How much do you get unemployment from Washington ESD weekly?

So if I made $12,600 in my highest quarter, that would be around $18 per week? That seems way too low.

No, you're doing the math wrong. $12,600 divided by 26 is $484, then multiply by 0.0385 which gives you about $18.60. But there's also a minimum benefit calculation that would give you more than that.

This is so confusing. Why can't they just make it simple like a percentage of your last salary?

Because unemployment is designed to replace a portion of your income, not match it exactly. Most people get around 50% of their previous weekly wages.

What's Claimyr? Never heard of that before.

It's a service at claimyr.com that helps you get through to Washington ESD phone lines. Way better than spending hours trying to call yourself.

How much does that cost though? I'm already broke from being unemployed.

I made decent money so hopefully I'll get close to the maximum. Just wish I could find out for sure without waiting for my claim to process.

Wait, I thought it was based on just the highest quarter, not two quarters?

You're right, I misspoke. It's based on your single highest quarter, not two. My mistake.

Actually, Washington ESD looks at your entire base period wages, not just one quarter. The calculation uses all qualifying wages from the base period.

That's helpful to know. I was making around $50K so maybe I'll get somewhere in the $500-600 range?

Probably something like that. The best way to know for sure is to complete your initial claim application and Washington ESD will calculate it for you.

What was wrong with your calculation? Did they fix it eventually?

They were using old wage data and ignoring my highest earning quarter. Had to submit payroll records three times before they got it right.

That's before taxes. You can choose to have federal taxes withheld when you file your weekly claims, or you can pay at tax time.

Good to know, thanks. I'll probably have them withhold taxes so I don't get hit with a big bill later.

Which calculator did you use? I tried a few and they all gave me different amounts.

I think it was just some random one I found on Google. None of them are going to be 100% accurate since they don't have access to your actual wage records.

Regular unemployment is up to 26 weeks in Washington. The weekly amount stays the same unless there's a cost of living adjustment, which is rare.

What about if you find part-time work? Do they reduce your benefits?

Yes, if you work part-time while on unemployment, they reduce your weekly benefit based on how much you earn. You need to report all work and wages when you file your weekly claim.

Three weeks is pretty normal, especially if your claim went into adjudication. That's when I used Claimyr to call and check on my claim status. The agent was able to tell me exactly where my claim was in the process.

I keep trying to call Washington ESD but can never get through. Maybe I should try that Claimyr thing you mentioned.

Yes, overtime pay is included in your base period wages. All wages subject to unemployment tax are counted, including overtime, bonuses, and commissions.

Awesome! I worked tons of overtime so that should help my benefit calculation.

Washington doesn't provide dependent allowances for unemployment benefits. You're thinking of some other states that do that.

Oh really? I could have sworn I read that somewhere. Thanks for clarifying.

That's helpful. I was making $4,200 monthly so maybe I'll get around $700 per week?

Probably somewhere in that range. The exact amount depends on your specific wage history during the base period though.

How do you add a missing employer? Do you have to call Washington ESD?

You can usually do it online through your eServices account, or yes, you can call them. Just have your W-2 or payroll records ready.

What was wrong with the calculation? How did you know it was incorrect?

They were missing wages from one of my employers. When I did the math myself, I knew I should be getting more than what they calculated.

That's exactly why I used Claimyr when I had questions about my benefit amount. The agent was able to look at my account and explain exactly how they calculated my weekly benefit.

I tried that but it kept giving me error messages when I entered my wage information.

Yeah, their website can be glitchy. Sometimes it works better if you try it at different times of day when there's less traffic.

What's a waiting week? I keep seeing people mention that.

It used to be a week where you filed a claim but didn't get paid, kind of like a penalty week. Washington eliminated it a few years ago though.

That matches what others are saying. Thanks for sharing your numbers, it helps me estimate what I might get.

How many job applications do you have to do per week?

I think it's 3 job search activities per week, but it doesn't have to be just applications. Can include networking, job fairs, interviews, etc.

That's correct. You need to complete at least 3 job search activities each week and keep records of what you did.