How much does unemployment pay in Washington state - what's the actual amount?
I'm trying to figure out how much unemployment pay I can expect if I file a claim with Washington ESD. I've been working at a retail job making about $18/hour for the past year and might get laid off soon. Does anyone know what the weekly benefit amount would be? I've heard different numbers from people and the Washington ESD website is confusing. Also wondering if there are any taxes taken out automatically or if I need to handle that myself?
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Olivia Evans
Your weekly benefit amount depends on your earnings during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters). Washington calculates it as roughly 1/25th of your total base period earnings, but there's a minimum of $295 and maximum of $999 per week as of 2025. At $18/hour full-time you'd probably get somewhere around $600-700 weekly if you qualify.
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Daniel Price
•Thanks! That's actually higher than I expected. Do you know if they take taxes out automatically or do I need to request that?
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Olivia Evans
•You can choose to have 10% federal taxes withheld when you file your weekly claims, but Washington has no state income tax so you don't worry about that part.
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Sophia Bennett
the exact amount varies alot based on your work history. i got about $580/week when i was making similar to you but that was because i had some lower paying jobs earlier in my base period that brought down the average
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Daniel Price
•How long did it take for your first payment after you applied?
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Sophia Bennett
•took about 3 weeks but mine went to adjudication for a bit. if yours is straightforward should be faster
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Aiden Chen
Before you even worry about the amount, make sure you can actually reach Washington ESD to file your claim. I spent literally hours trying to get through on their phone system last month. The online system works better but if you run into any issues you're stuck trying to call them.
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Daniel Price
•Is the phone system really that bad? I figured I could just call if I had questions.
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Aiden Chen
•It's honestly terrible. I tried calling probably 50+ times over two weeks before I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a real person. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Zoey Bianchi
•Wait is that legit? Sounds kinda scammy to pay someone to make a phone call for you.
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Aiden Chen
•I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They don't ask for your personal info or anything, just call the Washington ESD number and get you connected when an agent picks up. Saved me so much frustration.
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Christopher Morgan
The benefit calculator on Washington ESD's website should give you a rough estimate if you can find it. But honestly their whole system is so outdated and confusing. The amounts also depend on if you have any dependents - you can get additional money for dependent children.
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Daniel Price
•No dependents for me. I'll try to find that calculator, thanks!
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Aurora St.Pierre
•Just remember the calculator is just an estimate. Your actual amount might be different once they review your complete work history.
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Grace Johnson
whatever you do dont quit your job voluntarily if you want unemployment. has to be layoff or firing for something thats not misconduct. learned that the hard way
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Daniel Price
•Yeah I know about that rule. My manager already said layoffs are probably coming in February so it wouldn't be voluntary.
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Grace Johnson
•good. just make sure you get something in writing about the layoff if possible
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Olivia Evans
One more thing - you'll need to do job search activities and report them when you file your weekly claims. It's 3 job search activities per week unless you're on standby with a specific return to work date. Keep good records of where you apply because they can audit your job search log.
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Daniel Price
•What counts as a job search activity? Just applying for jobs?
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Olivia Evans
•Applying for jobs, attending job fairs, networking events, informational interviews, some training programs. Check the Washington ESD website for the complete list.
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Jayden Reed
•They're pretty strict about the job search stuff now. My friend got disqualified for a few weeks because her job search activities weren't detailed enough.
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Nora Brooks
I think the max benefit went up this year but not sure of the exact amount. Also remember you can only collect for 26 weeks total in most cases, so don't count on it lasting forever.
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Daniel Price
•26 weeks should hopefully be enough time to find something new. That's about 6 months right?
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Nora Brooks
•Yeah exactly. Some people can get extensions in certain circumstances but don't count on it.
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Christopher Morgan
The waiting week thing is gone now too, so you should get paid for your first week of unemployment as long as your claim gets approved. That changed during COVID and they kept it.
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Eli Wang
•Thank god for that. The waiting week was such BS when people need money immediately after losing their job.
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Daniel Price
•Good to know! Every bit helps when you're out of work.
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Cassandra Moon
Just be prepared for potential delays if there are any issues with your claim. Mine took forever because of some adjudication thing and I couldn't get through to Washington ESD to figure out what was wrong.
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Daniel Price
•What kind of issues cause adjudication? Want to avoid that if possible.
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Cassandra Moon
•Could be anything - questions about why you left your job, wage discrepancies, identity verification. Sometimes it's random. I ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to finally talk to someone and get it resolved.
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Zane Hernandez
•Adjudication is the worst. Happened to me too and it took 6 weeks to resolve. The uncertainty is almost worse than not having the money.
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Genevieve Cavalier
Make sure you file as soon as you're laid off, don't wait. The claim starts from when you file, not when you lost your job. I made that mistake and lost out on a week of benefits.
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Daniel Price
•Good tip! I'll file the same day if the layoff happens.
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Genevieve Cavalier
•Yeah and make sure you file your weekly claims every week even if your initial claim is still processing. Missing a week can mess things up.
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Ethan Scott
the amount seems decent until you realize its still way less than your actual paycheck and everything costs more now. $600-700 doesnt go as far as it used to
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Daniel Price
•True, but it's better than nothing. Hopefully I won't need it for too long anyway.
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Lola Perez
•At least Washington doesn't tax unemployment benefits at the state level. Every bit helps.
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Nathaniel Stewart
You mentioned retail - make sure your employer reports your wages correctly to Washington ESD. I had an issue where my last employer messed up my wage reporting and it affected my benefit amount. Took months to get it fixed.
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Daniel Price
•How would I know if they reported it wrong?
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Nathaniel Stewart
•You can check your wage history online through your Washington ESD account once you file a claim. Compare it to your pay stubs to make sure everything matches.
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Olivia Evans
•This is really important. If your wages are underreported it directly reduces your weekly benefit amount. Don't assume employers always get it right.
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Riya Sharma
honestly the whole unemployment system is such a pain. between the job search requirements and the constant worry about doing something wrong that gets you disqualified, its almost like having a part time job just managing your claim
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Santiago Diaz
•I feel this so much. The stress of making sure you don't mess up the weekly claims is real.
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Daniel Price
•That does sound stressful. I'll definitely need to read up on all the requirements if I end up filing.
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Millie Long
For what it's worth, I think Washington's unemployment benefits are actually pretty decent compared to other states. The maximum here is higher than a lot of places and the fact that there's no state income tax helps too.
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Daniel Price
•That's reassuring. Hopefully I won't need to find out firsthand but good to know the safety net exists.
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KaiEsmeralda
•Yeah Washington ESD gets a lot of criticism but the benefit amounts are actually fair. It's just the customer service and phone system that sucks.
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Debra Bai
One last thing - if you do get laid off and file for unemployment, consider it an opportunity to maybe learn new skills or get training. WorkSourceWA has some decent programs that might help you find better paying work when you're ready.
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Daniel Price
•That's a good point. Maybe I could use the time to get some certifications or something.
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Debra Bai
•Exactly! Some training programs even count toward your job search requirements so you're killing two birds with one stone.
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Mei Chen
•Thanks for all this info everyone! This thread has been super helpful. I feel way more prepared now if the layoffs actually happen. Sounds like the benefits should be decent enough to get by while I look for something new, and maybe I can use the time to upskill like you mentioned. Hopefully I won't need to use any of this but at least I know what to expect now.
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