How much is unemployment compensation from Washington ESD weekly?
I'm trying to figure out how much my weekly unemployment benefit will be if I get approved. I made about $52,000 last year working at a manufacturing plant but got laid off two weeks ago. Does anyone know how Washington ESD calculates the weekly benefit amount? I've heard it's based on your earnings but I can't find clear info on their website about the actual dollar amounts.
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Amara Adeyemi
Washington ESD uses your highest earning quarter from the past year to calculate your weekly benefit amount. Generally it's around 50% of your average weekly wages, but there's a maximum cap. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is around $999.
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Liam O'Connor
•Thanks! So if I made $52k total, that would be around $1000 per week gross, so maybe $500 weekly benefit?
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Amara Adeyemi
•Not quite - they look at your highest quarter only, not your annual total. So if you made $15,000 in your best quarter, divide that by 13 weeks to get your average weekly wage, then take about half of that.
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Giovanni Gallo
the formula is confusing but basically they take your highest quarter earnings and divide by 13 then multiply by 0.52 or something like that. mine came out to about $450 a week when i was making around $48k annually
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
•That sounds about right. I was making similar and got $430 per week from Washington ESD.
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Dylan Wright
The Washington ESD benefit calculator is actually pretty accurate if you can find it on their site. But honestly, calling them directly is your best bet for getting an exact number. I know the phone lines are always busy though - I spent hours trying to get through last month.
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Liam O'Connor
•Yeah I've tried calling multiple times but keep getting the busy signal or getting hung up on after waiting forever.
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NebulaKnight
•Same problem here! The Washington ESD phone system is impossible. I finally used Claimyr.com to get through - they have some kind of system that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. Saw their demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ and decided to try it.
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Liam O'Connor
•Interesting, never heard of that service. Did it actually work for getting your benefit amount confirmed?
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NebulaKnight
•Yeah, got connected within like 20 minutes and the agent was able to tell me exactly what my weekly amount would be based on my earnings history. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Sofia Ramirez
Just remember there's also a minimum benefit amount too. I think it's around $295 per week minimum in Washington state. So even if your calculation comes out lower, you'd still get at least that much.
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Liam O'Connor
•Good to know! With my earnings I should be well above the minimum thankfully.
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Dmitry Popov
Don't forget you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits! It's not like getting a paycheck where taxes are already taken out. I learned that the hard way last year.
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Liam O'Connor
•Oh wow, I didn't even think about that. Can you have them withhold taxes or do you have to pay at the end of the year?
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Dmitry Popov
•You can request to have 10% withheld for federal taxes when you file your weekly claims. I'd recommend it unless you want a big tax bill next April.
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Amara Adeyemi
•Yes, definitely opt for the tax withholding. Washington state doesn't have state income tax but you'll still owe federal taxes on the unemployment compensation.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
The benefit amount also depends on how many dependents you have. If you have kids or other dependents, you might get a little extra added to your weekly amount.
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Liam O'Connor
•I don't have any dependents so I guess that doesn't apply to me.
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Ava Rodriguez
WASHINGTON ESD IS SO SLOW WITH EVERYTHING! I've been waiting 3 weeks just to find out my benefit amount because my claim is stuck in adjudication. This system is broken!
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Giovanni Gallo
•adjudication sucks but once it's done you should get backpay for all the weeks you were waiting
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Ava Rodriguez
•Yeah but I need to know how much I'm getting so I can budget! Can't wait forever.
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Dylan Wright
For a rough estimate, take your gross monthly salary, divide by 4.33 to get weekly, then multiply by 0.52. That should give you a ballpark figure. But the actual calculation uses your base period quarters which might be different.
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Liam O'Connor
•Using that formula I get around $520 per week. That would actually help a lot with my mortgage payment.
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Amara Adeyemi
•That sounds reasonable for your income level. The Washington ESD system should show your exact amount once your claim is processed.
