How much does unemployment pay in Washington State - current benefit amounts?

That's actually higher than I expected! So it's based on my best quarter, not my annual salary?

Exactly. They look at your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters) and use your highest earning quarter to calculate your weekly benefit amount.

6 weeks?? That's crazy long. Did you have to do anything special or just wait it out?

mostly just waited but i did use claimyr.com to actually get through to someone at esd. worth every penny cause i was going nuts not knowing what was happening

Wait, unemployment is taxable?? Nobody told me that when I filed!

Yes, federally taxable. You can have taxes withheld automatically or pay quarterly. Many people get surprised at tax time if they don't plan for it.

This is why I always tell people to have 10% withheld automatically. Learned that lesson the hard way in 2023.

That's awful! Have you tried reaching out to your state representative or something?

Had a similar issue and finally got it resolved using Claimyr to get through to the right department. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Got connected to someone who could actually fix the payment calculation within a week.

Never heard of that but I'm desperate at this point. Thanks for the tip.

Good point. Is there a minimum salary requirement for the jobs you apply to?

Generally they expect you to look for work at 80% of your previous wage for the first few weeks, then it can go lower. But check with WorkSource for your specific situation.

That does seem low for your income level. Did you work the full year or have any gaps? Sometimes part-time work or seasonal employment affects the calculation.

i had like 2 months unemployed earlier in the year, maybe that messed it up?

Those gaps definitely affect your base period earnings. You might want to contact Washington ESD to review your calculation - sometimes they can use an alternate base period if it results in higher benefits.

26 weeks seems like it would go by fast if you're having trouble finding work in your field.

Tell me about it. I'm 23 weeks in and getting nervous. The job market is tough right now even with all these "help wanted" signs everywhere.

What's the threshold for part-time work? Like how much can you make before they cut off benefits completely?

It varies by your benefit amount, but generally if you make more than 1.5 times your weekly benefit, you get nothing that week. Less than that and they reduce your payment proportionally.

How much does that cost? I'm already stressed about money so paying for phone help seems weird.

I was skeptical too but honestly it was worth it to finally talk to someone who could help. Way better than spending hours on hold getting nowhere.

That's interesting. How do you know if you qualify for standby status?

Your employer has to indicate on your separation notice that it's a temporary layoff with expected return date. You can't just declare yourself on standby.

You're absolutely right. Overtime and bonuses in your base period can significantly increase your weekly benefit amount since they use gross wages.

That explains why my friend got way more than me even though we made about the same! She had a bunch of overtime in her calculation period.

Good to know Washington is better than average. Makes me feel a bit better about the whole situation.

Yeah definitely file immediately. I waited a week thinking I might get called back and it just delayed everything. Even if you're not sure, file the claim.

How long did the appeal take? I think mine might be wrong too but don't want to rock the boat if it takes forever.

Mine took about 6 weeks but I got backpay for the difference once it was approved. Worth it if you think there's an error.

Yes, there is a one-week waiting period in Washington before you start receiving benefits. So if you file your initial claim on week 1, you won't get paid for that first week, but you'll start receiving payments for week 2 onwards (assuming your claim is approved). The waiting week is unpaid and you can't get backpay for it later. Just make sure you still file your weekly claims during that waiting period to keep everything on track!

Glad this thread was helpful! One thing I'd add is to keep all your pay stubs and employment records organized before you file, just in case there are any discrepancies with what ESD has on file from your employers. I had a situation where one of my previous employers reported my wages incorrectly and having my own documentation made the correction process much smoother. Also, if you do end up filing, don't stress too much about the initial calculation - you can always request a redetermination if something looks off. The system isn't perfect but Washington generally does right by people once you get through to the right person.

That's really smart advice about filing on Sunday/Monday! I never would have thought about the timing affecting when benefits start. The tip about screenshotting confirmation numbers is gold too - I've had issues with other government websites where things just disappeared. Quick question though - when you say "start the week off right," does that mean the benefit week runs Sunday to Saturday? I want to make sure I understand the timing correctly if I do end up needing to file.