How much money can I earn while on Washington ESD unemployment without losing benefits?

In Washington, you can earn up to your weekly benefit amount without losing any benefits. Anything over that gets deducted dollar for dollar from your UI payment. So if your weekly benefit is $500, you can earn up to $500 without penalty.

wait i thought there was some kind of formula where they let you keep some of your benefits even if you work? my friend said something about them only counting part of what you earn

I was in the same situation last month trying to figure out Washington ESD earnings limits. After weeks of calling and getting busy signals, I found this service called Claimyr that actually gets you through to a real person at unemployment offices. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing exactly how it works. Got my earnings question answered in one call instead of weeks of frustration.

Let me clarify the Washington ESD earnings rules since there's confusion here. The current policy is that they subtract 75% of your gross weekly earnings from your weekly benefit amount. You also have to earn at least $5 to trigger any deduction. So if your weekly benefit is $400 and you earn $100, they subtract $75, leaving you with $325 in benefits.

Been collecting unemployment for 3 months and working part-time the whole time. The key is ALWAYS report your earnings honestly on your weekly claim. Washington ESD will find out about unreported work eventually and then you'll owe overpayment.

Here's the exact calculation: Weekly Benefit Amount minus 75% of gross earnings = your unemployment payment for that week. Example: $500 benefit - 75% of $200 earnings ($150) = $350 unemployment payment. As long as the result is at least $10, you get a payment.

I've been doing gig work while on unemployment and it's been working out great. Just track everything carefully and report it all. The 75% deduction rule actually lets you keep more money than I expected.

For regular W-2 employment, Washington ESD uses gross earnings (before taxes). For self-employment or gig work, they use net earnings (after legitimate business expenses). This is important because it affects how much gets deducted from your benefits.

This whole system is ridiculous. Why make it so complicated? Just let people work without penalizing them for trying to get back on their feet. The Washington ESD system seems designed to trip people up.

Pro tip: if you're confused about earnings calculations, you can use the Washington ESD online calculator tool, or better yet, call and ask directly. I used Claimyr recently to get through to someone at Washington ESD who walked me through exactly how my freelance income would be calculated. Worth every penny to get accurate information.

been working 20 hours a week while on unemployment for 2 months now. as long as you report everything correctly youre fine. the math works out where i still get about half my benefits plus my part time wages

Word of warning - don't forget that working while on unemployment affects your total benefit year duration. You're still using up weeks even if you're working part-time. Make sure you understand how that impacts your claim.

The earnings limit question comes up so much. Washington ESD really should make this clearer on their website. Half the confusion could be avoided with better explanations of the 75% deduction rule.

Just want to add that if you're working for a temp agency while on unemployment, make sure they understand you're on benefits. Some agencies are good about scheduling around your benefit requirements, others not so much.

Bottom line - you can work and collect benefits in Washington, just be honest about your earnings and understand the calculation. When in doubt, call Washington ESD or use a service like Claimyr to get through to someone who can explain your specific situation.