How much is unemployment benefit amount in Washington ESD - what can I expect?

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter from your base period. The maximum weekly benefit amount for 2025 is $999 per week. With your income level, you should qualify for a decent amount. They take your highest quarter earnings, divide by 26, then multiply by 0.0385 to get your weekly benefit.

The weekly benefit calculation is confusing but the real issue is actually getting through to Washington ESD to file your claim properly. I spent 3 weeks trying to call them before I found out about claimyr.com - they actually got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

just filed last month and got approved for $847 a week which is pretty close to the max. took about 3 weeks to get my first payment but once it started coming it was regular. make sure you have all your employment history ready when you file

The Washington ESD benefit calculator is based on your wages during the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. This is called your base period. They look at your total wages during that period and your highest quarter to determine both your weekly benefit amount and total benefit entitlement. You can receive benefits for up to 26 weeks in most cases.

I think there's also a minimum benefit amount too. Even if your calculations come out really low, Washington ESD has a minimum weekly benefit of around $295 per week. But with your income level you shouldn't have to worry about that.

DONT FORGET you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits! They don't automatically withhold federal taxes unless you request it. I learned this the hard way and owed a bunch at tax time. You can have them withhold 10% for federal taxes when you file your weekly claims.

Update: I tried calling Washington ESD this morning and the line was busy for 2 hours straight. Might have to try that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier. This is already more frustrating than I expected.

One more thing about benefit amounts - if you worked part-time while collecting unemployment, they'll reduce your weekly benefit. You can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction, but anything over that gets deducted dollar for dollar from your benefit.

be careful about the job search requirements too. you have to apply for 3 jobs per week and keep a log of your job search activities. they can ask to see this anytime and if you dont have it they can disqualify you

The whole system is designed to be confusing and make people give up. Half the time their website doesn't work properly and you can't even file your weekly claim. Then they threaten to cut off your benefits if you miss a week. It's ridiculous.

Quick question - does anyone know if overtime pay counts toward the benefit calculation? I worked a lot of overtime last year.

For what it's worth, I used that Claimyr service last month when I couldn't get through to resolve an issue with my claim. Cost me a bit but saved me literally days of trying to call. Sometimes it's worth paying for convenience when you need your benefits sorted out quickly.

also make sure you file your claim as soon as possible after you lose your job. benefits don't go back to when you lost your job, they start from when you file the claim. i waited 2 weeks thinking i might find something quick and lost out on those benefits

The benefit amount also depends on why you lost your job. If you were fired for misconduct or quit without good cause, you might not qualify at all. Make sure you have your termination paperwork ready when you file.

don't forget about the waiting week either. your first week of unemployment is unpaid even if you qualify. so if you normally get paid weekly, you'll actually go 2 weeks without income before your first unemployment check arrives

I've been on unemployment for 3 months now and the weekly filing is pretty straightforward once you get used to it. Just make sure you file every week even if you haven't heard back about your initial claim yet. Missing weekly filings can mess up your benefits.

Anyone know if commission payments count toward the benefit calculation? I had a mix of salary and commission at my last job.

Just want to add that if you're not sure about your benefit amount, you can create an account on the Washington ESD website and it should show you an estimate once you start the application process. Might be easier than trying to calculate it yourself.

One last tip - if your benefit amount seems wrong when you get your determination letter, you can appeal it. Sometimes they miscalculate wages or use the wrong base period. You have 30 days to appeal if you think there's an error.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! This thread has been way more useful than the Washington ESD website. I feel much more confident about filing now.