How much does unemployment pay in Washington state - confused about weekly benefit amounts

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest earning quarter from your base period, which is the first four of the last five completed quarters before you file. They divide that quarter by 26 to get your weekly amount. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $999, and you need to have earned at least $7,000 in your base period to qualify.

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest earning quarter from your base period. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $999 and minimum is $295. Your benefit is roughly 3.85% of your total base period wages divided by 52 weeks, but there's also a complicated formula involving your two highest quarters.

Washington unemployment benefits are calculated using your base period wages, which is typically the first four of the last five completed quarters before you filed. They take your highest earning quarter and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit amount. Maximum is currently $999 per week in Washington.

just filed last month and getting $621 a week, was making about 5k monthly before. the calculation is pretty straightforward once you know your base period earnings

Thanks! So if my highest quarter was around $13,500, that would be about $519 per week? That's actually better than I expected.

If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD by phone to verify your benefit calculation, I discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have this system that calls for you and connects you when someone picks up. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really saved me hours of trying to call myself.

IMPORTANT: Your weekly benefit amount also depends on having enough wage credits in your base period. You need wages in at least two quarters of your base period to qualify. The formula is your highest quarter earnings divided by 26, but there's also a minimum weekly benefit of $295 for 2025.

been on unemployment twice in the past 5 years and the system is so confusing about benefits. first time i got $445 weekly, second time $523 even though i was making more the second time around. depends on when you file and what quarters they use for your base period

i think its like 60% of what you made but theres a cap. my friend got like $650 a week but she was making decent money at her office job

That sounds about right, but Washington ESD will send you a monetary determination letter with your exact weekly benefit amount once they process your claim.

Don't forget you can also request an alternate base period if your regular base period doesn't give you enough wages to qualify. Sometimes using the more recent four quarters helps people get higher benefits or qualify when they wouldn't otherwise.

THE WASHINGTON ESD SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! I've been trying to get my benefit amount clarified for weeks and can't get through to anyone. My online account shows one amount but my determination letter shows something different. This is ridiculous!

The Washington ESD benefit calculator on their website will give you an estimate, but you won't know for sure until your monetary determination is issued after filing. Since you worked part-time recently, make sure all your quarters have enough wages to qualify - you need at least $7,000 in your base period total.

i think its like 60% of your average weekly wage or something like that but theres a cap

For anyone wondering about taxes, remember that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have federal taxes withheld (10%) but Washington state doesn't have income tax so no state withholding. Just something to keep in mind when budgeting your benefits.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask this same question about my benefit amount! Their phone lines are impossible. Has anyone actually managed to talk to someone there recently?

The benefit amount depends on SO many factors. I made $45K last year and only get $520/week because of how my quarters were distributed. Meanwhile my coworker made less overall but gets more because her earnings were concentrated in fewer quarters.

anybody know if overtime hours count toward your base period wages? I worked a ton of OT last year and wondering if that boosts my weekly benefit calculation

Quick question - is the $999 maximum per week before or after taxes? Also does that include any dependents allowance?

DONT EXPECT MUCH. I was making $22/hr full time and my UI benefits are only like $580 a week. Barely covers my rent let alone everything else. The system is broken.

It's not quite 60%. Washington uses a different formula - they take your highest earning quarter in your base period and divide by 26 weeks. Then there's a minimum of $295 and maximum of $999 per week as of 2025.

I qualified for the maximum benefit and it's definitely helping while I job search. Keep in mind you can receive up to 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits, potentially more during high unemployment periods.

pro tip: keep track of all your job search activities because Washington ESD requires 3 work search activities per week to keep getting benefits. they can audit you anytime

My benefit amount seemed low so I called to ask about it, but after being on hold for 2 hours I gave up. Tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned and actually got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. Turns out there was an error in my wage calculation that they fixed.

remember that if you work part time while collecting unemployment, your benefits get reduced. they have a formula for that too but it's complicated

Just wanted to add that if you disagree with your benefit determination, you have the right to appeal within 30 days. Sometimes there are errors in the wage records that affect your benefit calculation.

oh ok i was thinking of a different state probably

For anyone wondering about the math - Washington's formula is: (High quarter wages + 1/2 of second high quarter wages) ÷ 25 = weekly benefit amount. But it can't exceed the maximum or be less than the minimum I mentioned earlier.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for two weeks to ask about my benefit calculation because my monetary determination seems wrong. The phone system is absolutely impossible - I've called hundreds of times and either get a busy signal or get hung up on after waiting for hours. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there?

thanks everyone for all the info! this thread has been super helpful in understanding how washington unemployment benefits work. feels less overwhelming now

Just remember you'll also need to report any part-time work earnings when you file your weekly claims. They'll reduce your benefits dollar for dollar after you earn more than your weekly benefit amount.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. You put in your info and they call you back when they get an agent on the line. Saved me so much time and frustration. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Interesting, I've never heard of that. Is it legit? I'm getting desperate here because I think my base period calculation is off by a whole quarter.

Yeah it's totally legit. I was skeptical too but it actually worked. Got connected to an agent within a few hours instead of spending days trying to call myself.

