How much do you have to make for unemployment benefits in Washington?

The minimum earnings requirement for Washington unemployment is having at least $3,850 in your base period, which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. You also need earnings in at least 2 quarters of your base period. With $8,000 total you should qualify, but it depends on how those earnings were distributed across quarters.

The $3,850 is correct for 2025. Your weekly benefit amount will be calculated based on your highest earning quarter in the base period. Since you made around $8,000 total, your highest quarter was probably around $2,000-2,500, so your weekly benefit would be roughly $150-200 before taxes.

I had a similar situation and couldn't get through to Washington ESD for weeks to verify my earnings. If you're having trouble reaching them, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual agent. They have this system that calls Washington ESD for you and gets you through to someone who can check your earnings history. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

ugh the earnings requirement is so confusing!! I worked seasonal jobs and made different amounts each quarter and Washington ESD keeps saying my claim is under review. how do they even calculate the base period when you have irregular income?

The Washington ESD system is such a joke. I made $12,000 last year and they're still 'reviewing' my claim after 3 weeks. Meanwhile people are struggling to pay rent while these bureaucrats take their sweet time.

For anyone confused about base periods, here's a simple breakdown: if you file your claim in January 2025, your standard base period would be January 2024 through December 2024. The alternate base period would be April 2024 through March 2025. Washington ESD automatically uses whichever one qualifies you for higher benefits.

Just wanted to add that if you worked multiple part-time jobs like I did, all your earnings from different employers count toward the minimum requirement. Don't think you need to meet $3,850 from just one job.

Another thing to keep in mind - if you're currently working part-time while filing for unemployment, you can still collect benefits as long as you earn less than your weekly benefit amount plus $5. This is called 'partial unemployment' and a lot of people don't know about it.

I'm in a similar boat with part-time work. Made about $9,500 last year but it was spread across multiple quarters. The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator but it's not very user-friendly. Has anyone actually used it successfully?

One more tip - if you're close to the minimum earnings requirement, double-check that all your employers reported your wages correctly. I had an issue where one of my employers didn't report my last month of work and it made me ineligible until they fixed it.

For what it's worth, even if you barely meet the minimum requirement, you should still apply. The worst they can do is deny you, and then you'll know for sure. Better than wondering and missing out on benefits you might be entitled to.

I had to use that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when my earnings weren't showing up correctly in the system. Got connected to a Washington ESD agent who was able to see the issue and fix it right away. Saved me weeks of back-and-forth.

Just a heads up that if you made tips or cash payments, those usually don't count toward your earnings unless they were reported on your W-2. Restaurant workers especially need to be aware of this when calculating their total earnings.

The $3,850 minimum hasn't changed in a while, but the maximum weekly benefit amount goes up each year. For 2025 it's $999 per week, though you'd need to have earned around $80,000 in your highest quarter to get that much.

Don't forget you also have to be able and available for work to collect benefits. Meeting the earnings requirement is just the first step. You'll also need to do job searches and report them when you file your weekly claims.

If anyone's still struggling to get through to Washington ESD about their earnings, I had success using that Claimyr service too. They have some kind of system that gets you connected to an agent without waiting on hold forever. Made the whole process way less stressful.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! This thread answered way more questions than the Washington ESD website did. Going to file my claim this week now that I understand the requirements better.