How much does unemployment pay in Washington - what to expect from weekly benefits?

Thanks! $485 would actually help a lot with my rent and bills while I'm job hunting. Do I need to provide pay stubs or will Washington ESD verify my wages automatically?

Washington ESD gets your wage info directly from employers through quarterly reports, so you usually don't need pay stubs unless there's an issue with verification.

Ugh same here! Been waiting for my adjudication to clear for over a month. I keep calling the Washington ESD number but can never get through.

If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD by phone, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

Interesting, I'll check that out. At this point I'm desperate to talk to someone about my claim status.

Oh wow, I didn't know it went back that far. My previous job before this one paid way less, so that might affect my benefit amount.

Exactly. That's why some people are surprised when their weekly benefit amount is lower than they calculated based on their most recent job.

wait what?? i thought it was based on your last job. this is confusing

Good point, I forgot about the job search requirement. Is it hard to find 3 legitimate job opportunities to apply for each week?

Not really if you're actually looking for work. You can count applications, networking contacts, job fairs, even some training activities. Just keep good records.

That's helpful context, thanks! Did your first payment come pretty quickly or did you have delays?

I got lucky and my claim was approved within a week. No adjudication issues since my layoff was straightforward. Payments started about 10 days after filing.

You're so lucky! I wish mine had gone that smoothly.

Great to hear it worked for you! That's exactly the kind of issue that can drag on for weeks if you can't reach someone to explain what's needed.

Good to know there's a way to actually talk to someone when problems come up. I'll keep that in mind if I run into issues.

I'll look for that calculator, thanks. Better to have realistic expectations going in.

Yeah someone mentioned the 10% withholding option earlier. I'll probably do that to avoid a big tax bill later.

Smart move. You can change your withholding election anytime during your claim period if needed.

Good to know it adjusts annually. $999 max seems pretty reasonable for Washington's cost of living.

That's encouraging to hear. I was worried about horror stories from the pandemic era.

Maybe for some people but my experience hasn't been smooth at all. Still waiting on my claim approval.

Sorry to hear that. Adjudication issues definitely still cause delays for some people unfortunately.

That sounds manageable. I was imagining something more complicated.

Noted. I'll be extra careful about accuracy when filling out the weekly certifications.

Yeah just be honest about any work or income. It's better to report everything and potentially get reduced benefits than to face an overpayment later.

Yes that was gross. Net was more like $3100 after taxes and insurance. Thanks for the clarification.

Seems like a few people have had good experiences with that service. I'll keep it as a backup option.

Perfect, that takes some pressure off. I was stressing about getting the calculation wrong.

Sorry about the layoff but good to hear the payments are reliable once everything is set up.

yeah it definitely helps with stability while job hunting. just make sure to keep detailed records of your job search activities

Thanks for all the helpful info everyone! I feel much more confident about filing now. Sounds like $485/week would definitely help while I look for a new job.

Glad we could help! The process isn't as scary as it seems once you understand the basics.

Oh I didn't know about the waiting week. Good thing I have a little savings to cover that first week gap.