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

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from your base period to calculate benefits. They take that quarter's earnings and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit amount. The current maximum weekly benefit is $999 for 2025. With your income of $52k, you're probably looking at somewhere between $400-600 per week depending on how your earnings were distributed.

just got approved last week and mine came out to $487 weekly. I was making about $48k so sounds like you'll be in a similar range. the calculation seemed pretty straightforward once I understood it

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about your specific benefit calculation, I'd suggest checking out claimyr.com - they help people get connected to ESD agents when the phone lines are jammed. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really helped me when I couldn't get through for weeks to ask about my claim status.

The benefit amount also depends on whether you have any dependents. You can get an additional $25 per week for each dependent child under 18. Not a huge amount but every bit helps when you're unemployed.

UGH the whole system is so confusing!! I still don't understand how they calculate mine and I've been on unemployment for 2 months. My weekly amount is $312 but I have no idea how they got that number. The letter they sent didn't really explain it clearly.

One thing to keep in mind is that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld from your weekly payments or pay them at the end of the year. I learned this the hard way and ended up owing a chunk at tax time.

does anyone know if overtime hours affect the calculation? I worked a lot of overtime in my highest quarter and wondering if that pumps up the benefit amount

I'm curious about part-time work while collecting benefits. Can you work a few hours and still get some unemployment, or does any work disqualify you completely?

The maximum benefit duration is also important to consider. In Washington you can collect for up to 26 weeks in most cases. With your benefit amount, make sure you're budgeting for the possibility that it might take a while to find new employment.

Just remember you have to be actively looking for work and reporting your job search activities. Washington ESD requires you to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and keep records of your search efforts.

been there done that with unemployment calculations. one tip - if you worked multiple jobs or had irregular hours, double check that all your employers reported your wages correctly. I had one employer who screwed up their quarterly reporting and it took months to get it fixed

The whole thing is such a bureaucratic nightmare. I spent HOURS on the phone trying to get someone to explain my benefit calculation and mostly got hung up on or transferred to nowhere. The system is broken IMO.

Quick question - do bonuses count toward the quarterly wage calculation? I got a decent bonus last year and wondering if that affects my benefit amount.

For what it's worth, I think Washington's unemployment benefits are pretty decent compared to other states. The $999 maximum is higher than a lot of places, and the 26 weeks is standard duration.

make sure you file your weekly claims on time every week even if you haven't started receiving payments yet. Missing a week can mess up your whole claim and you might lose that week's benefits permanently

One more thing to consider - if you quit your job voluntarily or were fired for misconduct, you might not qualify for benefits at all. The reason for separation from your job really matters for eligibility.

has anyone had luck with the Washington ESD online calculator? I tried using it but couldn't figure out how to input my wage information correctly

Don't forget about the waiting week! Even though Washington eliminated it during COVID, I think they brought it back. So you might not get paid for your first week of unemployment.

my sister used claimyr last month when she couldn't get through to ask about her delayed payments. worked great and she got her issue resolved the same day. definitely worth checking out if you run into problems

Bottom line - with your $52k income you're probably looking at $450-550 per week for up to 26 weeks. Not bad as a safety net while you find your next job. Just make sure you understand all the requirements for maintaining eligibility.