The Washington ESD system is so confusing! I thought unemployment was supposed to replace most of your income but my weekly benefit is only like 45% of what I was making. Is this normal?

Yes, that's normal. Unemployment benefits aren't designed to fully replace your income - they're meant to provide temporary assistance while you search for new work. Most states pay between 40-50% of your previous wages.

That's really rough. I guess I need to adjust my budget more than I thought.

For what it's worth, Washington has one of the higher maximum benefit amounts in the country. Some states cap benefits at like $400-500 per week. The $999 max here is actually pretty decent, especially if you were making good money before.

That's good to know. I was worried it would be way less than what I need to cover rent and everything.

Just remember you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits too. Washington doesn't tax them but the feds do, so set aside some money for tax time.

Does anyone know if part-time work affects your weekly benefit amount? I might be able to pick up some freelance work while I'm looking for a full-time job.

Yes, part-time earnings will reduce your weekly benefit. In Washington, they subtract your gross earnings from your weekly benefit amount, but you get to keep the first $5 plus 50% of the remainder. So some part-time work can actually increase your total weekly income.

That's helpful to know. So if I made $200 in freelance work and my benefit is $400, I'd get $5 + 50% of $195 = about $102 deducted, so I'd still get $298 in benefits plus the $200 I earned?

Exactly! So you'd have $498 total that week instead of just the $400 benefit. Just make sure to report all earnings when you file your weekly claim.

I'm still confused about the base period thing. When I filed my claim in January 2025, which quarters do they look at?

For a claim filed in January 2025, your base period would typically be April 2023 through March 2024. But if you don't have enough wages in that period, they might use an alternate base period of July 2023 through June 2024.

Oh wow, that's way further back than I thought. I changed jobs in late 2024 so that explains why my calculation seemed off.

The whole system is designed to screw us over. They make it impossible to get through on the phone, the website crashes constantly, and then they calculate benefits based on wages from over a year ago. It's ridiculous!

I get the frustration but the base period system actually makes sense - they need time to verify wages with employers and it provides a stable calculation period. The phone issues are definitely a problem though.

Maybe, but when you're struggling to pay bills, waiting weeks for benefits based on old wages feels pretty unfair.

Has anyone tried using that Claimyr service mentioned earlier? I'm curious if it's worth it because I've been trying to reach Washington ESD about my benefit calculation for over a month now.

I used it last month when I had issues with my adjudication. Honestly it was a lifesaver - I got through to an actual person at Washington ESD within a few hours instead of spending weeks trying to call. The agent was able to explain my benefit calculation and fix an error in my base period wages.

That sounds exactly like what I need. Did you have to pay upfront or anything?

They handle all the payment stuff after they connect you. I was just relieved to finally talk to someone who could help instead of getting hung up on constantly.

Quick question - do you get benefits for the first week you're unemployed or is there a waiting period?

In Washington, there's no waiting week anymore. You can receive benefits for the first week you're unemployed as long as you meet all the eligibility requirements and file your weekly claim.

Great, that's one less thing to worry about. Thanks!

The benefit calculation gets more complicated if you have irregular income or multiple jobs. I had three part-time jobs and Washington ESD had to sort through all my different employers to figure out my base period wages.

How long did that take? I'm in a similar situation with multiple employers.

About 3 weeks for them to get all the wage information and send my monetary determination. Just make sure you list ALL your employers on your initial application, even the small ones.

The benefit amount is just one piece though. You also have to meet the job search requirements - 3 job contacts per week unless you're on standby. And the benefits only last 26 weeks maximum in most cases.

Pro tip: if you worked in multiple states, make sure Washington ESD gets wage info from all of them. I almost had my benefit amount calculated wrong because they didn't have my out-of-state wages initially.

Been dealing with this same question and finally got through to Washington ESD using one of those callback services. The rep confirmed that for 2025, max is $999/week and they use your two highest quarters to calculate. Took forever to get someone on the phone though.

remember that unemployment benefits are taxable income so you might want to have them withhold taxes or set money aside for tax season. learned that the hard way last year!

The calculation seems right but just be prepared for potential delays in getting your monetary determination. Mine took 3 weeks to process even though I had straightforward employment history.

One thing people don't mention enough - if you have any separation issues like being terminated or quitting, that can affect not just whether you get benefits but also the amount. Washington ESD will investigate and it can delay everything.

Honestly the whole Washington ESD system is confusing. I just filed and figured I'd find out the benefit amount when they tell me. As long as it's something decent I'll be happy.

For what it's worth, the Washington ESD website does have a benefit estimator tool, but it's pretty basic. Gives you a rough idea though if you have your wage info handy.

Based on your $4,200 monthly income, you should be looking at a pretty decent weekly benefit amount. If that translates to around $12,600 in your highest quarter, you'd be getting roughly $484-500 per week using Washington's formula. That's actually not too bad compared to what some other states offer. Just make sure you file as soon as you're laid off since there can be delays in processing, and don't forget about the tax implications - you might want to have them withhold 10% for federal taxes to avoid a surprise bill later.