How much is unemployment benefits in Washington state - confused about weekly amounts

The weekly benefit amount in Washington depends on your highest earning quarter from the past year. Generally it's about 3.85% of your total wages in that quarter, but there's a minimum of $295 and maximum of $999 per week as of 2025. For someone making $58k annually, you'd probably get somewhere between $650-850 per week depending on how your wages were distributed throughout the year.

That's higher than I expected! Do they really pay that much? I thought it would be way less.

Yes those amounts are correct. Washington has some of the highest unemployment benefits in the country. You can also choose to have federal taxes withheld at 10% if you want.

i got $743 a week when i was on unemployment last year and i was making about the same as you. took like 3 weeks to get approved though

Did you have any issues with the application process? I'm worried about messing something up.

nah it was pretty straightforward, just make sure you have all your employer info ready when you file

The calculation is based on your base year wages which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. Washington ESD takes your highest quarter earnings and multiplies by 0.0385 to get your weekly benefit rate. There's also a dependency allowance of $25 per week for each dependent child under 18.

I have two kids so that would be an extra $50 per week? That helps a lot actually.

Wait I didn't know about the dependency thing! I've been on UI for 6 weeks and have a kid. Can I add that retroactively?

Yes you can request to add dependents to your claim. You'll need to provide documentation like birth certificates or tax returns showing you claimed them as dependents.

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for two weeks to ask about my benefit amount calculation because something seems off. The phone lines are impossible - I've called probably 200 times and either get busy signal or get disconnected after waiting forever. Anyone have tips for actually reaching a human there?

I had the same problem until I found this service called Claimyr that calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an agent. It's at claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true. How much does it cost?

Yeah it's real, they don't ask for any personal info about your claim or anything like that. Just your phone number so they can connect you when they get through. Way better than spending all day hitting redial.

The benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website is actually pretty accurate if you put in the right numbers. Make sure you're looking at gross wages not net pay when you calculate.

I tried using that but got confused about which quarters to use. Do I use 2024 quarters or does it depend on when I file?

It depends on when you file your claim. If you file in early 2025, your base year would typically be October 2023 through September 2024. The system automatically looks at the most recent completed quarters.

Just remember you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits. I made the mistake of not having taxes withheld and owed like $2800 at tax time. Definitely elect to have the 10% federal tax taken out when you file your claim.

Good point, I'll make sure to do that. Do they also withhold state taxes or just federal?

Washington doesn't have state income tax so just federal. But you can also choose to have additional amounts withheld if you think 10% won't be enough.

The maximum benefit in Washington is $999 per week plus up to $150 for dependents. To get the max you'd need to have earned at least $25,974 in your highest quarter. Most people don't hit the maximum though.

That's like $52k in benefits for a full year of unemployment. No wonder the system is always overwhelmed.

Well unemployment is only available for 26 weeks in most cases, not a full year. And you have to be actively looking for work and reporting it every week.

I've been on standby status for 3 months and getting my full benefit amount. If your employer expects to call you back within a reasonable time you might qualify for standby which means you don't have to do job searches.

My employer said they might have work again in a few months. How do I apply for standby status?

Your employer has to request it through Washington ESD. You can't apply for it yourself. They need to provide specific return-to-work dates and it can't be indefinite.

Make sure you file your weekly claims every week even if you haven't been paid yet. If you miss a week you can't go back and claim it later. I learned this the hard way and lost two weeks of benefits.

Wait really? I thought you could file late claims if you had a good reason?

You can request to reopen a missed week but it's not guaranteed and you need documentation of why you missed filing. Better to just file every week on time.

The whole system is such a mess. I've been waiting 5 weeks for my adjudication to be resolved and can't get anyone on the phone to tell me what's happening. My rent is due and I'm completely broke.

Have you tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier? I was skeptical but it actually worked for me. Got connected to an adjudicator within a day and got my issue resolved.

I'll try anything at this point. The regular phone system is completely useless.

Pro tip: if you're doing gig work or part-time work while on unemployment, report it honestly. You can still get partial benefits and it's better than getting hit with an overpayment later.

How much can you earn before it affects your benefits?

In Washington you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 before it starts reducing your UI payment. So if your benefit is $700, you can earn up to $695 without any reduction.

Been dealing with an overpayment notice for $4200 from last year. They claim I didn't report some work but I have records showing I did. This whole system is designed to screw over working people.

You need to appeal that immediately if you have documentation. Don't let them intimidate you into paying if you reported correctly.

Already filed the appeal but that was 3 months ago and haven't heard anything. Meanwhile they're threatening to garnish my wages.

For anyone struggling to reach Washington ESD by phone, I found that calling right at 8am when they open gives you the best chance. Still might take 50+ tries but better than calling later in the day.

I tried that for weeks and never got through. That Claimyr thing really is worth it if you need to talk to someone urgently.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I'm going to file my claim today and see how it goes.