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

Washington ESD calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest earning quarter during your base period. The maximum weekly benefit amount for 2025 is $999 per week. Your benefit is roughly 3.85% of your total wages in your highest quarter, but there are caps and minimums.

i think the max is like $950 something but dont quote me on that lol. your amount depends on how much you made in the past year

I was struggling to get through to Washington ESD to ask about my benefit calculation and found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me connected to an agent in like 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Super helpful when you need to talk to someone about your specific situation!

The formula is: Weekly Benefit Amount = (Wages in highest quarter ÷ 26) × 0.0385. But it's capped at the maximum and you need at least $3,850 in your base period to qualify. Also remember you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount minus $5 from part-time work without it affecting your benefits.

The whole system is confusing as hell!! I filed my claim 3 months ago and STILL don't understand how they came up with my weekly amount. Washington ESD makes everything so complicated when it should be simple math.

Does anyone know if the weekly benefit amount includes taxes or is that taken out separately? I'm trying to budget while I'm unemployed.

wait so if i made minimum wage would i even get anything decent? seems like the system favors people who made more money

I tried that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier and holy crap it actually worked! Got connected to Washington ESD in about 15 minutes and the agent walked me through my benefit calculation. Turns out I was eligible for more than I thought because of overtime I worked last year.

Pro tip: Your base period is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, your base period would be January 2024 through December 2024. This affects your benefit calculation.

Also remember you can only collect benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks in a benefit year, regardless of your weekly amount. The total you can collect is 26 times your weekly benefit amount.

The calculations are one thing but actually getting your benefits is another story. My claim has been in adjudication for 6 weeks and I still don't know what my weekly amount will be.

does anyone know if they count bonuses or just regular wages? i got a decent bonus last year that might bump up my calculation

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I think I have a better understanding now of how the weekly benefit amounts work. Sounds like I should expect somewhere around $500-600 based on my salary.

One more thing - don't forget you have to actively search for work and report your job search activities on your weekly claims. That doesn't affect your benefit amount but it affects whether you get paid at all.

This whole thread has been super educational. I had no idea about half of this stuff before reading through everyone's responses.

Last update - I ended up using Claimyr again to ask about something else and the agent confirmed my benefit calculation was correct. Really recommend it if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD without the phone hassle.

Just a heads up that your weekly benefit amount stays the same throughout your entire benefit year even if you get a new job and then become unemployed again. It's based on that original base period calculation.

Final summary for anyone still reading: Weekly benefit = (highest quarter wages ÷ 26) × 3.85%, capped at $999 maximum, $295 minimum. You need sufficient wages in your base period to qualify. Benefits are taxable and last up to 26 weeks.

Hope this thread helps other people understand Washington ESD benefit calculations better. The system can be confusing but the math is pretty straightforward once you know the formula.