How much is unemployment money weekly in Washington state?

So if I made like $6,000 in my best quarter, that would be around $115 per week? That seems really low...

Yeah that sounds about right unfortunately. The formula is designed to replace roughly half your previous income up to the maximum.

That's what I'm worried about. My rent alone is $1200 so even $300/week wouldn't cover that.

You might want to look into other assistance programs too while you're job searching. Food assistance, utility help, etc.

I had the same problem until someone told me about Claimyr. It's a service that calls Washington ESD for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works.

Never heard of that but I'm desperate at this point. Does it actually work?

Worked for me! Got through to someone at Washington ESD in like 20 minutes instead of calling all day myself.

While the system has issues, the calculation formula is actually pretty straightforward once you understand it. The problem is they don't explain it well.

Maybe for you but I've been getting different answers from different agents about the same question.

Wait, there's a minimum of $295? That would actually help a lot more than what I calculated!

Yes, but you have to meet the minimum earnings requirements to qualify for benefits at all. You need at least $5,265 in your base period.

this is why i love reddit people actually explain things clearly unlike the washington esd website

So even if I qualify for 26 weeks, I might run out of money before then?

Exactly. Your total benefit amount is calculated as 30% of your base period wages, up to a maximum. So if you didn't earn much in your base period, you could exhaust benefits before 26 weeks.

They count all covered employment from all employers during your base period. So yes, both jobs would be included in the calculation.

That's good to know, thanks. I was worried they'd only count one job.

How did you figure out your exact amount? Did you have to call Washington ESD or was it clear from your account?

It was in my determination letter when I first got approved. They break down exactly how they calculated it.

Yes, overtime counts as part of your total wages for that quarter. It can actually help boost your benefit amount if it puts you in a higher earning quarter.

Sweet, that's good news at least!

The online calculator is helpful but you need to have your wage information handy from all your employers in the base period. A lot of people don't realize they need to go back that far.

Yeah I didn't have all my old pay stubs. Probably should have kept better records.

The maximum weekly benefit amount does get adjusted annually based on the state's average wage. For 2025 it's $999/week maximum, but like I said earlier, most people get much less.

Ok good to know it at least keeps up with inflation somewhat.

That's way more than what I calculated for myself. Were you making really good tips?

Yeah, tips get reported as wages so they counted toward my benefit calculation. Made a huge difference.

Oh man I didn't even think about taxes. So the money I get is before taxes?

Yep, it's taxable at both federal and state level. You can have taxes withheld from your weekly payments if you want.

learned this the hard way last year - owed like $800 in taxes on my unemployment

That's actually pretty common. You'll need to contact Washington ESD to get it corrected. They can add missing wages if you provide documentation.

I used Claimyr to get through to someone at Washington ESD about this exact issue. Way easier than trying to call myself. They were able to fix my wage record in like 10 minutes once I got connected to an agent.

I might have to try that. Been calling for weeks with no luck.

How many jobs do you have to apply for each week? I haven't started filing yet.

In Washington you need to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and keep records of each one. It's all tracked through WorkSourceWA.

Or use that Claimyr service people mentioned. I tried it last week and actually got through to someone. Worth it if you're tired of waiting on hold for hours.

Good point. Sometimes paying for help is worth it when you're dealing with government agencies.

Thanks everyone for all the info. This thread has been super helpful. Going to file my claim tomorrow morning.

good luck! the process is easier than it seems once you get started