How much is unemployment the of weekly benefit amount in Washington?
I'm trying to figure out how much unemployment benefits I can get in Washington state. I've been looking at the Washington ESD website but it's confusing. Does anyone know what the current weekly benefit amounts are? I made about $52,000 last year working retail management. Also wondering about the maximum and minimum amounts they pay out. Any help would be appreciated!
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Sophia Russo
Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter from your base year. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $999 and minimum is $295. Your benefit amount is roughly 3.85% of your total wages in your highest quarter, but there are caps.
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Mason Kaczka
•Thanks! So if I made $52k total, what would that roughly work out to per week?
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Sophia Russo
•Hard to say without knowing your quarterly breakdown, but probably somewhere in the $400-500 range depending on how your earnings were distributed throughout the year.
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Evelyn Xu
the formula is complicated but basically they take your two highest earning quarters and do some math with it. i think its like 1/26th of your annual wages or something? not sure exactly but thats what i heard
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Dominic Green
•Close but not quite right. Washington ESD uses a different calculation. It's based on your highest quarter only, not two quarters. The weekly benefit amount is calculated as 3.85% of your wages in your highest earning quarter.
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Evelyn Xu
•oh ok thanks for the correction. the whole system is confusing
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Hannah Flores
I was in a similar situation last year trying to figure out my benefit amount. The Washington ESD phone lines were always busy when I tried calling to ask questions. I ended up finding this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself.
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Mason Kaczka
•Really? How does that work exactly? Is it legit?
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Hannah Flores
•Yeah it's legitimate. They basically handle the calling process for you so you don't have to sit on hold forever. I was able to get my benefit amount questions answered within a day instead of spending weeks trying to get through myself.
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Kayla Jacobson
•Interesting, I've never heard of that before but might be worth checking out if the phone lines are still impossible to get through.
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William Rivera
For 2025 the weekly benefit calculation in Washington is: Take your highest earning quarter from your base year, multiply by 0.0385 (3.85%), and that's your weekly amount. But it can't be less than $295 or more than $999.
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Mason Kaczka
•This is helpful! So if my highest quarter was around $15,000, that would be about $577 per week?
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William Rivera
•Exactly! $15,000 x 0.0385 = $577.50 per week. That sounds about right for your income level.
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Grace Lee
make sure you also factor in taxes. washington doesnt take state taxes out but federal taxes will reduce your actual take home amount
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Mason Kaczka
•Good point, I forgot about federal taxes. Do they automatically withhold those or do I need to request it?
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Grace Lee
•you can choose to have 10% withheld for federal taxes when you file your weekly claims. its optional but probably a good idea so you dont owe a bunch at tax time
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Sophia Russo
Also worth noting that your base year for calculating benefits is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. So if you're filing now in 2025, your base year would typically be Q1 2024 through Q4 2024.
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Mason Kaczka
•That makes sense. I was wondering which time period they actually look at.
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Mia Roberts
•What if someone didn't work much during that base year period? Can they use more recent quarters?
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Sophia Russo
•Yes, Washington ESD has an alternate base year option if you don't qualify using the standard base year. It uses the most recent four completed quarters instead.
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The Boss
The whole system is frustrating honestly. I spent weeks trying to get my benefit amount sorted out because there was some issue with my wage records. Washington ESD kept telling me to call but I could never get through. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and got it resolved in two days.
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Mason Kaczka
•Seems like a lot of people have trouble getting through to Washington ESD by phone. Good to know there are alternatives.
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Evan Kalinowski
•I had the same problem! Kept getting disconnected or put on hold for hours. It's ridiculous how hard it is to reach them.
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Victoria Charity
Just to add some context - Washington has one of the higher maximum weekly benefit amounts compared to other states. The $999 max is pretty decent, though obviously it depends on your previous earnings whether you'll actually get that much.
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Mason Kaczka
•That's good to know. I was worried the benefits might be really low.
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Jasmine Quinn
•yeah washington is definitely better than a lot of states for unemployment benefits. some states max out at like $400 per week
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Oscar Murphy
Don't forget you also have to meet the total wage requirements to qualify at all. I think you need at least $7,000 in wages during your base year, with at least $1,005 outside your highest quarter.
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Mason Kaczka
•Oh wow, I didn't know about those minimum requirements. Good thing I made $52k so I should be fine.
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Oscar Murphy
•Yeah, you'll definitely meet the wage requirements with that income level. The minimums are more of an issue for part-time workers or people with very low wages.
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Nora Bennett
my friend got like $650 a week when she was laid off from her office job. she said the hardest part wasnt figuring out the amount but actually getting through to washington esd when she had questions about her claim
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Ryan Andre
•That seems to be a common theme - the phone lines are impossible. Maybe Washington ESD needs to hire more customer service staff.
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Nora Bennett
•right? or at least have better online help. their website is so confusing sometimes
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Dominic Green
One more thing to keep in mind - your weekly benefit amount stays the same throughout your entire benefit year, even if you start working part-time. But if you earn more than a certain amount per week, it will reduce your weekly benefit payment.
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Mason Kaczka
•What's the limit for part-time work? I might need to pick up some shifts while I'm looking for a new full-time job.
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Dominic Green
•In Washington, you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount plus $5 before it starts reducing your unemployment payment. So if your weekly benefit is $577, you could earn up to $582 and still get your full unemployment check.
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Lauren Zeb
I used that claimyr thing too when I couldn't get through to washington esd about my benefit calculation. worked pretty well actually. saved me a lot of time and frustration trying to call myself
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Mason Kaczka
•Seems like a lot of people have had good experiences with that service. Might be worth trying if I run into issues.
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Daniel Washington
•I'm skeptical of third-party services but if the phone lines are really that bad maybe it's necessary
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Lauren Zeb
•i was skeptical too but honestly the washington esd phone system is just broken. this at least gets you through to an actual person
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Aurora Lacasse
For what it's worth, you can also estimate your benefit amount using the online calculator on the Washington ESD website before you actually file your claim. It's not 100% accurate but gives you a ballpark figure.
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Mason Kaczka
•I tried that but got confused about which quarters to use. The interface wasn't very user-friendly.
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Aurora Lacasse
•Yeah, it's not the most intuitive tool. You basically need to know your quarterly wages for the past year and a half to use it properly.
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Anthony Young
IMPORTANT: Make sure you file your claim as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. You can't get benefits for weeks before you actually file, even if you were eligible during those weeks.
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Mason Kaczka
•Good point! I was planning to file this week. How long does it usually take to get the first payment?
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Anthony Young
•If there are no issues with your claim, usually 2-3 weeks after filing. But if it goes into adjudication for any reason, it can take much longer.
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Charlotte White
•mine took 6 weeks because of some adjudication issue. was a nightmare trying to get updates from washington esd
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Admin_Masters
Just remember that unemployment benefits are temporary. In Washington you can typically get up to 26 weeks of benefits, though this can vary based on the unemployment rate and other factors.
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Mason Kaczka
•26 weeks should hopefully be enough time to find something new. Thanks for all the help everyone!
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Admin_Masters
•Good luck with your job search! Make sure to keep track of your job search activities for your weekly claims.
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