How much do you make on unemployment benefits in Washington state?

Thanks! So if I was making around $700 a week before taxes, I'd probably get around $350 weekly in benefits?

That sounds about right, maybe a little less depending on your exact base period wages. You can get an estimate by logging into your Washington ESD account.

Thanks! So if I made around $45,000 last year, what would that work out to roughly?

With $45k in base period wages, you'd probably get around $665 per week before taxes. But Washington ESD looks at your actual quarterly earnings, not annual, so you'll want to check your account for the exact calculation.

What kind of job search requirements? Is it hard to keep up with?

You need to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and keep a log. It's not too bad but you have to stay on top of it or they'll stop your benefits.

That's actually pretty decent! Did it take long for your claim to get approved?

About 2 weeks but I had to do a phone interview because they had questions about why I left my previous job before the one I got laid off from.

Is that legit? Seems weird to pay someone to make phone calls for you.

Yeah it's totally legit. They don't need your personal info or anything, they just help you get connected. Worth it when you're trying to get answers about your claim.

Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true honestly.

I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They don't ask for your personal info or anything, just helps you get through to a real person at Washington ESD.

Might try that if I can't get through the normal way. The phone lines are always busy when I call.

Good point about taxes! I forgot about that. Is it better to have them take taxes out or pay at the end of the year?

I always have them take it out. Don't want to get hit with a big tax bill next year.

26 weeks seems like a long time. Are there any other catches I should know about?

Main thing is you can't turn down suitable work offers. And if you quit your job instead of being laid off, you might not qualify at all.

True, I guess I should just apply and see what happens. How long did it take to get your first payment?

took like 3 weeks but that was during busy season, might be faster now

Ugh, I didn't know that. So if I get $600 a week, how much would actually be left after taxes?

Depends on your tax bracket, but figure around 10-12% for federal taxes if you're in a lower bracket. So maybe $530-540 take home from $600.

Still better than zero income while I'm looking for work I guess.

Adjudication can take 4-6 weeks unfortunately. Did you get any letters explaining what they need to verify?

Just some generic letter about reviewing my eligibility. Super frustrating when you're trying to pay bills

This is exactly why I used Claimyr - spent weeks trying to get someone on the phone about my adjudication. Finally got through and they were able to tell me exactly what was holding it up.

Good luck getting through! I've been trying to call for weeks about my claim and can never reach anyone.

That's exactly why I mentioned Claimyr earlier. They specialize in getting you connected to Washington ESD agents when the regular phone lines are jammed.

That's actually pretty good for retail wages! Hope it goes through smoothly for you.

Fingers crossed you don't hit any snags. The system seems to flag random stuff for review sometimes.

Tips are tricky because they only count what's reported to Washington ESD. If you were getting cash tips that weren't reported, those won't be included in your base period wages.

Yeah that's probably it. Most of my tips were cash and you know how it is in restaurants...

That's why it's important to report all income, even cash tips. Helps your benefit amount later if you need unemployment.

I've been working full time for over a year so I should be fine on the hours requirement.

Yeah, full time for a year means you definitely meet the work requirements. You should qualify for benefits.

Thanks for the heads up! I haven't started the job search part yet since my claim just got approved. Is the WorkSource website the only place you can log job contacts?

You can use WorkSourceWA or keep your own log, but I'd recommend using their system so everything's documented properly.

Is that separate from the unemployment application or part of the same process?

It's separate but Washington ESD will tell you to do it when you file your claim. Just another step in the process.

That's encouraging! How long have you been collecting? Any issues with the weekly claims?

About 8 weeks now. Weekly claims are easy once you get used to it, just answer the same questions every week about your job search and any work you did.

Adjudication means they're reviewing something about your claim - could be verifying your employment, checking if you were fired vs laid off, or other eligibility issues. Can take 2-6 weeks unfortunately.

This is another situation where Claimyr really helps. You can talk to an actual Washington ESD adjudicator to find out exactly what's holding up your claim instead of just waiting and wondering.

You can work part time and still collect partial benefits. Washington ESD deducts 75% of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. So if you earn $200 in a week, they reduce your benefit by $150.

ok that actually sounds pretty good, like you still come out ahead by working

It's not meant to replace your full income though, just provide temporary assistance while you look for work.

Tell that to people who get laid off from high paying jobs. The maximum benefit cap means someone making $150k gets the same $999 as someone making $60k.

Good to know! I was wondering if I should apply online or call. Online it is.

Yeah definitely online. Have your employment history and wages ready, makes it go much smoother.

So there's automatically a one week delay before any payments start?

Exactly. Week 1 is the waiting week with no payment, week 2 is when you file your first payable weekly claim.

Where do I find my quarterly wage information? Is that on my pay stubs?

Your employer should have given you quarterly wage statements, or you can request them from Washington ESD. Your most recent tax return might have that info too.

Do they actually check that you're applying or is it just honor system?

They can audit your job search log anytime and if you can't prove you did the required contacts, they'll make you pay back benefits. So yeah, they check.

How common are overpayment notices? Should I be worried about getting one?

Not super common if you report everything correctly on your weekly claims. Just be honest about any work or income you have during the week you're claiming.

Thanks everyone for all the info! I'm going to apply online tonight and see what happens.

Good luck! And remember if you need to talk to Washington ESD about anything, Claimyr can help you actually get through to someone instead of waiting on hold forever.

Definitely planning to start job hunting immediately. 26 weeks goes by fast when you're paying rent and bills.

Can confirm - I'm on week 18 and starting to panic about finding something before benefits run out.

Good to know! So I don't need to worry about them changing the amount later?

Right, unless there's an error in the original calculation or you have some kind of overpayment issue.

Ugh I didn't know about the waiting week. That's going to be tight for me financially.

Yeah it sucks but it's just how the system works. The waiting week applies to everyone's first claim.

That's good advice, thank you. Hopefully I won't need it but good to know the resources are there.

The food bank in my area has been a lifesaver while my claim is stuck. Community support makes a huge difference.

Just tried Claimyr after seeing it mentioned here and holy cow it actually worked! Got connected to someone who explained my benefit calculation in detail.

Okay you've convinced me. Going to try it if I have any issues with my weekly claims.

Yeah someone mentioned that earlier. I'm planning to have them take out the taxes automatically.

Smart choice. I owed like $1,800 in taxes my first year because I didn't plan ahead.

Thanks for the formula! That's actually really helpful for planning purposes.

Yep that's the basic calculation. Washington ESD's system does it automatically but it's good to understand how they get the number.

This is super helpful, thanks for breaking down the calculation! I was wondering about the base period thing. So they don't just look at my most recent job but go back further? Also good to know about the waiting week - I'll need to plan for that since I'm already tight on cash after getting laid off.