How much do you get through Washington ESD unemployment benefits?
I'm thinking about filing for unemployment since my hours got cut at work but I have no idea what to expect payment wise. Does anyone know how much Washington ESD actually pays out? I've heard different amounts from different people and I'm trying to figure out if it's even worth the hassle of filing weekly claims and all that stuff.
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Dmitry Smirnov
It depends on your previous earnings. Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter from the last 18 months. The maximum weekly benefit is $999 right now, but most people get somewhere between $300-600 per week.
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Sofia Perez
•That's way more than I expected! How do they figure out which quarter to use?
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Dmitry Smirnov
•They look at all your quarters and pick the one where you earned the most. Then they divide that by 13 to get your weekly amount, but there's a cap.
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ElectricDreamer
i get like $450 a week which is decent but not amazing. the job search requirements are annoying though you have to log 3 jobs per week
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Ava Johnson
•Wait, only 3 jobs? I thought it was way more than that. That doesn't seem too bad.
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ElectricDreamer
•yeah just 3 but you gotta document everything properly or they'll flag your claim
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Miguel Diaz
The benefit amount formula is actually pretty straightforward. Take your highest quarter earnings, divide by 13, and that's your weekly benefit amount up to the state maximum. Right now the max is $999/week in Washington. You can also get an additional $25/week if you have dependents.
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Zainab Ahmed
•I've been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks to check my benefit calculation but can never get through. Anyone have tips for actually reaching someone?
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Connor Byrne
•I was having the same problem until I found this service called Claimyr that actually gets you through to a real person at Washington ESD. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works. Saved me hours of calling.
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Zainab Ahmed
•Interesting, I'll have to look into that. Getting through to Washington ESD has been impossible lately.
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Yara Abboud
Don't get your hopes up too high. The system is broken and they'll find any excuse to deny your claim or put you in adjudication hell for months. I've been waiting 6 weeks just to get my first payment.
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Sofia Perez
•6 weeks?! That's crazy. What's taking so long?
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Yara Abboud
•They said there's an 'issue' with my separation but won't tell me what it is. Just keeps saying adjudication in progress.
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Dmitry Smirnov
For reference, here's roughly what you can expect based on your previous quarterly earnings: $15,000 quarter = ~$600/week, $10,000 quarter = ~$400/week, $7,500 quarter = ~$300/week. Keep in mind this is before taxes if you choose to have them withheld.
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PixelPioneer
•Should you have taxes withheld? I'm not sure what to do about that part.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•It's usually smart to have the 10% federal tax withheld. Washington doesn't have state income tax so you don't need to worry about that part.
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PixelPioneer
•Good to know, thanks!
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Keisha Williams
The amount varies but honestly the bigger issue is actually getting approved and receiving payments on time. Washington ESD has been a nightmare to deal with. Make sure you file your weekly claims exactly on time or they'll mess with your benefits.
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Sofia Perez
•When are you supposed to file the weekly claims? Is there a specific day?
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Keisha Williams
•You can file starting Sunday for the previous week. I always do mine Sunday morning to avoid any issues.
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Ava Johnson
I'm getting $520 per week which is about 60% of what I was making before. It's enough to cover my basic bills but definitely not enough to maintain my previous lifestyle. The good news is you can work part-time and still collect partial benefits as long as you report your earnings.
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Paolo Rizzo
•How does the partial benefits thing work? Do they reduce your payment dollar for dollar?
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Ava Johnson
•No, it's not dollar for dollar. They have a calculation where you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount plus $5 before they start reducing benefits. So if you get $500/week, you can earn up to $505 before any reduction.
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Paolo Rizzo
•That's actually not bad. I thought any work would disqualify you completely.
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Amina Sy
Been on unemployment for 2 months now and getting $675/week. The money is decent but dealing with Washington ESD is such a pain. Every little thing requires calling them and good luck actually getting through to someone who can help.
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Oliver Fischer
•Have you tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier? I used it last week and actually got through to resolve my adjudication issue within a few hours instead of waiting weeks.
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Amina Sy
•No but I'm definitely going to check it out. I've wasted so many hours on hold with Washington ESD.
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Natasha Ivanova
The weekly benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website gives you a pretty good estimate if you know your quarterly earnings. Just remember the maximum duration is 26 weeks unless there are extensions.
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Sofia Perez
•26 weeks seems like a decent amount of time to find something new. Hopefully I won't need that long.
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NebulaNomad
•Don't count on it being easy to find work right now. I've been looking for 4 months and the job market is tough.
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Javier Garcia
I qualified for the maximum $999/week since I was making good money before getting laid off. Even at the max though, it's still less than half of what I was earning. Better than nothing but definitely motivates you to find work quickly.
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Emma Taylor
•Wow, what kind of quarterly earnings do you need to hit the maximum?
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Javier Garcia
•I think it's around $12,987 in your highest quarter to get the full $999/week. Don't quote me on the exact number but it's somewhere in that range.
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Malik Robinson
Just a heads up that if you quit your job voluntarily, you probably won't qualify for benefits at all. They're pretty strict about that unless you have good cause like unsafe working conditions or harassment.
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Sofia Perez
•I didn't quit, my hours just got reduced significantly. Should that still qualify?
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Malik Robinson
•Yeah, reduction in hours can definitely qualify you for benefits. You might even be able to get partial benefits while still working the reduced hours.
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Isabella Silva
The amount isn't bad but prepare yourself for bureaucratic hell. I've had to appeal two different decisions and it's been a nightmare. Make sure you keep detailed records of everything.
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Ravi Choudhury
•What kind of records should I be keeping?
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Isabella Silva
•Screenshots of your weekly claims, copies of all correspondence, job search logs, anything related to your employment separation. Trust me, you'll need it if there are any issues.
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CosmosCaptain
For what it's worth, I think the Washington ESD system is actually pretty generous compared to other states. The $999 maximum is higher than most places and the partial benefit rules are fair.
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Freya Johansen
•That's good to hear. I was worried it would be like $200/week or something useless.
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CosmosCaptain
•No, Washington is definitely one of the better states for unemployment benefits. Just be prepared for the administrative headaches.
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Omar Fawzi
The key thing is to file as soon as you're eligible. There's a waiting period anyway so don't delay. And if you run into any issues reaching Washington ESD by phone, that Claimyr service really does work - worth checking out their demo video to see how it works.
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Sofia Perez
•Thanks for all the info everyone. This has been really helpful in figuring out what to expect.
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Chloe Wilson
•Good luck with your claim! The money definitely helps while you're looking for work.
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