How much is unemployment right now in Washington - current weekly benefit amounts?

The maximum weekly benefit amount in Washington is currently $999 per week. Your actual amount depends on your earnings in your base period, which is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. With your salary of $55k, you'd probably qualify for somewhere in the $400-600 range weekly, but you'd need to use the benefit calculator on the Washington ESD site to get the exact amount.

i think its around $800 something max but not sure. i got like $350 a week when i filed last year but i was only making like $18/hour

I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks to ask about my benefit amount calculation. Every time I call I either get disconnected or sit on hold for 3+ hours. Has anyone found a way to actually reach someone there? I need to understand why my weekly amount seems lower than it should be based on my previous earnings.

The benefit amount is calculated as follows: they take your highest earning quarter in your base period, divide by 13, then multiply by 0.0385. The result is your weekly benefit amount, capped at the maximum. For 2025, the minimum is $295 and maximum is $999. You also need to have earned at least $7,000 total in your base period and your highest quarter needs to be at least 1.5 times your lowest quarter.

Word of warning - even if you qualify for a decent weekly amount, you might not get it right away. My claim has been stuck in adjudication for over a month because they're reviewing my separation reason. The weekly amount means nothing if you can't actually get the benefits approved and paid out.

Don't forget about the job search requirements either. Even if you get approved for benefits, you have to do 3 job search activities per week and log them in WorkSourceWA. If you don't keep up with that, they'll cut off your benefits regardless of how much you qualify for weekly.

The amounts seem to change every year based on the state's average weekly wage. I remember when the max was like $790 just a couple years ago. Now it's $999. If you're making $55k like the OP, you're probably looking at somewhere between $400-500 weekly depending on when you worked and how your earnings were distributed across quarters.

Just remember that unemployment is taxable income. A lot of people forget this and then get hit with a big tax bill. You can elect to have taxes withheld from your weekly benefits, which I'd recommend unless you're setting aside money for taxes yourself.

idk why everyone makes this so complicated. just file and see what you get. took me like 20 minutes online and i found out my weekly amount right away

The benefit amounts in Washington are actually pretty generous compared to other states. I moved here from Texas where the max was only like $500 something. The $999 max here plus the longer duration of benefits makes a real difference when you're unemployed.

Pro tip: if you're thinking about filing, don't wait. Benefits are calculated based on when you file, not when you actually became unemployed. So if you wait months to file, you might miss out on higher earnings quarters that would increase your weekly benefit amount.

I tried calling Washington ESD to ask about benefit amounts last month and it was impossible. After reading about Claimyr here, I decided to try it. Got connected to an agent within 2 days and was able to get all my questions answered about my weekly benefit calculation. Definitely worth it if you need to actually talk to someone instead of just guessing.

WASHINGTON ESD IS A NIGHTMARE. I've been trying to get my benefit amount sorted for WEEKS. The online calculator gives me one number, my determination letter shows a different amount, and when I finally got through to someone they told me a third number! Nobody knows what's going on over there.

For what it's worth, I filed in January and my benefit amount was exactly what the online calculator predicted. $347 per week based on my previous job at a retail store. The system worked fine for me, got my first payment within 2 weeks.

One thing to keep in mind is that your benefit year lasts 52 weeks from when you file, but you can only collect up to 26 weeks of benefits (or your benefit year balance, whichever is less). So even if you qualify for $500/week, you won't get $26,000 total unless you actually claim benefits for the full 26 weeks.

Just wanted to add that if you're seasonal or have irregular work, your benefit calculation might be different. I work in landscaping and my earnings vary a lot by season, so my weekly benefit amount was lower than I expected even though I made decent money overall.

This thread has been super helpful! I was also wondering about current benefit amounts. Sounds like with my salary I should expect around $400-500 weekly, which would definitely help cover my basic expenses while job hunting. Thanks everyone for all the detailed info.

Last thing - make sure you report ANY work you do while collecting benefits, even if it's just a few hours. They cross-reference with employers and if they catch unreported work, they'll make you pay back benefits plus penalties. Your weekly benefit amount gets reduced dollar-for-dollar after you earn more than your weekly benefit amount minus $5.

Thanks for all this detailed info everyone! I'm in a similar situation - been working steadily for the past few years and might need to file soon. One question I haven't seen addressed yet: does the timing of when you file during the year affect your base period calculation? Like if I file in March vs June, would that change which quarters they look at for determining my benefit amount?