How much does unemployment pay in Washington - what should I expect?

Washington unemployment benefits are calculated based on your highest earning quarter from your base period. The maximum weekly benefit is currently $999 per week, but most people don't get the max. They take your highest quarter earnings, divide by 26, then you get about 3.85% of that amount weekly.

Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from your base period to calculate your weekly benefit amount. Your base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. The maximum weekly benefit amount in Washington is $999 per week as of 2025, but most people don't get the max. You can get an estimate by taking your highest quarter earnings and dividing by 26, but there are other factors too.

The formula is actually simpler than people make it sound. Washington ESD takes your two highest quarters from your base period, adds them together, divides by 26. That's your weekly benefit amount, up to the $999 maximum. So if your two highest quarters totaled $26,000, you'd get $1,000/week... but that's over the max so you'd get $999.

I was in the same boat last year, couldn't get through to Washington ESD on the phone to ask about my benefit amount. Spent literally hours trying to call them. Finally found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to an agent in like 10 minutes. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. The agent was able to explain exactly how they calculated my benefits.

The calculation is pretty complicated tbh. I tried to figure it out myself and got confused. There's like a formula where they take your two highest quarters and do some math with it. Plus you have to have worked enough hours and earned enough money to qualify in the first place. Best bet is just to apply and see what they tell you.

The whole system is confusing AF!! I filed 3 weeks ago and still don't know my benefit amount. My claim shows 'pending' and when I try to do the benefit calculator on their website it gives me error messages. This is ridiculous.

I was in a similar situation last year - part time work with inconsistent hours. I ended up getting $245 a week which was way more than I expected. The key thing is making sure you have enough qualifying wages in your base period. With your work history it sounds like you should qualify for something. Just make sure you can prove your wages with pay stubs or W-2s when you apply.

From what I understand, most people in Washington get between $200-800 per week depending on their previous earnings. The $999 max is only for people who were making really good money - like $65k+ annually.

Washington unemployment benefits are calculated using a pretty specific formula. They take your two highest earning quarters from your base period and use that to determine both your weekly benefit amount and your maximum benefit amount. The weekly amount is roughly 3.85% of your average quarterly wages, but there are minimums and maximums. The minimum weekly benefit is $295 and the maximum is $999 for 2025.

i got like $380 a week when i was on unemployment but that was because i had a pretty good job before. the amount really depends on how much you were making before you lost your job. if you were only working part time you might not get as much but its still worth applying

Don't forget you can only collect for 26 weeks max in Washington, and you have to meet the job search requirements every week. Make sure you're keeping track of your work search activities or they'll cut you off.

The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator tool that can give you an estimate before you apply. It's not 100% accurate but it gives you a ballpark figure. You'll need to know your quarterly wages for the past year and a half or so. Also remember that you can work part-time while on unemployment and still collect benefits as long as you report your earnings correctly.

I've been on unemployment twice in the past 5 years and the amounts were pretty different each time depending on my work history. First time I got $420/week, second time only $285/week because I had been working a lower paying job. The system looks at your earnings over 4 quarters so if you had any periods of higher income that will help your benefit amount.

Whatever you do, don't try to game the system or lie about your wages. Washington ESD will find out and you'll have to pay back any overpayments plus penalties. I've seen people get hit with huge bills because they weren't honest on their applications. Better to get a smaller legitimate amount than risk fraud charges.

Just a heads up - your first payment might be delayed even after you're approved. Mine took almost 4 weeks from filing to actually getting money in my account. Plan accordingly.

The benefit amounts in Washington are actually pretty decent compared to other states. Plus you can collect for up to 26 weeks in most cases, longer if there are extended benefits available. Even if you only qualify for $250 a week, that's $6,500 over 26 weeks which is nothing to sneeze at when you're between jobs.

The benefit amount really depends on when you worked too. They use a 'base period' which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. So if you filed in January 2025, they'd look at your wages from April 2023 through March 2024.

I was skeptical about applying because I thought my part-time wages wouldn't qualify me for much, but I ended up getting $315 a week which was more than I was making at my part-time job! The application process was pretty straightforward once I got started. Just make sure you have all your employment information ready.

One thing to keep in mind is that it can take a few weeks to get your first payment after you apply. Make sure you have enough money to cover your expenses during that waiting period. Also, you have to file a weekly claim every week to keep getting benefits, even if you haven't found work yet.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD by phone to ask questions about your benefit amount or claim status, I had good luck with Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get connected to actual ESD representatives without sitting on hold forever. Really saved me a lot of frustration when I needed to talk to someone about my claim.

I tried using that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier and it actually worked. Got through to Washington ESD in about 15 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hours of busy signals. The agent confirmed my weekly benefit amount and explained why it was calculated that way. Definitely worth it if you're stuck.

For what it's worth, I was making $4,500/month and my weekly benefit came out to $847. So your estimate of $600-700 for $4,200/month sounds reasonable.

Make sure you file for the waiting week too even though you won't get paid for it. I didn't know about that and it delayed my whole claim by a week.

Pro tip: sign up for direct deposit if you can. The debit cards they send are unreliable and have fees. Direct deposit is faster and free.

Don't stress too much about the exact amount until you actually file and get your determination letter. The online calculators are just estimates and often wrong anyway.

One thing nobody mentioned - if you have any severance pay or vacation payout, that might affect when your benefits start. Washington ESD considers that wages even if you're not actually working.

The frustrating thing is that even after you know your benefit amount, you still have to certify every week and they can deny individual weeks for random reasons. I've had weeks denied because I 'didn't look for work enough' even though I applied to 5 jobs.

Bottom line: expect somewhere between $400-800/week based on your previous income, but don't count on getting it immediately. File as soon as possible and be prepared to wait.

Bottom line is you won't know exactly how much you'll get until you apply and they process your claim. The estimates are helpful but the actual calculation involves a lot of factors. Given your work history it sounds like you should qualify for something decent. Don't let uncertainty stop you from applying - worst case scenario they say no and you're in the same position you are now.