How much does unemployment pay a week in Washington state?
I'm thinking about filing for unemployment benefits but want to know what to expect financially. Does anyone know how much Washington ESD pays per week? I was making about $950 a week at my last job and wondering if there's a formula they use or if it's a flat rate. Also heard there might be taxes taken out automatically?
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Zara Malik
Washington unemployment benefits are calculated as roughly 50% of your average weekly wage from your highest earning quarter in your base period. Maximum weekly benefit amount is $999 in 2025. So if you were making $950/week consistently, you'd likely get close to the max since it caps out there.
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Sean Kelly
•That's actually better than I expected! Do they take taxes out or do I need to handle that myself?
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Zara Malik
•You can elect to have 10% federal tax withheld when you file your weekly claims. Washington has no state income tax so that's not a concern.
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Luca Greco
just got approved last month, they calculate it weird though. they look at all 4 quarters in your base period and use the highest one to determine your weekly benefit amount. mine came out to $743/week
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Sean Kelly
•How long did it take to get your first payment after approval?
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Luca Greco
•about a week after my claim was approved, but the waiting period was like 3 weeks for the actual approval
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Nia Thompson
The formula is: (highest quarter wages ÷ 13) ÷ 2 = weekly benefit amount. But there's also a minimum of $295 and maximum of $999 for 2025. You'll also get an extra $25/week for each dependent child under 18.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•Wait really about the dependent children? I have two kids under 18 and didn't know about that extra money!
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Nia Thompson
•Yes! Make sure to report your dependents when you file your initial claim. It's an additional $25 per child per week.
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Sean Kelly
•Good to know about the formula. Sounds like I'd qualify for something in the $475 range based on my wages.
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Aisha Hussain
If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about your benefit calculation, I recently discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get connected to actual ESD agents without sitting on hold for hours. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really helped me get answers about my claim status.
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GalacticGladiator
•How much did that cost? I've been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks about my benefit amount calculation.
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Aisha Hussain
•They don't publish pricing upfront but it was worth it for me to actually talk to someone at ESD instead of getting hung up on constantly.
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Sean Kelly
•Might be worth looking into if I run into issues with my claim. The phone system sounds awful from what I've heard.
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Ethan Brown
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! They tell you one thing about how much you'll get and then it's totally different when you actually file. Plus they make you jump through hoops with job searches just to get your measly check.
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Yuki Yamamoto
•what do you mean about job searches? I thought you just had to be looking for work
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Ethan Brown
•You have to do 3 job search activities per week and log them all in WorkSourceWA. Pain in the ass but they'll cut off your benefits if you don't do it.
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Sean Kelly
•Good to know about the job search requirements. I'll need to set up that WorkSource account then.
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Carmen Ruiz
Don't forget you can work part-time and still get partial benefits! If you earn less than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you can still collect something. They just reduce your benefit by the amount you earned minus $5.
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Sean Kelly
•That's actually really helpful since I might be able to pick up some freelance work. So if my benefit is $475 and I earn $200 that week, I'd still get $280 in unemployment?
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Carmen Ruiz
•Exactly! $475 - ($200 - $5) = $280. Just make sure to report all earnings when you file your weekly claim.
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Andre Lefebvre
been collecting for 8 weeks now, getting $891/week. the payments come through direct deposit usually on tuesday if you file your weekly claim on sunday. pretty reliable once you get in the system
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Sean Kelly
•That's good to hear about the timing. Do you file online or by phone?
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Andre Lefebvre
•online through the washington esd website. way easier than calling, the phone system is a nightmare
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Zoe Dimitriou
•agreed, online is the way to go. just make sure you file every single week even if there's an issue with your claim
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QuantumQuest
One thing to watch out for - if you have any pension or retirement income, they might reduce your weekly benefit amount. Found that out the hard way when my payments were lower than expected.
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Sean Kelly
•I don't have any pension stuff so should be good there. Thanks for the heads up though.
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QuantumQuest
•Also vacation pay or severance can affect your benefits depending on when you receive it. Make sure to report everything honestly.
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Jamal Anderson
my cousin was getting like $450/week but then got a job and didn't stop filing claims right away. washington esd made him pay back like $1800 in overpayments! make sure you stop filing as soon as you go back to work
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Mei Zhang
•That's scary! How do they find out if you don't report working?
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Jamal Anderson
•they cross reference with employer wage reports. you will get caught eventually and have to pay it all back plus penalties
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Sean Kelly
•Definitely will be careful about that. Don't need to deal with overpayment issues on top of everything else.
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Liam McGuire
I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for two weeks to ask about my benefit calculation - they said I'd get $623 but my first payment was only $498. Using one of those callback services like Claimyr might be worth it at this point since I can't get anyone on the phone.
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Amara Eze
•That's a big difference! Could be they're withholding taxes or something else. Definitely worth getting clarification.
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Liam McGuire
•I didn't elect tax withholding so it should be the full amount. Really frustrating not being able to talk to anyone about it.
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Giovanni Ricci
For what it's worth, I used Claimyr last month when my claim got stuck in adjudication and they helped me actually reach someone at Washington ESD who could explain what was happening. Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and pay for help when the free options aren't working.
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Sean Kelly
•How long were you stuck in adjudication before using them?
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Giovanni Ricci
•About 5 weeks with no movement on my claim. Within a day of using Claimyr I was talking to an ESD rep who cleared up the issue.
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NeonNomad
•5 weeks?? That's insane. I'm only on week 2 of adjudication but already getting stressed about bills.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
just remember you can collect benefits for up to 26 weeks in washington (more if there are extended benefits available). so even at $475/week that's over $12,000 total if you need the full duration
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Sean Kelly
•Hopefully I won't need anywhere near that long but good to know it's there if needed. Thanks for all the info everyone!
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Dylan Mitchell
•yeah hopefully the job market picks up soon. took me 4 months to find something decent after my layoff
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Sofia Martinez
One more tip - set up direct deposit right away when you file your claim. Paper checks take forever and can get lost in the mail. Direct deposit is usually 1-2 days faster too.
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Sean Kelly
•Will definitely do direct deposit. Every day counts when you're not working.
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Dmitry Volkov
•absolutely, and make sure your bank info is correct because fixing that later is a pain
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