How much is unemployment checks - Washington ESD weekly benefit amount calculation?
I'm trying to figure out exactly how much my weekly unemployment check will be from Washington ESD. I made about $52,000 last year working retail management but got laid off two weeks ago. Does anyone know the formula they use to calculate your weekly benefit amount? I've heard it's based on your highest earning quarter but I'm not sure how that works exactly. Also wondering if there's a maximum amount they'll pay out per week in Washington state?
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Dominic Green
Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount (WBA) using your highest earning quarter from your base year. They take that quarter's earnings and divide by 26, then that becomes your weekly amount. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $999 per week. So if you earned $25,974 in your highest quarter (which is the max), you'd get the full $999 weekly.
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Evelyn Xu
•Thanks! So if my highest quarter was around $15,000, I'd get about $577 per week? That seems pretty good actually.
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Hannah Flores
•Yeah that sounds about right. Just remember you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits too, so factor that in when budgeting.
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Kayla Jacobson
I've been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks to get my exact benefit amount but their phone lines are always busy or I get hung up on after waiting forever. Has anyone found a better way to reach them?
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William Rivera
•I had the same problem until I found Claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Basically they handle the calling for you and connect you when an agent is available.
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Grace Lee
Your benefit amount also depends on whether you have any dependents. If you have dependent children or a spouse, you can get an additional $25 per week per dependent, up to 5 dependents maximum. So that's potentially an extra $125 per week on top of your base amount.
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Evelyn Xu
•I have two kids - so that would be an extra $50 per week? Do I need to provide documentation for that?
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Grace Lee
•Yes exactly $50 extra for two dependents. You'll need to provide their social security numbers and birth certificates when you file your initial claim.
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Mia Roberts
Just a heads up - your weekly benefit amount gets reduced if you work part-time while collecting UI. They reduce your benefits dollar-for-dollar after you earn more than 25% of your weekly benefit amount. So if your WBA is $500 and you earn more than $125 that week, they start deducting from your UI payment.
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Evelyn Xu
•Good to know! I was thinking about maybe picking up some part-time hours at my old job if they offered.
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The Boss
•Yeah be careful with that. Make sure you report any earnings on your weekly claim or Washington ESD will consider it fraud and you'll have to pay back everything plus penalties.
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Hannah Flores
The minimum weekly benefit amount in Washington is $295 per week, so even if your calculation comes out lower than that, you'll still get at least $295. That's if you qualify for benefits at all of course.
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Evan Kalinowski
•How do they determine if you qualify? I only worked 8 months last year because I was in school before that.
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Hannah Flores
•You need to have earned at least $5,490 during your base year to qualify, and you need earnings in at least two quarters of your base year.
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Victoria Charity
Don't forget about the waiting week! Washington ESD doesn't pay benefits for your first week of unemployment. So even though you file right away, your first payable week is actually your second week of being unemployed.
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Evelyn Xu
•Wait really? So I won't get paid for this week even though I already filed my claim?
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Victoria Charity
•Correct - the first week is always unpaid. It's called the waiting week and it applies to everyone.
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Jasmine Quinn
•Actually that changed a few years ago during COVID - there's no waiting week anymore in Washington state. You get paid starting from your first week of unemployment.
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Victoria Charity
•Oh wow you're right! Thanks for the correction. I was thinking of the old rules.
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Oscar Murphy
I'm getting $647 per week and I made about $48,000 last year, so your estimate sounds reasonable. The amount shows up in your SecureAccess Washington account once your claim is processed.
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Evelyn Xu
•How long did it take for your claim to get processed? Mine is still showing 'pending' after filing on Monday.
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Oscar Murphy
•Mine took about 5 business days to show approved. If it goes longer than that, you might need to call and check what's holding it up.
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Nora Bennett
The Washington ESD website has a benefit calculator tool but it's pretty basic. It just gives you a rough estimate based on your quarterly earnings. For the exact amount you'll need to wait for your monetary determination letter after filing your claim.
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Ryan Andre
•Where is that calculator on their website? I looked around but couldn't find it.
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Nora Bennett
•It's under the 'Unemployment Benefits' section, then look for 'Estimate Your Benefits' or something like that. The site navigation isn't great tbh.
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Lauren Zeb
Remember you can collect benefits for up to 26 weeks in Washington, so multiply your weekly amount by 26 to see your total potential benefit amount. Though hopefully you'll find work before then!
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Evelyn Xu
•26 weeks seems like a long time. Is there pressure to find work quickly or can you take your time?
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Lauren Zeb
•You're required to actively search for work and report your job contacts every week. They can audit your job search activities, so don't slack off on that requirement.
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Daniel Washington
I tried using one of those online unemployment calculators and it was completely wrong compared to what Washington ESD actually paid me. The only accurate way is to file your claim and get the official determination.
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Aurora Lacasse
•Same experience here. Those generic calculators don't account for Washington's specific formula or the dependent allowances.
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Anthony Young
If you're not happy with your benefit amount, you can appeal the monetary determination within 30 days. Sometimes they make errors in calculating your wages, especially if you had multiple employers.
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Evelyn Xu
•Good to know! I did have two different jobs last year so I'll double-check their calculations when I get the determination letter.
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Charlotte White
•Yeah definitely verify they included all your employers. I had to appeal because they missed wages from a job I had early in the year.
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Admin_Masters
The whole system is such a pain honestly. I spent hours on hold trying to get through to Washington ESD about my benefit calculation. Finally used Claimyr to get connected to an agent who walked me through exactly how they calculated my amount.
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Matthew Sanchez
•Was Claimyr worth it? I keep seeing people mention it but I'm skeptical about paying for something that should be free.
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Admin_Masters
•For me it was worth it just to avoid the frustration of calling over and over. Plus the agent was able to explain things I couldn't figure out from their website.
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Ella Thompson
Don't forget to set aside money for taxes! Unemployment benefits are taxable income and they don't withhold much in taxes. You can request additional withholding when you file your weekly claims.
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Evelyn Xu
•How much should I expect to owe in taxes? I've never collected unemployment before.
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Ella Thompson
•Depends on your total income for the year and tax bracket. I usually have them withhold 10% federal taxes just to be safe.
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JacksonHarris
Your benefit year lasts 52 weeks from when you first file, but you can only collect up to 26 weeks of benefits during that year. So if you find work and then get laid off again within that 52-week period, you'd continue with the same benefit amount.
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Jeremiah Brown
•That's confusing. So the benefit year and the number of weeks you can collect are different things?
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JacksonHarris
•Exactly. The 52-week benefit year is like the window when your claim is active. The 26 weeks is the maximum you can actually collect payments during that window.
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Royal_GM_Mark
I'm getting tired of people complaining about calling Washington ESD. Yes the phone lines are busy but that's because thousands of people are trying to call. Just be patient and keep trying. I got through after calling for two days straight.
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Amelia Cartwright
•Easy for you to say. Some of us can't spend all day every day calling. That's exactly why services like Claimyr exist - to save people time and frustration.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•I guess, but paying money to call a government agency just seems wrong to me. These services shouldn't need to exist.
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Chris King
•You're not wrong that it shouldn't be necessary, but until Washington ESD fixes their phone system, people need solutions that actually work.
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