it's around $999 per week for 2025.

i think the max is actually $844 per week not $999 but yeah it depends on your earnings. i was making about 45k and got $420 per week when i was on unemployment last year

Just went through this whole process myself. The calculation is confusing but here's what I learned: Washington ESD takes your two highest quarters from your base period, adds them together, divides by 26, then gives you about 50% of that. BUT there's also a minimum amount - I think it's around $295 per week minimum even if your calculation comes out lower.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to get exact numbers, I used Claimyr to actually talk to someone there. It's a service that helps you get through their phone system - saved me hours of calling. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ and the site is claimyr.com. Really helped me understand my specific benefit amount.

DON'T COUNT ON GETTING THE FULL AMOUNT RIGHT AWAY! I've been waiting 6 weeks for my claim to get approved and I'm getting ZERO dollars while they do their stupid adjudication process. Even if you qualify for $500 per week, you won't see a dime until Washington ESD decides to approve your claim.

For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit amount in Washington is $844. The minimum is $295. Your benefit amount depends on wages earned during your base period (first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed). They use your highest quarter earnings, divide by 13, and that's your weekly benefit amount - but it can't exceed the maximum or go below the minimum.

ok but does anyone know if the amount changes if you have kids or dependents? i have two kids and wondering if that affects the weekly benefit amount at all

Been on unemployment twice in the last 5 years and can confirm the amounts mentioned here are accurate. First time I got $445 per week, second time I got $512 because I was making more money. The key thing is you have to work enough hours in your base period to qualify - I think it's something like 680 hours total.

I found the benefit calculator! It's buried in the Washington ESD website under 'Estimate Your Benefits' or something like that. But honestly it's easier to just do the math yourself - take your highest earning quarter from the last 18 months, divide by 13, and that's pretty much it.

Just remember you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits. They don't automatically take taxes out unless you request it, so you might owe money at tax time if you don't plan for it.

Another thing - the amount you see on your monetary determination isn't always what you'll actually receive. If you have any part-time work while on unemployment, they'll reduce your weekly benefit. I had to call Washington ESD to understand how the earnings deduction worked, which is when I first used Claimyr to get through.

the earnings deduction thing is confusing. i think they let you keep like 25% of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction, then after that they deduct dollar for dollar from your unemployment

Lol good luck calling Washington ESD. I've been trying to get through for weeks about my benefit amount calculation. Their phone system is absolutely terrible.

Thanks everyone for all the info! Sounds like with my salary I should expect around $500-520 per week if I need to file. Really appreciate the real world examples and the tip about Claimyr for actually reaching someone at Washington ESD.

One more thing - the $844 maximum is for regular unemployment insurance. If you end up needing extended benefits during high unemployment periods, those amounts can be different. But hopefully you won't need to worry about that.

UPDATE: Finally got my adjudication resolved after 7 weeks! Turns out I needed to provide additional documentation about my job separation. Getting $478 per week which matches what everyone calculated here. Wish I had known about that Claimyr service earlier - would have saved me weeks of stress.