How much is unemployment benefits in Washington - confused about my weekly amount

Thanks! That helps explain it. I was working for about 8 months before getting laid off so maybe that's why it's not higher.

Wait I thought the max was like $800 something? Did it go up this year?

That makes sense. I started the job in March last year so I probably don't have a full year of earnings in the base period.

This is so confusing, why can't they just tell us how they calculated it??

How much does that cost? I'm already tight on money waiting for my first payment.

It's worth checking out their site claimyr.com - they focus on getting you connected rather than charging crazy fees. Way better than spending hours on hold.

Never heard of this but honestly anything beats calling Washington ESD directly. Last time I tried I was on hold for 3 hours and got disconnected.

Good to know I'm not getting shortchanged then. Just wanted to make sure.

Yeah I got $410 when I was laid off from my restaurant job, seems like they're pretty consistent with their calculations.

If you think there's an error you can appeal the monetary determination. You have 30 days from when they mailed it to you.

already did that, waiting to hear back. probably take another month knowing how slow they are

Appeals usually take 4-6 weeks but sometimes longer if they need to review employment records.

Yes, there are minimum earning requirements. You need at least $3,800 in your highest quarter and total base period earnings of at least 1.5 times your high quarter amount.

I definitely earned more than that so I should be good. Thanks for the info everyone!

That's good to know! So I could make about $120 a week from odd jobs without affecting my benefits?

Right, but you still have to report ALL earnings on your weekly claim, even if it's under the threshold.

And make sure you're still doing your job search activities! They're pretty strict about that.

Wait, really? They tax unemployment benefits?

Yep, it's considered income. You can have taxes withheld automatically or pay them when you file your return.

I always have them withhold 10% just so I don't owe a huge amount at tax time.

Washington doesn't add extra money for dependents like some other states do. Your benefit amount is just based on your earnings history.

Bummer, that would have helped a lot with daycare costs while I'm job hunting.

How long did it take them to fix it once you got through?

About 2 weeks to get the corrected amount. They had to verify my earnings with my old employer but it was pretty straightforward once I actually talked to someone.

Yeah I'm hoping to find something before then. The job market seems pretty decent right now at least.

Make sure you're using WorkSourceWA for your job search log. Makes it easier to track your activities.

I feel you, it's definitely not enough to live comfortably on. What kind of work are you looking for?

anything at this point, been applying everywhere. retail, warehouse, office stuff, you name it

Have you tried the temp agencies? Sometimes they have same-day work available.

I didn't get any severance, they just laid us all off with one week notice. Pretty crappy way to handle it.

That sucks but at least it means your benefits should start right away without any delays.

No, you don't have to pay back legitimate benefits you received while unemployed. Just stop filing weekly claims once you start working again.

Thanks! I was worried there might be some penalty for not using all the weeks.

Yeah they sent me a separation notice form to fill out. Luckily it was clearly a layoff due to 'lack of work' so shouldn't be an issue.

That's good, makes the process much smoother when it's obviously not your fault.

That's because of the base period lag. They use completed quarters to make sure the earnings are verified. It's frustrating but prevents fraud.

Makes sense I guess, just seems unfair when you were actually making more money right before losing your job.

Wow that's terrible. I guess $362 isn't so bad in comparison.

Yeah Washington actually has one of the higher maximum benefit amounts in the country.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I run into any issues with my claim.

Good tip, the regular Washington ESD phone lines are absolutely brutal to get through on.

Thanks everyone for all the help! Feel much better about my benefit amount now and know what to expect going forward.

Good luck with the job hunt! Hope you find something soon.