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Miguel Ortiz
my brother in law made $55k and gets $485 a week from unemployment so yours should be pretty close to that range
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Liam O'Connor
•That's helpful, thanks! Gives me a good idea of what to expect.
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NebulaKnight
If you really need to know the exact amount quickly, I'd suggest trying that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier. When I used it, the Washington ESD agent was able to pull up my benefit calculation in real time and explain exactly how they got to that number.
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Zainab Khalil
•Is that service legit? Sounds almost too good to be true with how hard it is to reach Washington ESD normally.
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NebulaKnight
•I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They don't ask for any personal info or anything sketchy, just help you get through to the actual Washington ESD phone line.
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QuantumQuest
The weekly benefit calculator on the Washington ESD website is pretty buried but if you can find it, it's usually accurate. Just need your quarterly earnings from the past year.
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Liam O'Connor
•I'll try searching for it again. Their website is so confusing to navigate.
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Giovanni Gallo
also remember the benefit amount might change if you do any part time work while collecting. they reduce your weekly benefit if you earn more than a certain amount
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Liam O'Connor
•Good point. I'm hoping to find something full time quickly but might need to take temp work.
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Amara Adeyemi
•You can earn up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 before they start reducing your unemployment payment. So if you get $500/week, you could earn up to $495 without any reduction.
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Connor Murphy
Wait I'm confused about something - do they use your earnings from the current year or the previous calendar year?
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Amara Adeyemi
•They use your 'base period' which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed your claim. So it's not necessarily a full calendar year.
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Connor Murphy
•That's so confusing! Why can't they just use your most recent year of earnings?
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Dylan Wright
•It's because they need completed quarters to calculate properly. Your most recent quarter might not be complete when you file your claim.
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Yara Haddad
Just got my determination letter and my weekly benefit is $467. I made about $51,000 last year so that seems pretty close to what others are saying here.
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Liam O'Connor
•That's almost exactly what I'm hoping to get! How long did it take to get your determination letter?
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Yara Haddad
•About 10 days after I filed my initial claim. No issues with my application though.
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Keisha Robinson
the maximum duration is usually 26 weeks but the weekly amount depends on your earnings like everyone said. just wanted to mention that since you asked about compensation
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Liam O'Connor
•Thanks, yeah I'm more concerned about the weekly amount right now but good to know about the duration limit.
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Paolo Conti
One more thing - make sure you understand the job search requirements because that affects whether you keep getting your benefits. Washington ESD requires 3 job search activities per week.
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Liam O'Connor
•Yeah I read about that. Seems pretty straightforward - just need to document where I'm applying.
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Amara Adeyemi
•Just applying isn't enough - you need actual job search activities like attending job fairs, networking events, or training programs. Applications count but you need variety.
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Amina Sow
has anyone here actually tried that claimyr thing? im desperate to get through to washington esd about my claim status
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NebulaKnight
•Yeah I used it and it worked great. Way better than trying to call on your own. Check out their site at claimyr.com if you want to try it.
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Amina Sow
•cool thanks ill look into it. been trying to call for weeks with no luck
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GalaxyGazer
For budgeting purposes, assume you'll get around 45-50% of your average weekly wage. That's been pretty accurate for everyone I know who's filed unemployment claims recently.
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Liam O'Connor
•That's a good rule of thumb. Helps me plan my expenses while I'm job hunting.
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Oliver Wagner
Make sure you file your initial claim as soon as possible! The benefit amount is based on when you file, not when you actually lost your job. Every week you wait is money you're losing.
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Liam O'Connor
•I already filed last week, just waiting to hear back about the amount. Good advice though!
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Natasha Kuznetsova
Bottom line - with your income level you're probably looking at somewhere between $450-550 per week depending on exactly how your quarters worked out. That's pretty typical for someone making around $50k annually.
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Liam O'Connor
•Perfect, that's exactly the range I was hoping for. Thanks everyone for all the helpful info!
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Amara Adeyemi
•You're welcome! Hope your claim gets processed quickly and you find new work soon.
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