How much is an unemployment check from Washington ESD - confused about benefit amounts

Thanks! How do I find out what my highest quarter was? Is that information in my SecureAccess Washington account somewhere?

Yes, once you file your initial claim, Washington ESD will send you a monetary determination letter showing your base period wages and weekly benefit amount.

That's actually higher than I expected! Do they take taxes out automatically or do I need to request that?

You can choose to have 10% federal tax withheld when you file your weekly claims. I'd recommend it to avoid a big tax bill later.

I had the same problem until I found Claimyr. It's a service that calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. Check out claimyr.com - 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. I'm desperate at this point because I think they miscalculated my benefits and I need to get it corrected.

I used Claimyr too when my claim got stuck in adjudication. They got me through to someone at Washington ESD in like 20 minutes instead of me spending all day calling.

What's standby status? I haven't heard of that before.

Standby is when you're temporarily laid off but expect to return to your job within a certain timeframe. The job search requirements are different and sometimes the benefit calculation can vary.

Washington ESD gets wage information directly from employers' quarterly reports. If there's a discrepancy, your employer might have reported incorrect wages or you might be thinking of gross vs net wages.

That makes sense. I was probably thinking of my take-home pay instead of gross wages.

Good point! What's the limit for part-time earnings before it affects your unemployment benefits?

You can usually earn up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 before it starts reducing your UI payment. So if you get $300/week in benefits, you could earn up to $295 without any reduction.

Actually, I think the calculation is more complex than that. They subtract your earnings from your weekly benefit amount after the first $5. So if you earn $100 and your benefit is $300, you'd get $205 that week.

I feel your frustration. The adjudication process can take forever, especially if there are questions about your separation from work.

They haven't even told me what the issue is! Just that it's being reviewed. This is ridiculous.

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to someone? When my claim was stuck in adjudication, I used their service and finally got answers about what was holding things up.

This is really helpful! So if my highest quarter was $14,000, I'd get about $269 per week?

That sounds about right. You'd get $14,000 ÷ 26 = $538 per week in wages, then about 50% of that = $269 weekly benefit.

Yes, UI benefits are considered income for most assistance programs, but each program has its own rules about how they count it.

Thanks, I'll need to report my benefits to DSHS then.

The calculation method is the same, but your benefit amount will reflect the seasonal nature of your work. Your highest quarter might be much higher than your lowest quarter.

That makes sense. I guess my summer quarters would be much higher than winter ones.

Check your weekly claim - you might have accidentally selected tax withholding when you were filing. You can change that setting for future payments.

Oh you're right! I must have clicked the wrong option. Thanks for the heads up.

Same here! I think their website has issues. I just used the formula someone posted earlier to estimate mine.

Yeah, I'll probably have to wait for the official monetary determination to know for sure.

Good to know! So even if I find a job after 10 weeks, I could potentially come back and use the remaining weeks if I lose that job within the benefit year?

Exactly! As long as you're still within your benefit year and haven't exhausted your 26 weeks of benefits.

Washington ESD looks at total wages reported by your employer, so overtime pay is included in the calculation just like regular wages.

That's good news since I worked a lot of overtime last year!

Hang in there! The job market is tough right now but the benefits do help bridge the gap.

Thanks for the encouragement. Some weeks are harder than others but I'm staying positive.

Good point! I didn't realize pension income could impact unemployment benefits.

Yeah, Washington ESD has specific rules about how different types of income affect your weekly benefits. Better to report everything and let them sort it out.

I tried that strategy for weeks with no luck. Finally gave up and used Claimyr to get connected. Worth every penny to avoid the frustration.

I might have to try that if I can't get through soon. This whole process is exhausting.

Agreed! I feel much more confident about what to expect from my benefits now.

This community is great for getting real answers about unemployment questions. The official resources are so confusing sometimes.