How much do you make off unemployment in Washington - confused about benefit amounts

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest earning quarter from your base year. Generally you'll get around 50-60% of your average weekly wage, but there's a maximum weekly benefit of $999 as of 2025. Since you made $18/hour, if you worked full time that's about $720/week gross, so you'd probably get somewhere around $350-400 per week.

That actually sounds better than I expected! I was worried it would be way less than that.

Don't forget they take out taxes too unless you opt out, so your actual deposit will be less than the weekly benefit amount.

The formula is confusing but basically they look at your wages from 4 quarters ago through 1 quarter ago. So if you filed in January 2025, they'd use April 2023 through September 2024. If you only worked 8 months that might hurt your calculation depending on when you started.

Oh no, I started working in May 2024 so I might not have enough wages in the right quarters?

You might qualify for alternate base year if the standard calculation doesn't work. Washington ESD will automatically check that for you.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my benefit calculation and the phone lines are impossible. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there? I keep getting disconnected after waiting on hold forever.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. Saved me so much time and frustration. Check out claimyr.com - they even have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

Really? That sounds too good to be true. How does it actually work?

Basically you give them your info and they handle all the calling and waiting. When they get an agent on the line, they transfer the call to you. Way better than spending hours hitting redial.

just to add - the $999 max is before taxes. with taxes taken out its more like $850 or something. still not bad though

Good to know about the taxes. I'll probably have them take it out so I don't owe at the end of the year.

I'm getting $445 per week and I was making about $25/hour full time before I got laid off from manufacturing. The calculation seemed pretty fair to me, though it took forever to get my first payment because of adjudication delays.

How long did adjudication take for you? I'm worried mine might get held up too.

About 3 weeks, but that was pretty typical from what I heard. Just make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while it's pending.

Three weeks? I've been waiting 6 weeks for adjudication to finish. This system is so slow.

The amount also depends on if you have any dependents. Washington ESD adds money for dependent children under 18, I think it's like $25 per child per week or something like that.

I don't have kids so that doesn't apply to me, but good to know for other people.

Make sure you understand that unemployment is taxable income! A lot of people get surprised when tax time comes around. You can have them withhold 10% for federal taxes when you file your weekly claims.

Yeah I definitely want to have taxes taken out. Better safe than sorry.

Smart move. I didn't do it my first time on unemployment and ended up owing like $1500 at tax time.

The weekly benefit amount stays the same for your whole claim year, so whatever they calculate initially is what you'll get each week (assuming you're eligible that week). You can't get a raise or adjustment even if you find higher paying work and then lose it again during the same benefit year.

That makes sense. So I should make sure the calculation is right from the start.

Exactly. If you think there's an error you need to appeal it right away, not wait and see.

Does anyone know if working part time affects the weekly amount? I might be able to pick up some gig work while I'm looking for a full time job.

Yes, if you earn more than 1/3 of your weekly benefit amount, they start reducing your unemployment payment. So if your benefit is $400/week, you can earn up to about $133 without any reduction.

Good to know. So a little part time work is okay but not too much.

Just make sure you report ALL earnings when you file your weekly claim, even if it's just $20. Washington ESD will find out eventually and overpayments are a nightmare to deal with.

I think there might also be a minimum weekly benefit amount, like you have to qualify for at least $188 per week or something? Not sure of the exact number but there is a floor.

Yes, the minimum is currently $295 per week in Washington. If your calculation comes out lower than that, you get the minimum amount.

That's actually reassuring since I wasn't working for very long at my job.

The thing that confused me was the difference between gross and net wages. Do they calculate based on what you earned before taxes or after? I think it's gross but I'm not 100% sure.

It's based on gross wages - what you earned before any deductions. So if you made $1000/week gross but only took home $750 after taxes and everything, they use the $1000 for the calculation.

Thanks, that's what I thought but wanted to confirm.

One more thing - you can usually see an estimate of your benefit amount in your online account before you actually start receiving payments. Check your dashboard on the Washington ESD website after you file your initial claim.

I'll look for that. I filed my claim yesterday so hopefully it shows up soon.

Update on the Claimyr thing - I tried it and actually got through to Washington ESD in like 20 minutes instead of the usual hours of busy signals. The agent was able to explain my benefit calculation and fix an issue with my job search log. Definitely worth it if you're stuck.

How much does it cost though? Is it worth the money?

For me it was totally worth it. I was losing my mind trying to get through on my own and this saved me so much time and stress.

I might try that if I have issues. Good to know it actually works.

Just remember that whatever amount you qualify for, you still have to do job searches and file weekly claims to actually get the money. The benefit amount is just your maximum, you have to meet all the other requirements too.

Yeah I know about the job search requirements. Three contacts per week, right?

Yep, and you have to keep detailed records in case they audit you. Use WorkSourceWA if you can, it makes tracking easier.

The whole system is so complicated. I wish they would just tell you upfront exactly what you'll get instead of making you figure out all these formulas and base years and stuff.

Agreed. It shouldn't be this hard to understand how much money you're going to get.

At least this thread helped me understand it better. Thanks everyone for all the info!

One last tip - if you're getting close to the maximum benefit amount, double check that all your wages were reported correctly by your employer. Sometimes there are mistakes that can affect your calculation.

Good point. I'll check my wage history once my account is fully set up.

Yeah, you can see all the wages Washington ESD has on file for you in your online account. If something looks wrong, contact them right away.

For what it's worth, I think Washington's unemployment benefits are pretty decent compared to other states. Could always be more but at least it's something while you're looking for work.

True, I'm grateful there's a safety net at all. Hopefully I'll find something new soon and won't need it for too long.