How much is unemployment pay in Washington state - current benefit amounts?

Thanks! So if my highest quarter was around $14,000, that would be about $538 divided by 2, so maybe $270 weekly?

Close but not quite. You divide $14,000 by 26 weeks first, which gives you $538. Then your weekly benefit would be about 45% of that, so around $242 weekly.

I tried that calculator but couldn't find my wage info anywhere. How do you get your quarterly earnings records?

You can request a wage and benefit statement from Washington ESD online or they'll show it when you file your initial claim.

Wait, unemployment is taxable? I didn't know that. Do they automatically take taxes out or do I have to pay at the end of the year?

You can choose to have 10% federal taxes withheld when you file your weekly claims, but Washington has no state income tax so that's not an issue.

Yeah definitely elect for tax withholding unless you want a surprise tax bill next year. I learned that the hard way.

Never heard of that before. Is it legit or just another scam service?

It's legit, I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They don't ask for personal info, just help you get through the phone system to reach a real person at Washington ESD.

Yes, Washington provides dependent allowances. It's $25 per week for each dependent child under 18, up to 5 children maximum.

sweet that would help with my 2 kids then. every little bit counts

That's good to know. So if I made $52k in my base period, the most I could collect total would be around $17,300 over the whole year?

Exactly right. And that assumes you collect for the full 26 weeks, which hopefully you won't need to do if you find work sooner.

Good point, I was planning to wait a few days to see if my employer changes their mind about the layoff but probably shouldn't risk it.

Definitely file right away. Even if you get your job back, you can always stop claiming benefits. But you can't go backwards and claim weeks you missed.

That's exactly why I started using Claimyr. The phone system at Washington ESD is completely overloaded. Claimyr got me through to an agent in 15 minutes who explained my whole benefit calculation clearly.

Might have to try that. I'm going crazy trying to reach someone who can actually explain this stuff.

How many job applications do you have to do per week? I've heard different numbers.

It's 3 job search activities per week in Washington, but they can be applications, interviews, networking events, job fairs, etc. Keep detailed records of everything.

And register with WorkSource Washington within 30 days of filing your claim or they'll stop your benefits.

I did some freelance work on the side but got paid as a contractor (1099). Does that count toward my benefit calculation?

No, 1099 contractor work doesn't count because no unemployment taxes were paid on those earnings. Only W-2 employment where you and your employer paid UI taxes.

Yes and if you disagree with their calculation you can appeal within 30 days. Sometimes they make mistakes with the wage records.

Good to know there's an appeal process if something looks wrong. This is all so much more complicated than I expected.

The maximum gets adjusted every year based on average wages in the state. That's why it keeps going up slowly over time.

makes sense. inflation hits everything else so unemployment benefits should go up too

I'm getting 2 weeks severance. Will that delay my benefits or just reduce them?

It depends on how the severance is structured. If it's paid as salary continuation, it might delay benefits. If it's a lump sum, it typically doesn't affect timing but you need to report it.

Definitely something to ask Washington ESD about directly. Severance rules are tricky and vary by situation.

I've tried that but never had luck. Different approach that worked for me was using Claimyr to skip the phone queue entirely. Worth the convenience when you just need a quick answer about benefit calculations.

Haven't tried that service yet but might give it a shot if I need to call again. The hold times are just ridiculous.

That's important to know. So even if wages went up at a new job, you're still stuck with the original calculation?

Exactly, unless you exhaust all benefits and need to file a completely new claim with updated wage records.

That's great news! I was worried about having to wait a week before benefits kicked in. Thanks everyone for all the helpful info.

Yeah they got rid of the waiting week during COVID and kept it that way. One less thing to worry about when you're already stressed about losing your job.