How much does unemployment pay - Washington ESD benefit amounts explained

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount (WBA) based on your highest earning quarter from the past 15 months. They take that quarter's wages, divide by 26, then you get roughly 60-65% of that amount. So if you made $12,000 in your highest quarter, your WBA would be around $280-300 per week. Maximum weekly benefit in Washington is currently $999.

Ok that makes more sense. So it's not just a flat rate for everyone. Do you know if they automatically take taxes out or do I need to request that?

You can request 10% federal tax withholding when you file your weekly claims. It's optional but recommended since unemployment is taxable income.

just filed last month and getting $425/week. was making about $25/hour before i got laid off. the calculation seemed pretty accurate to what the other person said about 60% of wages

That's actually more than I expected! Did you have any issues with the application process?

nah pretty straightforward, just took a few weeks for them to process everything

The monetary determination letter will show exactly what your weekly benefit amount is once Washington ESD reviews your wage history. They look at all four quarters in your base period to calculate this. You should receive this letter within 1-2 weeks of filing your initial claim.

What if you haven't worked enough quarters? Like if you just started working last year?

You need sufficient wages in at least two quarters of your base period to qualify. If you don't meet the standard base period requirements, they may use an alternate base period that includes more recent work.

Been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my benefit calculation since my monetary determination seems wrong. The phone system is absolutely impossible - either busy signal or it hangs up on you after an hour wait. Anyone found a way to actually reach someone there?

I had the same problem until someone told me about Claimyr. It's this service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents automatically. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration.

Never heard of that but I'm willing to try anything at this point. The hold times are insane.

Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true honestly

UNEMPLOYMENT BARELY COVERS ANYTHING!!! I was making $4500/month and now getting like $380/week which is maybe $1500/month. How are we supposed to survive on that??

I understand the frustration, but unemployment is designed as temporary assistance, not full wage replacement. The goal is to bridge the gap while you find new employment.

easy for you to say when rent alone is $2000/month

Look into other assistance programs too - food assistance, utility help, etc. Every bit helps during unemployment.

For anyone wondering about the exact formula, Washington uses your two highest quarters from your base period. They add those together, divide by 2, then divide by 26 to get your weekly amount. There's also a minimum ($295) and maximum ($999) weekly benefit.

Wait, so they use the two highest quarters? The first person said just the highest quarter.

You're right to question that - I should clarify. They use the highest single quarter for the main calculation, but they also check if you have sufficient wages in a second quarter to qualify at all.

Correct - my explanation was simplified. The qualifying requirements involve multiple quarters but the benefit calculation is primarily based on your highest earning quarter.

Don't forget you also get an extra $25/week for each dependent child under 18. Not huge but every little bit helps when you're unemployed.

Really? I didn't know about the dependent allowance. Do you have to prove they're your dependents?

Yes, you'll need to provide documentation like birth certificates or tax returns showing you claim them as dependents.

been on unemployment twice and the amount was different each time even though i made similar wages. think it depends on exactly which quarters they use for your base period

That makes sense since your base period shifts depending on when you file. If you file in different parts of the year, they're looking at different 12-month periods.

yeah that's probably it. timing matters apparently

Used Claimyr last week to finally get through to Washington ESD about my benefit calculation. Turns out they were missing wages from one of my previous employers. Agent was able to add those wages and recalculate my weekly benefit - went from $290 to $445. Sometimes you really do need to talk to someone directly.

Wow, that's a huge difference! I'm definitely going to try that service. My calculation seems way too low for what I was earning.

How long did it take for them to get you connected?

About 15 minutes from when I submitted my request. Way better than the 2-3 hours I was spending on hold before.

Important to remember that unemployment benefits are taxable income at both federal and state level. You'll get a 1099-G form at the end of the year. Better to have taxes withheld rather than owing a big chunk at tax time.

I learned this the hard way last year. Owed like $800 in taxes because I didn't have anything withheld from my unemployment.

Exactly why I always recommend the 10% withholding option. It's not perfect but it helps reduce the tax bill later.

One thing to keep in mind - your weekly benefit amount stays the same for your entire benefit year, even if you find part-time work and report those earnings. They just deduct your part-time wages from your weekly benefit rather than recalculating the base amount.

Good point. Though if you earn more than your weekly benefit amount, you won't get any unemployment for that week, right?

Correct. If your gross earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you get $0 in unemployment for that week.

There's also the partial benefit formula if you earn less than your WBA. They deduct 75% of your gross earnings from your benefit amount.

My cousin tried getting through to Washington ESD about her benefit amount using some calling service - I think it was Claimyr? She said it worked great and she got connected within minutes instead of waiting hours. Might be worth looking into if you're having phone issues.

I'm always skeptical of third-party services but honestly the Washington ESD phone system is so broken I'm willing to try anything.

Same here. Called 47 times yesterday and never got through. This is ridiculous.

For what it's worth, I was making $22/hour at 40 hours per week and my Washington ESD weekly benefit came out to $456. Seems pretty consistent with the 60-65% calculation others mentioned.

That helps give me a realistic expectation. Sounds like I'd probably get somewhere in the $350-400 range based on my wages.

Yeah that sounds about right. The monetary determination letter will tell you the exact amount once you file.

Also remember you can collect unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks in Washington, though you need to keep filing weekly claims and meet all the requirements like job searching. The total dollar amount you can receive is also capped at 30% of your total base period wages.

What happens if you find a job before the 26 weeks are up? Do you lose the remaining benefits?

If you find full-time work, you stop filing claims and stop receiving benefits. You can't save them for later - it's use them or lose them during your benefit year.

just want to add that the calculation can be confusing and sometimes washington esd makes mistakes. if your benefit amount seems wrong definitely try to get through to them. i used claimyr after seeing it mentioned here and they fixed an error in my wage records that increased my weekly benefit by over $100

Good reminder that it's worth double-checking. These systems aren't perfect and wage reporting errors happen more often than people think.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. I feel much more prepared to file now and know what to expect for my benefit amount.