How much does unemployment pay in Washington - weekly benefit amount confused
I'm trying to figure out how much does unemployment pay here in Washington state before I file my claim. I lost my job two weeks ago and really need to know what to expect for weekly benefits. I was making about $4,200 a month at my previous job in retail management. Does anyone know the current weekly benefit amounts for 2025? I've heard different numbers from people and the Washington ESD website is confusing me with all the calculations.
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Quinn Herbert
The weekly benefit amount depends on your earnings during your base period. Washington ESD uses your highest quarter earnings to calculate it. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $999 but most people get somewhere between $300-700 depending on their previous wages.
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Shelby Bauman
•Thanks! So with my monthly income around $4200, what do you think I'd qualify for roughly?
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Quinn Herbert
•Hard to say exactly without knowing your full work history, but you'd probably be in the higher range. Washington ESD looks at your best quarter over the past 18 months.
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Salim Nasir
i think its like 60% of your average weekly wage or something like that. but there's a cap so high earners don't get their full percentage
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Hazel Garcia
•It's actually more complicated than that. The formula uses your two highest quarters and divides by 52, then takes a percentage. Not just 60% straight up.
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Salim Nasir
•oh ok i wasn't sure about the exact calculation
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Laila Fury
You can use the Washington ESD benefit calculator on their website to get an estimate. But honestly, if you're having trouble getting through to them for questions, I found this service called Claimyr that helps people reach Washington ESD agents by phone. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Really helped me when I couldn't get through on my own.
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Geoff Richards
•Never heard of that before. Does it actually work for getting through to Washington ESD?
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Laila Fury
•Yeah it worked for me. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. They handle the calling for you.
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Shelby Bauman
•I'll check that out if I have issues with my claim. Right now just trying to understand the benefit amounts first.
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Simon White
For 2025, the weekly benefit calculation is: (sum of wages in your two highest earning quarters) / 52 weeks. Then you get roughly 3.85% of that amount, but it's capped at $999 per week maximum. The minimum is $295 per week.
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Shelby Bauman
•This is super helpful! So if I made around $50k last year, I should be able to calculate this myself?
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Simon White
•Yes, but remember Washington ESD uses specific quarters, not just your annual salary. Your base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file.
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Hugo Kass
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PEOPLE! Why can't they just tell you upfront what you'll get instead of these complicated formulas?? I spent weeks trying to figure out my benefit amount.
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Nasira Ibanez
•I feel you on that. The Washington ESD system is not user-friendly at all.
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Quinn Herbert
•The complexity comes from trying to make it fair for people with different work patterns - seasonal workers, part-time, etc. But yeah, it's confusing.
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Hazel Garcia
Just filed my claim last month and got approved for $743 weekly. I was making about $65k annually as a software tester. The calculation ended up being pretty close to what the online calculator estimated.
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Shelby Bauman
•That's encouraging! How long did it take from filing to getting your first payment?
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Hazel Garcia
•About 3 weeks total. Had to do the job search requirements and wait for the adjudication to clear, but no major issues.
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Khalil Urso
•You're lucky it was only 3 weeks. Mine took 6 weeks because of some identity verification issue.
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Myles Regis
Don't forget you can get up to 26 weeks of benefits normally, and you have to file weekly claims to keep getting paid. Also need to do job search activities - think it's 3 per week now.
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Shelby Bauman
•Good to know about the job search requirement. Do they check those activities?
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Myles Regis
•They can audit your job search log, so keep good records. I use the WorkSource website to track everything.
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Brian Downey
wait is the max really $999 now? i thought it was lower than that
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Simon White
•Yes, they increased it for 2025. It was $929 in 2024, so there was a cost of living adjustment.
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Brian Downey
•ok good to know thanks
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Jacinda Yu
Something to consider - unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld from your weekly payments or pay when you file your return. I learned this the hard way my first time claiming.
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Shelby Bauman
•Oh wow, I didn't think about taxes. Thanks for mentioning that!
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Landon Flounder
•Yeah definitely have them withhold 10% if you can afford the smaller weekly amount. Better than owing at tax time.
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Callum Savage
I had trouble understanding my benefit amount calculation too. Ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to actually talk to a Washington ESD agent who explained it to me. Way easier than trying to decode their website.
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Ally Tailer
•How much does that service cost? Seems like something Washington ESD should provide for free.
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Callum Savage
•I agree it should be free, but when you need answers and can't get through, it's worth it. They don't charge until they actually connect you to an agent.
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Aliyah Debovski
For what it's worth, I calculated my benefit amount ahead of time and it was pretty accurate. Made $45k last year, got approved for $587 weekly. Close to what the calculator estimated.
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Shelby Bauman
•That helps me get a sense of the range. Sounds like the calculators are fairly reliable.
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Miranda Singer
•The calculator is decent but it can't account for every situation. Still worth using for an estimate though.
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Cass Green
Just remember that your weekly benefit amount stays the same throughout your benefit year, even if you had earnings from part-time work that got you the higher base period wages. This tripped me up initially.
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Shelby Bauman
•Good point. So once they calculate it, that's what I get each week assuming I'm eligible?
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Cass Green
•Exactly. And if you work part-time while claiming, they'll reduce your benefit by a certain amount depending on how much you earn that week.
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Finley Garrett
Does anyone know if overtime wages count differently in the calculation? I had a lot of OT in my last job.
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Simon White
•Overtime counts the same as regular wages. Washington ESD just looks at your total gross wages per quarter, doesn't matter if it's regular time or overtime.
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Madison Tipne
•That's good news for people who worked a lot of OT. Increases their base period wages.
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Holly Lascelles
I'm still waiting for my benefit amount determination. Filed 2 weeks ago and it's still in adjudication. Getting anxious about when I'll actually know what I'm getting.
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Laila Fury
•If you need to check on your adjudication status, that's exactly when services like Claimyr are helpful. You can actually talk to someone instead of guessing what's happening with your claim.
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Holly Lascelles
•I might try that if it takes much longer. This waiting is stressful when you have bills to pay.
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Malia Ponder
For anyone doing the math at home, remember that Washington ESD looks at gross wages, not net. So use your pre-tax income when estimating your benefits.
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Shelby Bauman
•Thanks for clarifying that. I was wondering if they used gross or net wages.
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Kyle Wallace
The benefit year runs for 52 weeks from when you first file, but you only get 26 weeks of payments maximum (unless there are extensions). Important to understand that distinction.
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Ryder Ross
•Right, and if you find work and stop claiming, you can't come back later in that benefit year and get a higher amount.
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Shelby Bauman
•Good to know. So I should make sure I really understand my benefit amount before I start claiming.
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Gianni Serpent
honestly the whole thing seems designed to be confusing on purpose. like they don't want people to know what they're entitled to
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Henry Delgado
•I don't think it's intentional, just bureaucratic complexity. But the result is the same - lots of confusion.
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Olivia Kay
Bottom line for OP: with your income level, you'll probably get somewhere in the $600-800 range weekly, but use the official calculator and file your claim to get the exact amount. Don't let the complexity stop you from filing if you're eligible.
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Shelby Bauman
•Thank you everyone for all the help! I feel much more confident about filing my claim now. Really appreciate all the detailed responses.
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Joshua Hellan
•Good luck with your claim! The process gets easier once you understand it.
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Jibriel Kohn
One last tip - make sure all your employer information is accurate when you file. Mistakes there can delay your benefit determination and payment.
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Shelby Bauman
•Will definitely double-check all my employer details. Thanks for that reminder.
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